Hydrogen
The perfect ally for sustainable energy
Hydrogen was the first element to form following the Big Bang and alone makes up almost 90% of the universe’s mass, even though it is the lightest of all the elements.
Hydrogen has some fundamental characteristics that make it the perfect ally for facing the planet’s energy challenge:
- it is an energy vector that does not produce polluting emissions in its end uses (its combustion does not release CO2, but rather water in the form of steam);
- it is easier to store and transport than electricity and natural gas pipelines can be used for this purpose.
Compared to natural gas, however, hydrogen has many different characteristics, particularly in how it interacts with materials. Thus, accurate studies and tests are required to fully understand the impacts and reliable and safe solutions for energy exploitation must be found.
Hydrogen is an element that can currently only be injected into the pipeline network and mixed with natural gas up to certain percentages. Our commitment is to create systems and devices that increase this mixing percentage, a technological challenge that will open up incredible opportunities for the development of more sustainable energy.
Focus
Hydrogen can be produced in different ways from different energy sources, taking names that recall the environmental impact of production processes. Hyter, a company of the Pietro Fiorentini Group, has developed a new technology for the production of hydrogen with reduced environmental impact.
Hydrogen is one of the major players in the energy transition and Pietro Fiorentini intends to make its experience available through participation and development of new projects in Italy and abroad, membership in the main tables in the industry and experiments to test the readiness of its devices.
Pietro Fiorentini’s hydrogen journey saw the achievement of an important milestone in October 2022 with the inauguration of the hydrogen laboratory, a multifunctional facility at the Arcugnano headquarters capable of producing hydrogen, gas blending and testing device readiness.
Expertise areas
Biomethane
Unlike other renewables, biomethane requires limited investment in terms of infrastructure. Moreover, regarding emissions, it is considered to be neutral as it is produced via the digestion of biomass from by-products, industrial processing waste and organic material.
Specific incentives promoted at the European level are making its use economically sustainable, and as a result production and use of this source are being strongly encouraged.
Power-to-gas
Managing ‘green electrons’ over time and space is important to obtain as much energy as possible when renewable sources such as the sun and the wind are available.
Power-to-gas, a technology that transforms surplus electricity into gas molecules that can be transported over long distances at low cost and can offer the possibility to seasonally store renewable energy, is the answer.
Smart gas grids
Smart Grids, which integrate different types of energy and make autonomous decisions to optimise energy distribution, are an ambitious project that will, in the very near future, manage energy through networks capable of instantaneously regulating multiple, discontinuous and bidirectional flows.
Cathodic protection
When iron and steel come into contact with an electrolyte, such as soil, a phenomenon called electrolytic corrosion occurs in any infrastructure made of metal.
Electrolytic corrosion cannot be completely eliminated, but specific measures can be taken in the design and construction phases to significantly reduce its effects.
Water
Water is a primary resource, a fundamental need for life. Good water governance is a strategic responsibility from every point of view: institutional, environmental, economic.
The goal is to move towards process automation through the digitalisation of water networks, thus achieving a better optimisation of resources, investments, and data management, with a business advantage for companies but also a social advantage for the communities.
Surface protection
Surface treatment is a critical step in preserving the integrity and longevity of structures and equipment, especially when they are exposed to various environmental conditions.
