In Sweden, the Governor of Kronoberg County has inaugurated the country's first public hydrogen refueling station with integrated green hydrogen production using power from a dedicated wind turbine.
Developed by Metacon AB, a developer, and manufacturer of energy systems for the production of hydrogen, heat, and electricity, the opening in Älghult marks the start of further investments in a hydrogen infrastructure for passenger cars and heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs).
Officiated by the Governor of Kroneberg Maria Arnholm, the opening took place on August 31, 2023, with representatives from Metacon and Uppvidinge Vätgas, the special purpose vehicle (SPV), along with around 200 hydrogen stakeholders.
The event also included a seminar on various ongoing hydrogen projects and investments in Sweden as well as hydrogen-powered vehicles from Volvo Trucks and Toyota.
Thorbjörn Bennesved for Uppvidinge Vätgas and Christer Wikner, CEO of Metacon spoke on the importance of hydrogen for their companies and products and for the fossil-free society.
Other speakers included Björn Aronsson, CEO of Hydrogen Sweden, Niclas Johnson, Sales Manager for Volvo Trucks Sweden, Fredrik Wigelius, Sales Manager for Toyota Sweden, Magnus Sahlin, CEO of Trelleborgs Energi, who shared their thoughts and knowledge on the future of hydrogen, its current needs and potential as an important future climate-neutral vehicle fuel.
Fuel cell electric trucks will be suitable for long distances, where charging infrastructure is lacking or charging time is an obstacle, as a complement to battery electric trucks, and will become a reality in the second half of this decade. Refueling infrastructure for hydrogen is needed for heavy vehicles and we at Volvo Trucks are very happy about Metacon and Uppvidinge Vätgas’ investment here in Småland. They are pioneers and we are proud to be involved in inaugurating this investment in sustainable transport, commented Niclas Johnson, Sales Manager at Volvo Trucks Sweden.
Local and fully autonomous
What makes the Älghult hydrogen refueler unique in the Swedish context is that the hydrogen is produced in a dedicated electrolyzer built in close proximity to the refueling station, and this electrolyzer receives its electricity from a nearby wind turbine.
In this way, Uppvidinge Vätgas is completely self-reliant and autonomous. No hydrogen needs to be acquired externally and transported to the refueling station from other suppliers, and the green hydrogen is produced and distributed from the refueler without burdening the local power grid.
As a third-generation forest transport entrepreneur, it is a great moment that I, together with my partners in Uppvidinge and Metacon, now get to see the first part of our vision realized. We can’t build the vehicles we need but we can build gas stations. It is in light of this fantastic honor and promise that Volvo Trucks is now coming and showing off the hydrogen trucks that my company wants to switch to in the future, commented Thorbjörn Bennesved, Uppvidinge Vätgas.
Scalable and adaptable
The facility in Älghult is part of Metacon’s investment in smaller scalable units for site-based hydrogen production. The plant can easily be expanded by adding more electrolyzers and refueling stations.
Similar facilities from Metacon can easily be adapted to the local availability of green electricity from one or more wind turbines, but also other electricity sources such as e.g. a solar PV park or small local hydropower plants can be used for local electricity production, or via a conventional power grid connection.
The facility in Älghult also demonstrates the possibility of easily transporting the hydrogen between the production unit and the refueling station, which provides the opportunity for easy delivery of locally produced hydrogen to a number of refueling stations placed where they are most needed.
Metacon also produces plants that, with its patented catalytic steam methane reforming (CSMR) technology, can convert methane (fossil or renewable natural gas – RNG), or ethanol to produce green hydrogen on-site, without the need for external electricity.
I am extremely happy and proud that we have now built and inaugurated this ground-breaking facility and honored by the presence of all visitors including the Governor and leading vehicle manufacturers with hydrogen vehicles such as Volvo Trucks and Toyota. This is just the beginning of an exciting and important development of the hydrogen market. And what we have heard from the visitors today ensures that we can be involved in many future projects in Sweden and abroad, commented Christer Wikner, CEO of Metacon.
