Between 2012 and 2021 about 130 projects in the field of hydrogen have been granted a subsidy and have since then been in progress or have already been implemented along the way. TKI Nieuw Gas presented an overview of 10 years of hydrogen as a reflection of the dynamics that characterise the hydrogen domain in this period of time.
ISPT is very proud to be part of this overview. According to the European Greendeal hydrogen is a key priority area for the transition to a clean and circular economy. Our 3 highlights from the overview:
1. From megawatt to gigawatt
For the hydrogen economy, we need to scale up from megawatt to gigawatt. The first set of projects from 2012 onward, focus on production via electrolysis only at 1-MW scale. However, to match the demand of the Dutch industry and to play a significant role in buffering the future intermittent power supply, a significant scale up is required of the electrolyser capacity at least to the 1-GW scale. A few projects have focused on realising water electrolysis at a scale of 10-20 MW, with the Djewels project by Nobian/HyCC in Delfzijl appearing to be the closest to realisation.
There is a large consortium led by ISPT that has designed for GW-scale electrolysis. Our Hydrohub project has recently released the report ‘A One-GigaWatt Green-Hydrogen Plant: Advanced Design and Total Installed-Capital Costs’. In this report we present the technical design and the associated total investment costs of a greenfield 1-GW green hydrogen plant that would be built, and up and running, in a Dutch port area by 2030.
2. Application of hydrogen in the industry
Projects focusing on the application of hydrogen in industry are still relatively scarce, according to the TKI Nieuw Gas overview. Industry is considered by many to be the main demand market for green hydrogen, according to Mission C. Yet, there are only few projects that focus on the application of hydrogen in the industry. By the end of 2021, some industry-focused projects have been honoured by RVO, more information about them will be available soon. It is likely that the application of sustainably produced hydrogen aimed at the direct replacement of gray hydrogen (produced from natural gas) is possible with little required process modifications. More attention is being paid to the adaptation of burners used in industry for hydrogen (use as fuel) and the effect on product quality, for example in the glass and ceramic industries.
ISPT has brought a focus to the significance of the design for the transition of industry and the development of the hydrogen-economy. In this report we highlight how hydrogen can be used in many places as a CO2- and fossil-free energy carrier and raw material, for example in industry, transport and many more places. The most concrete project at the moment concerns HyCC’s Djewels project in Delfzijl with a scale of 20 MW of electrolysis capacity.
3. Working together for green hydrogen
TKI Nieuw Gas also looks at collaboration and cooperation in the overview. They found that in the past 10 years, there has been good cooperation in most projects, especially between companies (SME and large companies) and knowledge institutions. In recent years HBO (Applied Sciences) have been increasingly involved in projects. Long-term relationships are also developing so that (parts of) consortia are jointly carrying out follow-up projects.
This is where ISPT can play a major role: we feel at home in complex projects involving multiple actors and stakeholders. Within our network and programs we work on new, feasible and innovative solutions that will lead to full circularity by 2050.
In our MOOI-proposals we create space for larger, integrated research projects between various partners in consortia. Such as the MOOI project HyScaling, which aims to develop the hydrogen supply chain and position the Dutch high tech industry to enable the cost effective implementation of up to five gigawatt electrolyser capacity in the Netherlands by 2030.
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For a full overview of 10 years of hydrogen you can read the article by TKI Nieuw Gas.