Green hydrogen project for Corstyrene

Aléria – Corstyrène

The first step of an ambitious green hydrogen project

2021

Corstyrene, a specialist in building insulation, has been involved in projects to decarbonize its business since 2010: Waste recovery, solar panels, polystyrene recycling…The company wants to go even further and these hydrogen stations are the first step in a more ambitious project. In addition to manufacturing and supplying green energy for the factory’s fleet of forklifts and semi-trailers, Corstyrène plans to supply private cars and, once the process has been industrialized, why not supply the ports of Bastia and Ajaccio? Corsica is a ZNI (an island zone not connected to the French electricity network). Hydrogen is an ideal solution for the island, allowing the need for autonomy to be met by using renewable energies.

A tailor-made solution

When Atawey joined the project in 2021 after two years of study, the project was at a technological dead end. The Atawey team was able to listen and brainstorm with the stakeholders to create an adapted solution and eliminate the barriers. According to Estelle Ouzineb, the engineer in charge of the project, “respecting the deadline, support and communication” are Atawey’s strengths. The Savoie based company “provided the technology at the right time and enabled us to think about the project together to meet our needs as closely as possible,” explains the project manager.

Initial feedback has been very positive

The Corstyrene stations are part of the overall production project: the stations supply hydrogen to operate the forklifts, which in turn are part of the production chain. Since they came into operation, the stations have been very well received at the Aléria site. Daniel Dutilleul, the site manager, sees two reasons for this excellent acceptance of hydrogen by the teams. “The first is the improvement in the drivers’ working conditions: Filling up with hydrogen is much easier than charging the batteries on the old forklifts. The second is the enhancement of their work through the training provided and the motivation generated by using innovative technologies. »