Hydrogen-Mixture Project, Lombardy Region: first station opened
On February 8 the President of Regione Lombardia Formigoni inaugurated the first hydrogen-methane station in Lombardia in Milan.
The use of hydrogen methane mixtures in some countries with a good methane network could be an intermediate step towards the use of pure hydrogen in fuel cells applications. In normal combustion engines the hydrogen content in the mixture contributes to a more ready ignition and complete combustion, maintaining the performance of the car almost unchanged compared with the use of pure methane. The end result is a marked improvement in CO2 emissions and pollutants typical of combustion of hydrocarbons.
With the project – which involves Regione Lombardia, ENI, Sapio, Centro Ricerche Fiat, Nuova Carrozzeria Torinese and Fast (Federation of Scientific and Technological Associations) - it will be possible to verify the exact amount of the environmental contribution that technology can give, especially in the urban context. Tests conducted in the laboratory are promising and if the results are confirmed by road tests they will open a path toward the hydrogen mobility by leveraging technology of the internal combustion engine.
On the same day, the president of Regione Lombardia has signed an agreement with Eni which aims to deliver by 2012, thirty new stations for the supply of natural gas on motorways and Lombardy’s streets. The agreement also sets up the minimum number of stations in relation to population: one station every 45 thousand inhabitants on the ordinary streets and one station every 30 km on the highways.
Source: ENI
