Discover great EU-funded Innovations
INNOVATION
Revolutionizing Hydrogen Refueling Stations (HRS) with Direct Filling Innovative procedures
SHARE:
Market Maturity: Tech Ready
These are innovations that are progressing on technology development process (e.g. pilots, prototypes, demonstration). Learn more
Market Creation Potential
This innovation was assessed by the JRC’s Market Creation Potential indicator framework as having a Very high” level of Market Creation Potential. Only innovations that are showing multiple signals of market creation potential are assigned a value under this indicator system. Learn more
Go to Market needs
Needs that, if addressed, can increase the chances this innovation gets to (or closer to) the market incude:
  • Scale-up market opportunities
Location of Key Innovators developing this innovation
Key Innovators
UN Sustainable Development Goals(SDG)
This innovation contributes to the following SDG(s)
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 7
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

The UN explains: "Energy is central to nearly every major challenge and opportunity the world faces today. Be it for jobs, security, climate change, food production or increasing incomes, access to energy for all is essential.

Transitioning the global economy towards clean and sustainable sources of energy is one of our greatest challenges in the coming decades. Sustainable energy is an opportunity – it transforms lives, economies and the planet."

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 8
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

The UN explains: "Roughly half the world’s population still lives on the equivalent of about US$2 a day. And in too many places, having a job doesn’t guarantee the ability to escape from poverty. This slow and uneven progress requires us to rethink and retool our economic and social policies aimed at eradicating poverty."

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 9
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

The UN explains: "Investments in infrastructure – transport, irrigation, energy and information and communication technology – are crucial to achieving sustainable development and empowering communities in many countries. It has long been recognized that growth in productivity and incomes, and improvements in health and education outcomes require investment in infrastructure."

The EU-funded Research Project
This innovation was developed under the Horizon Europe project H2REF-DEMO with an end date of 30/06/2026
  • Read more about this project on CORDIS
Description of Project H2REF-DEMO
H2REF-DEMO aims to further develop and scale up by a factor of 5 the innovative compression concept developed in H2REF, in order to address large vehicle refuelling applications requiring hydrogen to be dispensed at rates of hundreds of kg/h, such as bus fleet refuelling every evening at the bus depot, truck refuelling, and train refuelling. Thanks to demonstrating the process during one year for commercial 35 MPa refuelling of trucks, the project will bring to TRL7 the disruptive compression technology previously developed in the H2REF project and already validated for 70 MPa refuelling of light duty vehicles. Along with capacity scale-up, H2REF DEMO will focus on process optimisation, cost reduction and further durability testing, Full optimisation will be achieved by first developing a digital twin of the scaled-up process. Use of accumulators with shells in hoop wrapped steel (Type II), a suitable technology for 35 MPa refuelling, will allow to optimise costs. A thorough accelerated testing approach involving at least 500 hours of continuous operation, will allow to verify durability of the accumulators and the compression stages over the full range of operating conditions. The demonstrated system is expected to provide a peak dispensing capacity of 150 kg/h, amounting to 1200 kg/d with 8 hours of daily operation, with a targeted cost of 1200 €/(kg/d). The process is expected to reduce electricity consumption to 3.5 kWh/kg of dispensed hydrogen, from production on site at 2 MPa to vehicle tank at 42 MPa. The knowledge gained will allow subsequent development to focus on commercial product development for short term commercial deployment. A multi-disciplinary team, composed of 4 industrial companies and 3 RTOs, combining expertise in hydraulic power supply, in bladder accumulator, in process simulation, modelling process digital twins, in H2 refuelling and distribution stations is gathered in the consortium to reach the targeted KPIs of H2REF-DEMO.

Innnovation Radar's analysis of this innovation is based on data collected on 26/09/2024.
The unique id of this innovation in the European Commission's IT systems is: 127361