The future Rijnstate hospital in Elst, The Netherlands, will receive a system from H2B2, a global technology company in the hydrogen energy sector, and PowiDian, a French technology company with experience in hydrogen system integration. This system will allow the hospital to meet up to 60% of its energy requirements.
The EL20N electrolyzer, which will function as a component of a P2P system to supply power by combining solar PV and hydrogen, will be delivered by H2B2 to PowiDian in March 2023. P2P systems make use of the potential of renewable energies, in this case, solar photovoltaic energy, and employ hydrogen to mitigate one of their key drawbacks: the waste of some production peaks when supply and demand for energy do not match.
A 100-kW fuel cell and two H2 storage tanks, both provided by Powidian, will also be part of the installation.
As a result, during the day the hospital will utilise the electricity generated by the photovoltaic panels. In the event that the center produces more than is required, the excess will be converted into hydrogen by the H2B2 electrolyzer and stored in the tanks. The fuel cell will convert the hydrogen storage into electrical energy at night or when the PV power source is unable to supply the hospital with enough power.
One of the earliest instances of the healthcare industry adopting the shift to decarbonization is this partnership between H2B2 and PowiDian with the Rijnstate hospital. Over the course of the next 15 years, the project will save 42,000 m3 of gas annually, or around 600,000 m3. 2 million kg of CO2 emissions will not occur during this time.
The Green Deal, which the Dutch government and the healthcare industry agreed upon, includes the hydrogen plant at the Rijnstate hospital. Within this context, the hospital has established goals to increase local sustainability and use 49% renewable energy by 2030 and 95% by 2050.
