Earlier this week, two Finnish companies joined forces to create a hydrogen production demonstration in Italy using the local wastewater. Being of partly Finnish heritage myself, I share great interest in what the Finns are up to in regard to hydrogen and fuel cell technology.
In May, 2013 Finland unveiled its Hydrogen Roadmap. And in January 2014, Finland opened its hydrogen fueling station. In March 2015, Finland opened its second hydrogen fueling station in Helsinki.
Finnish company Woikoski is also starting to build H2 fueling stations outside their country as well. According to Woikoski, “Woikoski will supply a hydrogen filling station to Gothenburg, Sweden. Based on a whole new concept, the new hydrogen filling station is part of the TEN-T network now under construction in Europe. This network is slated to include, for example, 400 filling stations in Germany, all to be built by 2020. – We are proud to be involved in the construction of a European vehicle-fuel network based on clean and renewable energy. The first of our filling stations to be built outside Finland, the station in Gothenburg makes for an excellent start to our technology exports. It is also testimony to the competitiveness of Finnish technological expertise, explains Woikoski´s Managing Director Kalevi Korjala.
“Woikoski has been involved in hydrogen production for more than a century, and its electrolysis plant in Kokkola, which began operation in November 2014, is the largest hydrogen facility in Europe to use this technology. The company aims to have 20 filling stations open in Finland by 2030, offering services throughout Finland´s traffic network.”
The hydrogen fueling station at Gothenburg, Sweden is pictured above.
Now, it’s no secret that Finnish schools are ranked as some of the top in the world, usually rated within the top 5. And Finnish students are particularly strong in the STEM subjects.
So, as the Finnish commitment to hydrogen and fuel cells grow, there will be an upcoming crop of top notch, homegrown scientists and engineers to support this growth.
Resources
https://www.hydrogencarsnow.com/?s=finland
https://www.hydrogencarsnow.com/index.php/hydrogen-fueling-stations/finlands-first-h2-station-opens/
http://www.woikoski.fi/en/articles/second-hydrogen-filling-station-opens-vuosaari-helsinki
http://www.woikoski.fi/en/articles/finnish-hydrogen-filling-station-technology-be-exported-europe
http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3749880
Funny how only a few years ago everyone kept saying e-cars have no future. now it’s 2016 and look at what the finns are doing.