The first hydrogen production station and service station has received the necessary building permits, thus securing the necessary co-financing from Europe.
In particular, the station will operate in Larnaca, in the area of Aradippou. It is a project with a cost of €7.5 million, with 60% coming from European funds.
The plant is estimated to be able to produce 150 tonnes of hydrogen per year, equivalent to about 627 tonnes of diesel.
Although the permits have been secured, this is only one step for the implementation of the station, since at the same time other procedures and possibly agreements – must be run by the state. This is because at the moment there are no vehicles in Cyprus that use hydrogen as fuel.
Buying hydrogen vehicles
The thoughts being made by the state, according to information from "F", are the announcement of a plan that will concern the subsidy for the purchase of vehicles that use hydrogen, something analogous to the plans for the purchase of an electric car.
However, according to the same information, what seems to be proposed as a starting point is the use of hydrogen in transport and for this reason contacts have already been made with stakeholders for this purpose. As we were told, hydrogen can be used initially in heavy and other vehicles, including public cars, and then targeted for private vehicles. In fact, in this way the pollutant percentages of Cyprus can also be reduced.
Experts in the field and after a relevant question told "F" that the conversion of cars using conventional fuels to hydrogen cannot be done, so it will be necessary to buy and import cars that have this technology pre-installed and for this whole project it will take some time to be implemented.
Energy from RES
Apart from its many advantages, the production of green hydrogen and its use as a fuel brings other benefits for Cyprus. At a time when the rejection of green energy is high and the state is looking for solutions, hydrogen production can also help because it can use energy from Renewable Energy Sources to produce hydrogen, which can be stored and used whenever needed as fuel. It is an energy storage solution, as experts commented on "F".
Electric cars have been promoted in Europe as a solution to reduce emissions and the use of fuels such as gasoline and diesel, however, electrification has its own drawbacks.
Firstly, in Cyprus electricity prices are high and thus citizens continue to bear increased costs for their transport, while the cost of buying an electric car is increased compared to conventional ones.
The second disadvantage of all-electric cars is their range. Although in recent years most automakers have made breakthroughs in batteries, hundreds of kilometers of range are given, however, charging time remains a negative factor for many.
In contrast, cars using hydrogen technology can be refuelled directly from a petrol station, as is the case with conventional fuel cars, thus reducing waiting times and without the stress of autonomy.
