How the Netherlands is Fueling a Green Hydrogen Future

Rijnstate Elst Hospital has Electrolyser & Hydrogen Storage

Rijnstate Elst is a new hospital in the east of the Netherlands. Interesting are its energy parameters: 60% self-sufficiency, 2,300 m2 solar panels that can feed a locally-installed 100 kW electrolyser from the Spanish H2B2 Electrolysis Technologies and 200 kg hydrogen storage.

[source] – Rijnstate electrolysers and 30 bar low pressure hydrogen storage tanks

[nl.wikipedia.org] – Rijnstate
[rijnstate.nl] – Duurzaamheid in Rijnstate Elst
[allesoverwaterstof.nl] – Rijnstate hospital provides sustainable care with new innovations and a hydrogen energy system
[Google Maps] – Location

Stargate Hydrogen Alkaline Electrolyser 80% Efficiency

[h2-view.com] – Stargate Hydrogen unveils ‘Stellar 100’ alkaline stack with 80% efficiency

Battolyser Eemshaven Operational

Battolyser: a battery that stores electricity and switches to hydrogen production, if the battery is fully charged.

[source] Battolyser Eemshaven

[agro-chemie.nl] – RWE plaatst eerste Battolyser in Eemshaven
[deepresource] – Our Battolyser posts
[nl.wikipedia.org] – Battolyser

Seasonal Storage of H2 in NH3

Liquid ammonia is much easier to store and transport than liquid hydrogen.

Round-trip efficiency H2 –> NH3 –> H2:

Very pure H2 (vehicle fuel cell usage): 11-19%
Stationary fuel cells: 25-39%

Direct NH3 combustion in turbine: 35-40%

Energy density 1 liter ammonia: 4.32 kWh (three times less than gasoline)

These figures seem low, but keep in mind that in deserts like the Sahara or Saudi-Arabia, electricity can be generated for 1 cent/kWh, making these efficiency numbers very workable. NH3 is a prime candidate for seasonal storage of renewable electricity.

[wikipedia.org] – Ammonia
[wikipedia.org] – Haber-Bosch process
[ammoniaenergy.org] – Round-trip Efficiency of Ammonia as a Renewable Energy Transportation Media

MgH2 Hydrogen Storage Potential

[wikipedia.org] – Magnesium hydride
[sciencedirect.com] – Recent progress in thermodynamic and kinetics modification of magnesium hydride hydrogen storage materials
[sciencedirect.com] – Enhancing hydrogen storage performance of MgH2 through the addition of BaMnO3 synthesized via solid-state method

Iron as Storage Medium for Hydrogen

Hydrogen is difficult to store and transport, with large volumes and high pressures and flammability involved. Students of the Technical University of Eindhoven are trying a new approche to hydrogen storage:

The system works as follows; the energy of hydrogen is stored via a reaction with iron oxide (also known as rust), producing iron and water. In the process, the iron serves as a storage medium that can be easily transported. Then, to provide hydrogen, iron must be brought into contact with steam, after which hydrogen and iron oxide remain. This creates a cycle in which iron acts as a kind of sustainable ‘hydrogen battery’, with the note that it is not hydrogen but iron that is stored and transported.

Thanks to iron, volumetric energy density of stored hydrogen, absorbed into iron pellets, can be increased by a factor of 3, at convenient ambient pressure.

[tue.nl] – TU/e students use little iron balls to safely store and transport hydrogen
[wikipedia.org] – Iron hydride
[wikipedia.org] – Hydride

New Hydrogen Train in Bavaria

[cleantechnica.com] – More Diesel-Killing Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Trains Heading For Germany
[railway-technology.com] – Siemens Mireo Plus H Hydrogen-Powered Trains, Germany

Why Hydrogen does have a Future

YouTube text:

In the summer of 2023, the Rijnstate hospital of Elst, The Netherlands opened its doors. What makes this particular campus interesting is how it generates its energy. Heat pumps, PV panels, and an electrolyzer all work in concert to maintain a constant supply of power. The building collects energy from over 1,300 solar panels located on both the roof and the ground floor. When there’s a surplus of solar, that energy goes toward electrolysis, the splitting action that produces hydrogen. This then allows for hydrogen fuel cells to kick in as a form of reserve power when the sunnier supplies are low.

Netherlands Aims at 500 MW Offshore Hydrogen Plant

[source]

The Dutch government wants to build an offshore hydrogen factory, north of the Groningen province. Rationale: there are already natural gas pipelines on the sea floor that can be retrofitted for hydrogen. Target date: 2031, capacity 500 MW.

[rijksoverheid.nl] – Windpark boven Groningen beoogd als ’s werelds grootste waterstof op zee productie in 2031
[tweakers.net] – Nederland wil waterstoffabriek op basis van windenergie bouwen op zee