Netherlands – Can the Hydrogen Valley in the North still be saved? “We’re waiting for a snowball effect.”
The Holy Grail. That’s how hydrogen was presented a few years ago. The North invested heavily in it, creating a veritable Hydrogen Valley. Enthusiasm seems to have waned somewhat now, but not for everyone. Regardless, hydrogen’s potential still stands strong.
Millions have been invested in hydrogen over the past decade. Studies, projects, training programs, and countless subsidies. Yet, we’re still waiting for a real breakthrough, the moment we all embrace hydrogen as a serious alternative to fossil fuels or for energy storage. He is a lecturer and researcher at EnTranCe (Hanze University of Applied Sciences), specializing in hydrogen technology.
Cor Scholte, said:
There have been many projects, and much discussion in recent years.
”But too little has been implemented, nothing has really come of it. That’s a shame, he thinks. Because we need hydrogen, especially in the energy transition. “We’re waiting for a snowball effect, a bit like with electric vehicles. Back then, there was a period when it was a question of whether cars would come first, or charging stations first. They arrived at about the same time, and then things took off. We haven’t reached that point yet with hydrogen.”
Hydrogen technology is certainly being developed. In China and Japan, for example, it’s already being used more extensively. There’s also activity in the Northern Netherlands. Holthausen Clean Technology, a manufacturer of hydrogen trucks, is a case in point. Yet, the desired acceleration hasn’t been achieved.
Scholte, says:
I think the approach was too fragmented,
“Many initiatives received subsidies, but realizing the plans proved too expensive and complicated, and unfeasible without further subsidies. Then it all comes to a halt. It would be better to take steps in larger conglomerates, with top-down management. Something like: you’re going to focus on transport now, we’ll work on industry. Larger clusters, more support, more ambition, and better opportunities.”
The Hydrogen Valley is still very much alive, but the focus seems to be on research. Much has happened there in recent years. In the near future, the North should reap the benefits. The recently established Hydrogen Valley Campus Europe in Groningen can be seen as its flagship. It’s a matter of investing now in the future.
Professor Aravind Purushothaman Vellayani is certainly optimistic about this. He is, among other things, director of Hydrogen Economics at the Wubbo Ockels School.
He says,
The developments worldwide are interesting.
”We learn from them, and that’s how we get an increasingly clear picture of what we need to do here. And much is already going well in that regard. “In India, you see valuable ecosystems developing around hydrogen, which are consequently attracting significant investment. Building these ecosystems is something we’re also working hard on here.”
In the context of climate change and greening the economy, he predicts a wave of investment and business activity is coming.
It has no other choice.
”We simply need energy carriers like hydrogen in the energy transition. You just shouldn’t underestimate how much time this will take. This entire economy is being built from the ground up.”
Purushothaman Vellayani believes hydrogen is becoming increasingly important in several ways. Significant strides are already being made in industry, but mobility seems more challenging.
The focus is on large vehicles that have to travel long distances, such as large ships.
”In all these sectors, hydrogen is becoming increasingly affordable, depending on factors such as oil prices.”
The professor believes that the Hydrogen Valley has an important goal: to maximize the chance of success for businesses and minimize the chance of failure. To this end, knowledge of hydrogen technology is being consolidated and made available.
We are increasingly making agreements with other, specialized universities, such as those in Cyprus and India.
”Dozens of students come here every year to conduct research and thus contribute to our success.”
That will come later. But there’s already activity, simply because hydrogen can be the basis for products that are or will be in demand. Consider, first of all, the (longer) storage of energy. Batteries work very well for short periods, for example, to use the energy generated by solar panels during the day in the evening. Hydrogen becomes interesting when energy needs to be stored longer, for example, to use power generated in the summer in the winter. Scientists believe that all of these will coexist in the (near) future. It also serves as an effective solution for the peaks and troughs on the power grid. Excessive generated power becomes hydrogen, while too little power is returned from that same hydrogen.
Hydrogen could be much more useful than we currently think. Often because it’s simply the best solution. That’s how their son Ian (25) and father Marco Engel (54) see it. Under the company name Eneron Hydrogen BV in Meppel, the two are marketing various hydrogen systems. They offer a generator and a solar energy storage system, aimed at SMEs.
Ian Engel, said:
The storage system stores the excess energy you generate.
”The beauty of it is that you can not only recover electricity from it, but also heat that you can send directly to your boiler.” It’s a modular system that allows for varying the number of liquid hydrogen bottles, depending on the storage capacity demand. The three separate components (storage, fuel cell, and electricity) are about the size of a pallet and about two meters high.
We think this system is ideal for farms with many solar panels, or for a solar farm.
”We’re already receiving quite a few questions about it.”
READ the latest news shaping the hydrogen market at Hydrogen Central
Netherlands – Can the Hydrogen Valley in the North still be saved? “We’re waiting for a snowball effect.”
