The industrial hydrogen ecosystem in the Northern Netherlands is getting a boost with the project Waviater: Hydrogen Production Technology for the Aviation Sector and Energy Applications at the Regional Level. In the project, a Northern Dutch consortium will develop green hydrogen technology.
At the beginning of this month, the North Netherlands Cooperation Agency awarded a subsidy for it from the European Regional Development Fund (Efro). Consortium partners are Douna Machinery Leeuwarden, JB Besturingstechniek, RedStack, Demcon, Groningen Airport Eelde, New Energy Coalition and Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, supported by TNO and Vonk.
The first concrete application is at Groningen Airport Eelde. There, an electrolyzer to be developed will produce green hydrogen as an emission-free energy carrier for light aircraft, drones and ground equipment. Managing director Toon Hermans of project leader Demcon energy systems: “Green hydrogen is being studied everywhere, but here in the Northern Netherlands people are looking for cooperation to develop concrete products. We’ve landed in a warm bath here, with New Energy Coalition as the architect of Hydrogen Valley and pacesetter of the energy transition, and with companies and knowledge institutions that really want to do something with hydrogen. The airport is showing its value to the environment by acting as a flywheel for this development.”
Electrolyzers
The production of “green” hydrogen is currently not yet competitive on a small scale with the large-scale, natural gas-based production of “gray” hydrogen. For decentralized applications there is a need for small to medium-sized electrolyzers that produce green hydrogen at acceptable costs. In addition, it is important that the electrolyzers themselves are sustainable and, for example, do not depend on the use of scarce and valuable metals used in certain types of electrolyzers. The consortium will therefore develop a scalable and sustainable electrolyzer. It must be cheaper to buy than the current alternatives, more efficient, not require scarce and valuable metals and, moreover, be automated for serial production.
Technology development
Hermans. “In this project we focus on the stack, where the electrolysis reaction takes place. For this we are calling on the University of Groningen, among others, which has high-quality scientific knowledge of energy conversion with electrolysis and control technology for complex (energy) systems. Our sister company Demcon industrial systems Groningen will develop the controller together with JB Besturingstechniek.”
For the remote control of electrolyzers, JB Besturingstechniek brings in its expertise of flexible and intelligent automation and measurement systems. For the production of the stacks and complete electrolyzers, Douna and Redstack have joined the consortium. Douna has experience in manufacturing and maintaining valves for natural gas distribution and is now making the transition from fossil to hydrogen. The production technology that Redstack is developing for its stacks is also suitable for the manufacture of electrolyzers for hydrogen production.
Northern Dutch ecosystem
The project runs until October 2023; by then there should be a running plant at Groningen Airport Eelde. “Our ambition is to realize a complete system for production, distribution and use of hydrogen,” says Jonas van Dorp, head of Aviation Marketing & Development at Groningen Airport Eelde. “With this we have the production of green hydrogen close at hand and, with the expansion of the solar park, are increasingly developing the airport into an energy hub of regional significance. This fits in with our aim, as Hydrogen Valley Airport, to be the most sustainable airport in the field of green hydrogen by 2030.”
For the development of hydrogen technology, the Northern Netherlands is recognized as an important center by Europe, which proclaimed the region as Hydrogen Valley. Within the region, Groningen Airport Eelde is taking various initiatives in the field of making airports and aviation more sustainable. In addition to the existing 22MW solar park, this also includes the Hydrogen Valley Airport project of Groningen Airport Eelde, New Energy Coalition, the University of Groningen and other parties. The Waviater project now gives concrete substance to Hydrogen Valley Airport.
The green hydrogen is initially intended for use on location. Hermans: “In follow-up projects we can process the hydrogen and use high-pressure technology to make it suitable for transport and use elsewhere. From a broader perspective, this is just the first step in the northern Netherlands towards an ecosystem of companies developing products for the hydrogen economy.”
