More and more frequently, people are hearing about energy transition, not only as a future perspective, but also as a real and actual commitment to industrial and economic development both in Europe and in Italy.
An increasing number companies, public institutions and industrial operators are, in fact, investing in innovative infrastructures able to reduce the environmental impact, to improve energy efficiency and to foster energy independence.
In this scenario, The National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) and the other European funding belonging to the NextGenerationEU plan are the most crucial means to support renewable energy and decarbonization industrial processes projects.
Among the most promising technologies, there is green hydrogen, produced by renewable energy systems and set to become a key factor in the European energy transition. It is a green fuel with no direct CO2 emissions.
It is of course a high-performance solution for many industrial fields ranging from energy production to sustainable mobility and energy-intensive manufacturing processes.
In Italy, the NRRP and the other European funds focus on three main strategic areas:
- Brownfield regeneration with the aim of transforming those areas into electrolysis plants for the production of renewable hydrogen. The commitment is to install approximately 5GW electrolysis capacity by 2030 with a significant involvement of small and medium-sized enterprises.
- Testing in freight and local transport both by train and by road in which all the supply chain will be involved from the production of green hydrogen to transportation, storage and service stations construction.
- In the railway field, the project includes the retrofitting aging rolling stock with zero-emission propulsion systems without expenses for line electrification avoiding service suspensions and drastically reducing infrastructure costs.
- On the other hand, in road transport the projects include also the realization of forty petrol stations for hydrogen-powered means of transport along some of the main national routes and in some strategic areas for heavy transport by road such as those areas next to inland terminals or hydrogen powered transport systems networks.
- Research and development. The projects aimed at the acquisition of new theoretical and experimental knowledge for the development of technologies for green hydrogen production, for storage, transport and transformation into derivatives and green fuels.
From a technical and operational point of view, hydrogen use implies particular attention during the design stage because due to its own characteristics, hydrogen demands certified, specific and resistant materials together with technologically advanced, reliable components compliant with the highest safety standards especially for those applications requiring hydrogen transport at high pressure.
Tecra commitment to energy transition
Due to an increase in hydrogen dedicated and renewable energy infrastructures, in the coming years a skilled and high-qualified industrial supply chain able to quickly meet the requirements of the new energy construction sites will be required.
In such a quick technological evolution context, Tecra srl closely follows and strongly supports the development projects related to the energy transition and renewable energies promoting itself as a technical partner for companies involved in the realization of plants and energy infrastructures.
Thanks to its extensive experience in high-performance industrial components distribution, Tecra supports companies with a wide range of products specific for hydrogen applications, such as:
AISI 316 stainless steel is one of the most suitable choices for these kinds of applications thanks to its mechanical strength, durability and compatibility with critical environments and high pressures.
The increasing demand for certified solutions and components suitable for hydrogen safe transport make essential to schedule procurement activities in advance and immediately plan supplies to the construction sites and for the developing projects, especially considering extremely tight deadlines associated with these initiatives.
Tecra actually wants to be part of this transition by providing its know-how, product quality and technical support to guide companies, installers and industrial operators towards more and more sustainable and safe solutions.