With a delegation in Israel: from oxygen production on Mars to non-combustible hydrogen carrier
16 March, 2023
In mid-January, a delegation of Austrian foreign trade with about 60 people traveled to Israel – among them was FHTW professional field researcher Günter Essl. The focus of the trip was on the field of energy.
In mid-January, FHTW professional field researcher Günter Essl was part of a 60-member delegation from Foreign Trade Austria. Exciting topics were discussed in detail, such as the connection of AI (Artificial Intelligence) with different technology areas like robotics, cyber security and extraordinary visions like the extraction of metals and oxygen on the moon and Mars. The “Net Zero” program was also addressed, an ecosystem founded by the Israel Innovation Authority to save our planet.
Advancing humanity’s expansion into space
A major theme of the trip was the Israeli startup scene, which has an excellent international reputation. The startup “Helios” sounds like science fiction: its vision is to drive humanity’s expansion into space and enable sustainability on Earth. The company is developing a reactor that can process lunar or Martian soil into oxygen and metals. The solution delivers two extremely important materials at the same time and requires no consumables from Earth. Helios technology can also be used for iron production on Earth.
Another exciting Israeli startup is “Augwind,” which is developing an innovative renewable energy storage system that uses compressed air, water pumps and turbines, all installed underground in a modular network of tanks. In June 2022, Augwind announced the signing of a three-year strategic cooperation agreement with Voith Hydro (Austrian site in St. Pölten) to collaborate on the development of certain systems and equipment, including turbines, water pumps and power supply systems to be integrated into Augwind’s AirBattery energy storage system.
Hydrogen carrier that is not flammable, explosive or toxic
Also a very important part of the energy future is hydrogen. The Israeli startup “HydroX” managed to develop a hydrogen carrier that is non-flammable, non-explosive and non-toxic. It uses water as a storage medium. All other competing technologies use either flammable, explosive or toxic materials. Even the most advanced liquid organic hydrogen carriers use dibenzyltoluene or toluene, all toxic and definitely less safe materials than Hydro X hydrogen carriers.
“In Israel, when you first brainstorm problems, you always assume the simplest possible solutions. Afterwards, the technical implementation by engineers becomes more complicated anyway,” says Günter Essl from the FH Technikum Wien. “Austria’s population is similar to Israel’s, so we can learn a lot from each other. Israel is very good at networking high-tech solutions worldwide, and the Israeli market would be far too small for many companies in the technology sector,” says Essl.
Austrian-Israeli showcase project on cybersecurity
Israeli companies also have a lot of experience and know-how in the field of cyber security. Former General and Chief Cyber Defense Commander Danny Bren gave the Austrian delegation a tour of his company “Otorio”, an Austrian-Israeli showcase project in the field of digitalization. It provides cybersecurity for critical infrastructure in the energy and industrial sectors. More than 70 engineers* work on solutions for the security of networked production.
Among the accompanying guests were Harald Mahrer (President of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber), Florian Tursky (State Secretary for Digitalization), Michael Otter (Head of Foreign Trade Austria of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber), Henrietta Egerth (Managing Director Austrian Research Promotion Agency – FFG), Michael Strugl (CEO Verbund AG), Martin Graf (CEO Energie Steiermark), Markus Haas (Head of Austrian Foreign Trade Center in TelAviv) and Tim Cupal (ORF Israel Correspondent). In addition to FH Technikum Wien, other educational institutions were represented with FH Kufstein and FH Kärnten. Austrian media such as Krone, Kurier, Die Presse, Ö1, Tiroler Tageszeitung and Oberösterreichische Nachrichten also traveled along.
The FH Technikum Wien continuously focuses on sustainable topics in research and teaching: With the study programs Renewable Energies (Bachelor) and (Master) but also with application-oriented study programs, for example at the Faculty of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics for specialization in quantum computing in the Bachelor of Computer Science. New energy carriers such as hydrogen are dealt with, among other things, in the study programs of the faculties Industrial Engineering and Electronic Engineering.
Günter Essl (professional field researcher, front row, 8th from right) was in Israel with a delegation as a representative of the FH Technikum Wien.
Image with hydrogen cannula, Copyright: Essl
All other images, Copyright: WKO