Renewable hydrogen used to light the Eiffel tower

ON Tuesday night, the Eiffel Tower, the iconic Parisian monument, was lit up in a unique display that used electricity from renewable hydrogen. It's part of a special display showcasing the more sustainable technology that is running until May 30, in the Champ-de-Mars area by the famous landmark. Energy Observer's "Le Paris d'hydrogène" takes the form of an exhibition where bicycles, cars, buses and other kinds of vehicles have been designed to run on hydrogen.

In this interactive and immersive village set up in front of the Eiffel Tower until Sunday, hydrogen transportation innovations are on display: Toyota fuel cell cars, the first hydrogen-powered bicycles developed by a Biarritz-based start-up Pragma, Industries, a refrigerated semi-trailer, a forklift truck, etc.

The showcase also includes the iconic "Energy Observer" ship, founded by sailor Victorien Erussard and christened in 2017. This boat sails thanks to a mix of renewable and non-polluting energies: solar, wind, wave. But above all, by ensuring a complete energy self-sufficiency thanks to its production of hydrogen. Under the village tents, an interactive exhibition traces the Odyssey of this ship, which has already traveled more than 60,000 km across five continents.

This research work carried out on board the Energy Observer gave rise to the creation of EODev, an electro-hydrogen group that supplies the electricity of the "Paris de l'Hydrogène" village. The technology developed by EODev has also been chosen to power river and sea shuttles in Paris and Marseille, in the run-up to the 2024 Summer Olympics. The installation of floating hydrogen stations to power these shuttles is also planned for both cities.

But this renewable energy source is not only intended to power transportation: it can also be used to light up monuments. To prove it, the founders of Energy Observer carried out a unique experiment on Tuesday, May 25, at dusk. For the first time in its history, the Eiffel Tower was adorned with a green light, thanks to certified "renewable" hydrogen.