Corsica Energia has won the "Hydrogen Territorial Ecosystem" call for projects, orchestrated by ADEME as part of France Relance and the decarbonization policy for industry. As such, two projects, DepHy2A and DepHy2B, aim to deploy hydrogen chains for the green electrification of the ports of Ajaccio and Bastia. Pollution generated by boats stationed at the quay during their stopovers constitutes a public health issue which the CCI of Corsica, the historic concessionaire of the ports, is tackling through a sustainable development approach called "EcoPort." Therefore, the green electrification of ships at the quay is a priority, which meets the priorities of the Corsican Energy Plan (PPE).

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The DepHy projects aim to implement two hydrogen chains, a world first in this field, each consisting upstream of a photovoltaic power plant coupled to an electrolyzer producing green hydrogen, which will then be transformed into electricity by means of a fuel cell to supply ships at the quay using gallows.

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In addition, two other uses are also being developed in the project:

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• The heating and cooling of the buildings located around the ports, thanks to the recovery of heat and cold emitted by the fuel cell in a cogeneration system.

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• The injection into the EDF network of surplus green electricity produced during periods of strong sunshine.

 

 

The two hydrogen chains, located respectively in Ajaccio and Bastia, consist of the same equipment. Hydrogen production will be ensured by a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer (PEM) of 5 MW, powered by photovoltaic electricity. The production of green electricity will be ensured by a photovoltaic farm of 12.2 MWp (17.2 GWh/year). Annual hydrogen production will be over 150 tonnes at each of the sites. A buffer storage system will be integrated before hydrogen compression. The stored hydrogen will be compressed to fill vertical bottles fixed on a frame for transport. This volume of hydrogen will be transported by a transport truck to the ports. The container on a rolling chassis will be stored near the fuel cell and in the open air to ensure the safety conditions of the installation. This fuel cell, with a nominal power of 2 MW (2.4 MW maximum power), will produce electricity in direct current, which will then be converted into alternating current. Finally, a transformer will make it possible to obtain a voltage of 11 kV at 50/60 Hz, which, through the brackets, will allow the connection of ships to the quay. The fuel cell will be hybridized with an electrochemical battery pack to absorb transients and power peaks.

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Uses :

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The hydrogen chains are designed to supply green electricity to ROPAX ships operating under the Public Service Delegation (DSP) with a capacity of 1 to 2 MW. Additionally, a cogeneration system associated with the fuel cell will ensure heating and cooling of the port buildings. This feature is a distinguishing factor of our technical expertise.

In a second phase of the project, there are plans to produce hydrogen for direct use in decarbonizing heavy transport on the island.