First hydrogen bus in the Czech Republic

Two nuclear reactors the size of that of Temelin is what would be required to provide the necessary energy to the whole road sector of the Czech Republic, according to the Institute of Nuclear Research (INR) of Rez near Prague. This Institute, which advocates the use of hydrogen as energy carrier in the transport sector, sees nuclear energy the most promising way to produce hydrogen.

Pending convince the authorities, the INR and a consortium of companies engaged in a project to demonstrate that it was quite feasible and viable to operate on Czech roads of vehicles running on the hydrogen. Thus in 2009, residents of Neratovice, a small town located near a chemical complex in Central Bohemia, may borrow the first buses to hydrogen Czech Republic.

Rather than join the European project CUTE (Clean Urban Transport for Europe) which led to the introduction of hydrogen buses in London, Hamburg, Reykjavik and Berlin, the INR has chosen to launch its own project, with as leading partners Skoda Electric and the German, Proton Motor. The objective is to develop a new generation of bus-based optimization of energy flows and consumption in H2 minimal. Thus, these new buses will be equipped with a hybrid system, located in the roof, combining fuel cells and super-capacitors for electrical storage. In contrast to the bus to the first generation of hydrogen, which required fuel cells can provide 200 kilowatts, those developed by the INR and its partners will need fuel cell of 50 kilowatts. Thanks storage electric buses may recover energy from braking for reuse and acceleration phases, like hybrid electric vehicles. This will allow a reduction of over 30% in urban cycle, significantly reducing operational costs.

The INR also involved in finding new techniques for hydrogen production, particularly from nuclear energy and renewables. In the first case, the INR particularly interested in nuclear reactors 4th generation.

Sources:
http://www.nri.cz/eng/index.html
http://www.cez.cz/en/power-plants-and-environment/nuclear-power-plants/t...

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