The first of its kind in the state of Sarawak and Southeast Asia, Linde also signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore the potential of H2 and how it can be potentially applied into other aspects together with SEB.
Sarawak Energy pilots hydrogen plant and refuelling station
The move demonstrates interest in clean fuel alternatives for a more sustainable automotive industry in Malaysia.
Linde is gearing up to share its expertise in fuelling solutions to help power Malaysia’s automotive industry with zero-emission H2 technology.
Malaysia is an attractive place for the Tier One company to invest further, tapping into its rich water resource for the production, storage and supply of H2 and other industrial gasses. This is partly due to its abundant water resource, receiving an average of 2500 to 5080 millimetres of rainfall annually.
“The world’s challenges associated with global warming (caused by CO2 emissions) pose a fundamental threat to the future of our planet,” explained Linde South Asia and ASEAN Regional Managing Director Rob Hughes.
“Linde sees H2 as an integral part of our renewable energy future in addressing this challenge. With over 25 years of research and development in H2 fuelling technologies, Linde has invested significantly at the global level in the future market for H2. There are strong indicators that the market is receptive towards alternative fuels and energy with alternative mobility becoming more prevalent, particularly in Asia.”
“Technology, innovation and an inventive spirit have been at the core of Linde from the very beginning, making us the technology leader for end-to-end sustainable H2 solutions.”
“Linde is no stranger to the automotive industry as we deliver H2 fuelling solutions for cars, buses and even forklift trucks. We intend to grow the commercialisation of H2-powered fuel cell vehicles and boost our efforts with our partners to create infrastructures that enable greater adoption of H2-electric mobility. Linde has seen success with this model across Europe and is now extending its focus here in Southeast Asia,” Hughes said.
H2-powered cars are equipped with a H2 fuel cell and an electric motor. Inside the fuel cell of the car, the H2 reacts with oxygen (O2) drawn in from the ambient air. H2 molecules separate and create electricity to power the electric motor, and water.
The automotive industry stands to benefit from Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) because they help reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions which greatly mitigates climate change.
This further supports the nation’s aspirations to reduce carbon emissions as demonstrated by the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology, Science and Climate Change’s (Mestecc) recent announcement to introduce an Energy Efficiency Bill in 2019 to help Malaysia cut carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 in compliance with the Paris climate accord.
H2-powered fuel cell vehicles have a short refuelling time of only three minutes and the ability to cover 500 to 600 km. The water vapour from the exhaust of a H2-powered vehicle is clean to the point that it is drinkable, demonstrating its zero emissions feature.
To date, Linde has equipped around 150 fuelling stations globally with innovative H2 refuelling technology.
Linde is actively involved in collaborative partnerships to jointly develop new solutions for H2 as a fuel. It is also a member of the ‘Hydrogen Council,’ the first global initiative of its kind, launched in January 2017, with the goal of positioning H2 among the key solutions of the energy transition to help meet climate goals.