Tekes Annual Seminar – Helsinki, Finland

The Annual Hydrogen Workshop will be collaboratively held in cooperation with Pirkanmaa, Äetsä Hydrogen village project (Prizztech Oy) and Tekes national Fuel Cell Finland programme. Taking place in Hanasaari, Helsinki, Finland on Tue September 13 2011, the event aims to attract decision makers in the energy sector, end-users and the general public interested in new energy options, companies & research organizations interested in fuel cells.

North East England: UK’s first Low Carbon Economic Area for Ultra Low Carbon Vehicles

Electric vehicles are moving into the fast lane in North East England. Numerous actions in the region have paved the way for the region to have the status of being the UK’s first Low Carbon Economic Area for Ultra Low Carbon Vehicles.

In line with its intention to be the leader in zero emission vehicles by 2012, Nissan has been working with One North East to identify the initial infrastructure needed to support low carbon vehicles in North East England. This has led to around 700 charging points being installed throughout the area and a £10m skills academy being established at the Nissan site by Gateshead College, to train the new generation of engineers in low-carbon vehicle and battery manufacture.

In 2010 ‘Charge Your Car’ scheme was announced, which is a customer support scheme for electric vehicle drivers. The scheme assists drivers find and use charge points, access customer support and collect information on their vehicle’s charging history.

London Hydrogen Station supplied by Air Products to supply CHIC buses

The construction of the hydrogen refueling station commenced in spring 2010 and was completed by November 2010. The station will be refuelling 8 of the 26 European funded hydrogen buses under the CHIC project.

The station comprises high pressure storage and 350 bar dispensing through 2 dispensers on site. 2 dispensers are used in servicing the buses. The Hydrogen delivered to the station is Liquid hydrogen. The station is serviced by Air Products’ fleet of dual phase hydrogen tankers, which transport the hydrogen as liquid and vaporize into high pressure storage on site.

The dual phase hydrogen tanker, developed and owned by Air Products, converts the hydrogen between different states and pressures and can supply medium or high pressure gas in addition to liquid hydrogen. This means that large quantities of hydrogen can be transported, thereby reducing distribution costs and minimising the equipment needed at the point of use.

Energy Commissioner launches Smart Cities and Communities Initiative and Call

Speaking to 500 representatives of cities, business, the financial sector and research institutions EU Commissioner for Energy Günther Oettinger launched on June 21st the EU’s new Smart Cities and Communities Initiative, the EU’s programme for the energy efficient cities of tomorrow.”The time is right for smart cities and communities: Cities and industry partners are eager to develop integrated sustainable solutions that offer clean, secure and affordable energy to citizens, reduce consumption and create new markets – in Europe and beyond.

Following the announcement, the European Commission held July 7th in Brussels the FP7 Information Day including Smart City topics. The 2012 call will offer €75 million to projects dealing with: Demonstration of nearly zero energy building renovation for cities and districts ( €35 mil), smart heating and cooling systems, and strategic sustainable planning and screening of city plans.

FP7 Information Days – 2012 calls

In order to support the preparation of proposals for the new Calls for Proposals and preparation for proposals on Energy and other topics under the FP7, the European Commission’s Directorates-General are organising various Information Days in July 2011.

TECNALIA becomes European adviser on electric mobility

Following the Green eMotions Initiative to promote electric mobility across Europe, TECNALIA is made advisory partner for network operators, marketers of electricity, car manufacturers and telecom companies.

Introduction

Following the announcement of the HyER Board on March 16 to broaden the HyER activities to include support for the deployment of battery electric vehicles and battery recharging infrastructure.  HyER had meetings with several EC officials to explore EU funding programs that could support market roll out and infrastructure build up.  In addition HyER supported the organization of a high level political meeting of Scandinavian regions to start engaging local politicians in a joint strategic approach to leverage EU national financing. The HyER office has already received many requests and even new applications for membership of regions keen to collaborate.

HyER is committed to become Europe’s reference point for electromobility development and its impact on local energy distribution networks. It will therefore step up its support to facilitate fact-based policy making by collecting relevant data of EU, national and local programs. The next HyER Annual General Meeting on October 27- 28, 2011 in Brussels is expected to take a decisive step forward and engage key regional decision makers to accelerate strategic planning and facilitate support of key EU and national funding programs. We wish you lovely summer holidays!

Final Events: Model Region Electric Mobility Rhine-Ruhr and “Fuel Cell Box”

On July, 31st a ride & drive event is planned for the final event of phase I of the Model Region Electro Mobility Rhine-Ruhr. Here, citizens have the possibility to “enjoy” the whole range of electric mobility for free.

Finish national test site for electric vehicles

A Pirkanmaa based, national consortia collected by Technolgy Center Hermia will begin an R&D and demonstration programme: National test site for electric vehicles. The project refers to comprehensive test site environment for electric vehicles nationwide. The implementation of this is based on solutions for data collection and management with various vehicle metering systems.

€180 m available for infrastructure projects

The European Commission has launched  three calls for proposals under the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) multi-annual programme, making €180 million available to finance European transport infrastructure projects.