Swiss Axpo Strengthens Renewable Focus
Swiss utility Axpo is establishing a battery and a hydrogen business, it said February 15. “Battery storage will be a crucial technology for security of supply during the transition to a CO2-free energy world, while hydrogen generated from renewable sources can significantly reduce CO2 emissions from industry and transport,” it said in explanation.
Axpo is already a major hydro generator, and has gas-fired assets in Italy that are now able to receive gas from the Caspian with the start-up of the Southern Gas Corridor.
Axpo said renewable energy needs to keep pace with the development of infrastructure for energy storage and additional solutions to reduce CO2 emissions. In the future, battery storage and the energy carrier hydrogen will play an important role in the renewable energy world.
Axpo Renewables head Christoph Sutter said battery storage and hydrogen technologies “will become increasingly important to ensure that power from renewable sources is continuously available. Therefore, it's only logical that we now want to specifically target and drive forward activities in these promising business fields."
An interview with Axpo's Marco Saalfrank, covering the company's gas, hydro and battery businesses in January may be read here.