The Netherlands – A grant of €11.8 million has been given to hydrogen producer HYGRO and TNO (from DEI+ of RVO) to help launch the chain of sustainable hydrogen generation up to and including sales in road transportation.
The idea of a “hydrogen mill,” a wind turbine with integrated electrolysis to manufacture hydrogen right at the mill, was first introduced by HYGRO. The architecture of a wind turbine and that of wind farms will eventually alter when hydrogen becomes the main energy carrier. Wind energy is more cost-effective than electricity because to electrolysis.
With the grant’s award, the process of integrating hydrogen production with wind turbines has officially begun. Numerous partners have signed a Letter of Intent to commit to the project (LOI).
In the North Holland region, this project’s combined hydrogen generation at wind turbines and hydrogen deliveries to filling stations will produce enough hydrogen to power 50 to 80 hydrogen electric trucks with green hydrogen. This is the same as between 2,500 and 5,000 hydrogen-powered passenger cars traveling 20,000 kilometers annually, as well as a comparable number of hydrogen-powered generators for use on building sites. This project’s outcomes include lower hydrogen supply chain costs and a quicker increase in the usage of hydrogen for transportation.
The cost of both vehicles and hydrogen supply will continue to decline quickly through the simultaneous scaling up of hydrogen production and distribution through filling stations, with the use of hydrogen by hydrogen electric trucks, passenger cars, and construction equipment such as generators, for example. Hence, the percentage of hydrogen mobility will dramatically expand in the upcoming years, resulting in lower CO2 emissions as well as a reduction in noise, NOx, and particulate matter emissions. The undertaking offers a peek of the energy system of the future.
Hydrogen filling stations
GreenChoice will make sure that there is enough solar energy available to produce green hydrogen even when there is no wind. Additionally, the project will show how cost-effective hydrogen refueling stations may be realized through an integrated strategy to production, high-pressure storage, and road distribution. In Wieringerwerf, at AVIA Marees’ AVIA Mobility Square, there will be the first hydrogen filling station.
The AVIA Mobiliteitsplein in Wieringerwerf will be connected to the hydrogen production at the wind turbine through a special pipeline that will be built with the assistance of the companies SoluForce and Visser & Smit Hanab with funding provided by the Regional Mobility Cluster “Kop van Noord-Holland”.
Three satellite stations are also included in the project’s plans for North Holland. Along with AVIA Marees, the specific locations are still being chosen, and they will partly depend on consumer needs for hydrogen mobility.
Meewind is anticipating this next stage of development because it is a co-investor in the HYGRO turbine through its Regional Sustainable Green Fund.
TNO: project verification
The predicted energy savings and efficiency enhancements in the chain from the wind to the wheel must be verified by TNO. The efficiency of electrolysis utilizing pulsed power and the efficiency of distributing hydrogen on the road using HYGRO’s “iBundles” are being studied by TNO. With institutions like Hydrogen Europe Research, TNO will widely distribute the research findings and learning experience in the Netherlands and throughout more of Europe.
