In recent years, North Holland North has accelerated its ambitions to become climate neutral. Hydrogen will make an important contribution to the transition to sustainable energy and raw materials. In North Holland North, various hydrogen projects are underway throughout the value chain; from production and storage to transport and application.
New Energy Coalition and Development Company North Holland North (NHN) are working closely with a large number of entrepreneurs in the region on a local hydrogen ecosystem. In order to remain a global leader in the hydrogen sector, NHN, New Energy Coalition and the North Sea Canal Area have jointly applied for Hydrogen Valley status. A Hydrogen Valley is a region or area that focuses on developing and implementing a hydrogen economy. It includes a network of hydrogen production, storage, distribution and application facilities, as well as an ecosystem of companies and research institutions that focus on the development of hydrogen technologies and applications. The region is expected to be awarded Hydrogen Valley status and will play an important role in the supply of hydrogen from the North Sea to the North Sea Canal Area and beyond from 2030 onwards.
At the moment we see the first integrated hydrogen value chains coming into being. A good example is the project ZepHYros, that is working on the development of a fully green hydrogen chain in the port of Den Helder. This chain consists of a solar park with electrolyser for generating green hydrogen, infrastructure for the transport of hydrogen and the realisation of a bunker port (shipping) and filling station (freight traffic). In addition, a hydrogen test garden has been set up in which potential users and other stakeholders from the chain can become acquainted with sailing on hydrogen. In this way, they can make a substantiated choice to make hydrogen part of their future business operations based on their own experiences and experiments.
A little further on, on the Boekelermeer industrial estate in Alkmaar, HyDevCo about to take the stage at the newly constructed InVesta-terrain. In collaboration with Haffner Energy, this company wants to use a thermolysis-based process called HyNoCa (HYdrogen NO CArbon), converting organic waste flows into hydrogen. The special thing about this process is that in addition to hydrogen, biochar is also produced. Biochar is a charcoal-like substance that can be used, for example, as a soil improver. It retains CO2 that was absorbed from the atmosphere and stores it in the soil. The additional yields from biochar can minimize the cost of hydrogen.
Right next to the InVesta site we find the new NXT gas station GP Great. In addition to building a hydrogen filling station, GP Groot also wants to make its own vehicle fleet more sustainable by purchasing five hydrogen-electric company buses. It is no coincidence that HyDevCo and GP Groot operate side by side in Alkmaar. They want to work together to close their own value chain. GP Groot is the intended supplier of organic residual flows for HyDefCo. After it has processed the residual flows, the hydrogen will be sold to the market via the NXT filling station and used to supply its own vehicles. Literally and figuratively circular fuel
In addition to shipping, we also see that hydrogen-powered mobility on Dutch roads is increasing. Within the project PUSH in the Wieringermeer is HYGRO started with the realization of the chain from “Wind to Wheel” to get the transition to green mobility going. For a smooth transition to a hydrogen economy, HYGRO anticipates that supply and demand must be realized simultaneously, or DUWAAL. By aligning the entire value chain, efficiency gains can be made, which will accelerate the realization of the chain. The first steps are currently being taken.
Within the agricultural sector, there are also many opportunities for hydrogen. The question that many farmers in North Holland North are concerned with is how the current energy demand can be made more sustainable and how this renewable energy can be optimally used in an area that has been affected by grid congestion. Hydrogen could be the energy carrier that brings these two issues together. In order to test these questions in practice, work is being done in the region on the H2 Agri-Fieldlab NHN.
The applications of hydrogen that we have discussed so far concern gaseous hydrogen. However, in addition to the many advantages, there is also a disadvantage: the low volumetric energy density. The energy content of hydrogen, per volume, is much lower than that of most other fuels and energy carriers. This means that in order to store or use hydrogen at atmospheric pressure and temperature, a relatively large amount of space is needed.
One of the solutions is liquid hydrogen. By liquefying hydrogen, the low volumetric energy density can be increased. This almost triples compared to storage under 350 bar. This makes storage, transport and application of hydrogen a lot easier.
The first practical application for liquid hydrogen in North Holland North is the collaboration between From Dam and Tata Steel, who want to develop an emission-free ship that will be supplied with liquid hydrogen. This collaboration illustrates that the market is ready for the transition to liquid hydrogen. Hopefully this will act as a catalyst for further acceleration towards sustainable shipping.
On Thursday 20 April, the WaterstofNHN platform was officially launched in Theater de Kampanje in Den Helder. Will you also become part of the community?
