Representatives of the City of Brno and the Hydrogen Mobility Initiative gathered yesterday to discuss the future of hydrogen technologies in Brno and especially their use in the framework of sustainable public transport.
The City of Brno is prioritising the development of the hydrogen economy, as reflected in the planned H2vBrno association, which will coordinate hydrogen energy creation in the South Moravian capital. The founding members of the association, besides the City of Brno, are Teplárny Brno, the Brno Transport Company, SAKO Brno, and the Brno University of Technology.
The association started to take form after a memorandum signed in 2021, when several institutions pledged to support the development of hydrogen technologies. As a result of this cooperation, the City of Brno is now intending to implement its high potential for the transition to clean energy, and could also become a pioneer in the use of hydrogen technologies in urban transport. According to the city management, hydrogen power is a strategically important step towards achieving energy self-sufficiency.
“The emerging hydrogen cluster in Brno is an initiative which has the ambition of connecting the public and private sectors, research institutions and universities with the aim of supporting the development of hydrogen technology and infrastructure in the region,” said the mayor of Brno, Markéta Vaňková.
She said the cluster will focus on innovation in the field of hydrogen production, distribution and use, which contributes to ecological transformation and energy sustainability. The members of the group will share knowledge, experience and technology, strengthening Brno’s competitiveness as a leader in the field of green energy.
Four multinational companies associated within the Hydrogen Mobility Initiative also attended the meeting, who are between them involved in the production of hydrogen vehicles, such as buses, cars and trains, as well as infrastructure and hydrogen distribution.
Martin Růžička, director for decarbonisation of the ORLEN Unipetrol group and a member of the Hydrogen Mobility Initiative, who also chairs the working group for hydrogen economy within the Czech Association of Industry and Transport expressed optimism about the initiative: “Based on foreign experience, it is clear that hydrogen and its entire ecosystem, including production, distribution and use in transport and energy, is no longer just a vision of the future, but a current reality. I appreciate the active approach of the City of Brno and its companies to this issue and I believe that hydrogen has great potential in Brno.”
The main subject of the meeting was a project being prepared by Teplárny Brno, which includes the entire cycle of production and use of hydrogen in Brno, and envisages the production of up to 600 tons of hydrogen per year from the sources of city companies, of which up to 150 tons could be from renewable hydrogen and the rest low-carbon. The hydrogen would then power emission-free urban public transport vehicles, SAKO collection vehicles and possibly other hydrogen vehicles. The planned project is in line with the hydrogen strategy of the Czech Republic and should help Brno save thousands of tons of CO 2 emissions per year.
“Teplárny Brno has been interested in the development of hydrogen technologies for a long time,” said CEO Petr Fajmon. “Hydrogen represents significant potential for sustainable transport and energy, especially in cases where its production and use can be ensured in one place. High-quality cooperation with partners is key to the success of the project, and we also highly value foreign experience with similar projects in public transport.”
