Lhyfe sets up 1 MW electrolysis plant in Germany for Deutsche Bahn hydrogen train pilot

Green hydrogen producer Lhyfe announced it had built an electrolysis plant for train operator Deutsche Bahn that will be used to pilot a hydrogen-powered train in Germany.

The 1 MW capacity plant has been set up at Tübingen, Germany, in the innovation hub belonging to Deutsche Bahn group company DB Energie, Lhyfe said in a release. The plant, which has an annual production capacity of 30 tonnes, will use renewable energy sourced from Deutsche Bahn's green electricity portfolio.

DB Energie has been tasked with testing new technologies for sustainable rail energy supply, including in the "H2goesRail" project.

Deutsche Bahn will put a climate-neutral hydrogen train into operation this year on a test route between Tübingen, Horb and Pforzheim in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. 

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Luc Graré, Head of Central and Eastern Europe at Lhyfe, said in a statement: "Sustainable energy sources and innovative technologies are needed to decarbonize the transport sector. One of these technologies is hydrogen-powered trains, which are a clean and efficient alternative to conventional diesel-powered trains as they are virtually CO2-free."

"This project demonstrates the economic viability of hydrogen solutions in the transport and mobility sector," he concluded.

France-headquartered Lhyfe, which began operating its first green hydrogen site in 2021, is involved in developing customized solutions across Europe to enable local production and distribution of green hydrogen.

In addition to Tübingen, the company is building a 10 MW plant in Schwäbisch Gmünd, also in the state of Baden-Württemberg, which will produce up to 4 tonnes of green hydrogen per day.