The centre, managed by "IIT HYDROGEN srl" of Bolzano, was set up as a pilot and demonstration plant for the study and development of this technology. Equipment for hydrogen production, compression, storage and refuelling was installed at the Bolzano Centre for Hydrogen in the period 2012 - 2014. This was one of the most advanced sites in Europe at that time. Being one of the first pilot plants in the EU, there were no standardised solutions yet. This is also why most of the components were custom-made or progressively adapted to the needs based on the results emerging in the field, demonstrating the reliability of the technologies employed. Pilot plants such as the Bolzano South plant have helped write the history of scientific and technological advances in the field. These "case studies", which were revolutionary at the time, made it possible to validate state-of-the-art technical solutions, test new materials and prove more sustainable and efficient ideas, leading to a significant reduction in equipment costs and increased reliability and/or lifespan of the plants.
H2 plant production data
To date, the Bolzano South hydrogen station is able to produce slightly less than 400 kg of hydrogen per day, and there are plans to upgrade it to reach 4,960 kg of hydrogen per day.
For 2023, the following figures stand out:
- hourly production 180 Nm3
- number of supplies 16,553 supplies
- hydrogen delivered 176,146 kg delivered
- CO2 not emitted into the atmosphere 2,290 t CO2
An expansion is planned in the short term (by 2026) since it will also have to meet the hydrogen demand of the new stations, planned by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), at the Sadobre truck park, the Paganella East and West service areas and the Verona North Motorway Safety Centre (CSA).
H2 plant upgrading
The expansion of the Bolzano South centre will consist of replacing the existing alkaline electrolysers with new PEM electrolysers. Specifically, in a first phase, a production plant with an absorbed power of up to 5 MW and a maximum daily production capacity of 2,490 kg of hydrogen will be set up. In a second phase, the production capacity will be doubled to reach 4,960 kg of hydrogen per day at a total power input of 10 MW (the production capacity will always be modular, starting from a minimum of 1,245 kg of hydrogen produced per day up to 4,960 kg that can be reached by using a total of 4 electrolysers). In order to minimise space requirements and to ensure redundancy in the event of failure/maintenance stoppages, two electrolysis modules of 2.5 MW each will be installed from the outset, which will be doubled, maintaining the same characteristics, by the end of the project. Initially, the distribution stations will be served by trailers that will be filled at the Bolzano production plant.
