When the pandemic recedes, lockdowns and restrictions are relaxed and eventually eliminated, and millions of residents in cities across the world begin to return to their offices and workplaces, public transit systems will once again be at the core of billions of commuters' daily activities. Urban transit systems are designed to move huge volumes of people through cities and communities quickly, reliably, and cost-efficiently (some systems accomplish these goals better than others!). The energy needed to run these networks of cars, trains, and buses, is enormous and today most of it comes from fossil fuels. How can communities - both large and small - redesign their transit systems to eliminate operational carbon emissions in the future?

Josipa Petrunic, President & CEO of CUTRIC (Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium), spoke with the EAH hosts about the challenge of decarbonizing urban transit at the Hydrogen Decade Virtual Event on February 17, 2021. This episode features a recording of that interview. In the 30-minute conversation with Josipa, the discussion ranged from the advantages of FCEBs over battery-electric buses, FCEB demonstration and pilot projects in Canadian cities, how the Canadian government's national hydrogen strategy stacks up against other such strategies, the implications of the new US administration for the future of climate policy in North America, and much much more.

Sponsor materials:

This episode is brought to you by BayoTech On-Site Hydrogen. Visit www.bayotech.us to learn more about the modular low-carbon hydrogen production solutions that BayoTech offers.

Links:

CUTRIC website: https://cutric-crituc.org/

Mississauga FCEB pilot project announcement: https://cutric-crituc.org/cutric-playing-central-role-in-groundbreaking-hydrogen-transit-study/

CHFCA paper on Canadian leadership in H2 tech: http://www.chfca.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/GOC-CDA-Leadership-HFC_en_4pager_WEB1.pdf

FCEBs in Canada: http://www.chfca.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/GOC-Buses_Train_en_WEB1.pdf

Air Liquide announcement of Becancour PEM electrolysis plant: https://energies.airliquide.com/air-liquide-inaugurates-worlds-largest-low-carbon-hydrogen-membrane-based-production-unit-canada

Enbridge materials regarding H2 generation and blending: https://www.enbridgegas.com/Natural-Gas-and-the-Environment/Enbridge-A-Green-Future/Renewable-hydrogen