Main results:
- Provided clean power to a hydrogen charging station for testing of new prototype car
- 15,000 litres diesel, 49 tonnes of CO₂, 235 kg nitrogen and 1764 generator running hours saved
- A reliable and clean power supply in a rare, natural location
Powering the Michelin testing circuit
The Michelin CEMA testing centre spans 4,500 hectares of tracks and facilities. Located close to Natural Park Cabo de Gata-Níjar and Almería’s Tabernas Desert, Europe’s last and only desert, it offers a unique setting to test new vehicle technologies.
Here, engineers can safely replicate the harshest real-world conditions in a safe and repeatable environment, ensuring vehicles are ready for any situation before being brought to market.
For one famous car brand, it was the ideal location to test their latest hydrogen prototype. All it needed was a reliable hydrogen charging station.
Mobile batteries and mobile solar fields
The power supply had to be sustainable and clean in order to protect the beautiful natural area of the Natural Park Cabo de Gata-Níjar and Tabernas Desert. At the same time, a hydrogen station needs absolute reliability: its cooling and monitoring systems need to operate without any interruption. Our solution needed to deliver both sustainability and reliability. We teamed up with our trusted partner GCK Energy to do just that.
We deployed two batteries in a load sharing setup, connecting them to two large mobile solar fields of 70 kWc each. For extra assurance, we hooked a backup generator to one of the batteries. Should the charging station ever lose power, the generator would automatically switch on to provide backup power until the problem was sorted. Luckily, this was never needed for the duration of the project, once again proving the reliability of our battery solutions.
During the 11-week project we saved:
- 15,000 litres diesel
- 49 tonnes of CO₂
- 235 kg nitrogen
- 1764 generator running hours
Working with Michelin and GCK Energy, we delivered a silent, stable power supply that enabled testing of a state-of-the-art hydrogen vehicle in extreme conditions. A practical example of how clean energy solutions can replace diesel and support the development of sustainable mobility at the same time.
