Hydrogen Can’t Cut The Mustard, Even In Dijon - CleanTechnica

The article from CleanTechnica analyzes the failure of Dijon’s ambitious hydrogen transportation project, which aimed to deploy hydrogen-powered buses, refuse trucks, and light municipal vehicles fueled by locally produced hydrogen via electrolysis. The project was well-funded and serious, with infrastructure built and supply agreements signed. However, the plan relied heavily on electricity generated from municipal waste-to-energy (WtE) incineration—about 90% of the electricity for electrolysis—with the remainder from local renewables. This choice proved problematic because WtE electricity has a high carbon intensity (around 700-900 gCO2e/kWh), which, when multiplied by the energy demands of electrolysis (approximately 55 kWh per kg of hydrogen), resulted in hydrogen production with a carbon footprint significantly higher than diesel fuel. Quantitatively, the article shows that hydrogen buses in Dijon would emit roughly 208 tons of CO2e annually, more than double the 83 tons emitted by comparable diesel buses. Similarly, hydrogen