The HyBer project is an ambitious initiative to create a hydrogen ecosystem in the department of Indre, centered on the city of Châteauroux, and serving the entire territory. Châteauroux, Indre prefecture with a population of 45,000 out of the 230,000 in the department, and the neighboring town of Issoudun are labeled “Positive energy territories for green growth”, reflecting their ambition to become net producers renewable energy. Far from conventional hydrogen production sites by steam reforming, Châteauroux and its surroundings are favorably positioned to develop renewable and local hydrogen production, which can be used in the context of a wide range of applications, including for the sector mobility. The project reflects the considerable desire of many players, from the Departmental Council and Châteauroux Métropole to many operators of private fleets, to move towards zero-emission mobility. The foundations laid in this project will lead in the medium term to a substantial ecosystem and aimed at a viable economic model, powering a wide range of vehicles. The key elements of this project are: • Installation of a 400 kg / day electrolyser at the Châteauroux bus depot site, with a 200 kg / day hydrogen refueling station, allowing recharging at 350 and 700 bar. The electrolyser will be supplied with electricity from a newly developed photovoltaic park installed on a neighboring plot belonging to Châteauroux Métropole. • Development of a second station at l’Escale, north of Châteauroux, bordering the A20 motorway, a strategic axis for the transport of goods between the markets of southern France and Paris. This station will be supplied with hydrogen from the main station. • Deployment of around 100 fuel cell vehicles, including 6 buses (3 x 12m and 3 x 18m) operated by the Metropolis, 60 LCVs operated by several local fleets and public bodies such as SDEI, the Departmental Council and the municipality of Saint Georges sur Arnon, and finally 30 private vehicles. These different uses will ensure stable basic demand from the start of the project. • Future deployment of fuel cell trucks in the medium term (from 2024) by local fleet operators, such as Transport Coquelet and Transport Blanchet, deployments completed in terms of demand by this category of vehicles by vehicles using the A20. This project is also an innovative project in many respects, and constitutes a reproducible model for the deployment of hydrogen in French rural areas. This point includes in particular: • The use of a station configuration with centralized production, a main station supplying hydrogen to an auxiliary station. This approach avoids the need for on-site production at the second station, while minimizing the transportation cost for the main station. It also allows for scalable deployment, allowing the installation of additional refueling stations at competitive cost (for example in Issoudun) when growing demand for hydrogen justifies it. • An economic model based on a set of different types of vehicles adapted to rural areas. The project benefits from the sustained commitment of fleet operators from the public and private sectors, using private vehicles, commercial vehicles, buses and trucks. This diversity of uses promotes the economic viability of the project, especially in the absence of a single large fleet of vehicles that would be found in major cities. In particular, the capacity of the bus station to serve private fleets allows efficient use of public funds by avoiding the creation of separate charging infrastructures. • The ability to supply the green hydrogen produced in Châteauroux to other projects in development in the Center-Val de Loire, such as Bourges, Tours, and Orléans.
There are no benefits for this project at this time