A quick introduction to renewable hydrogen
"Hydrogen is versatile, but not a miracle product that is the solution to all our climate problems. But neither are solar panels, wind power or electricity on their own. Every sustainable technology has advantages and disadvantages. We should see hydrogen as an important link in making our world more sustainable." - Jaco Reijerkerk
The use of hydrogen is on the rise. There are already taxis, buses, trains, machines, trucks and passenger cars running on hydrogen in several countries across the globe. It can also be applied for shipping, heating, and production and storage of energy. Is green hydrogen also the solution for your business? In this article you will read how hydrogen can replace conventional fuels.
Green hydrogen plays an important role in the energy transition. Not only because you can use hydrogen as a CO2-free fuel, but also because hydrogen is a gas which can be applied for (high temperature) heating for example. In this way, hydrogen helps meet the climate goals, such as reducing our CO2 emissions.
- What is green hydrogen?
- Hydrogen for industry
- Heating with hydrogen
- Green hydrogen as fuel
- A choice between hydrogen or electric?
- Getting started with hydrogen
What is green hydrogen?
In short, hydrogen (H2) is the most common element on earth. You can use it like we use natural gas now, for example. Hydrogen is colourless, odourless, non-toxic, and contains no carbon. There are different types of hydrogen. Grey hydrogen is the least sustainable because it emits a lot of CO2 in the production process. It becomes slightly better when producing blue hydrogen, because there, most of the emitted CO2 is captured and stored. But producing green hydrogen (or renewable hydrogen) releases no CO2 at all. That makes green hydrogen a clean energy carrier.
Government promotes renewable hydrogen
Governments, among which the Dutch government, are encouraging the production and deployment of green hydrogen. In the Climate Agreement, for instance, the government has agreed, among other things, that the Netherlands will have 50 hydrogen filling stations by 2025 and that renewable hydrogen production will be substantially scaled up. The target for 2030 was initially 3 to 4 GW of electrolysis capacity, which has now been increased to 7 to 8 GW. That is enough to run the complete production of TATA Steel on hydrogen.
Use of hydrogen
Hydrogen is widely used in industry where very high temperatures are required. Or in fertiliser production. In plastic and steel production and recycling, too, you can replace the use of fossil energy carriers by using green hydrogen. This saves a lot of CO2 emissions and also causes no pollution. Green hydrogen is also used as fuel or for heating.
Heating with hydrogen
The Netherlands has an extensive gas network. Hydrogen gas can pass through those same pipelines, allowing us to heat with green hydrogen as well. Natural gas must go out and hydrogen gas in, according to the government.
Jaco Reijerkerk, hydrogen expert and commercial director at consultancy and engineering firm Ekinetix, confirms that hydrogen is indeed suitable for heating a certain selection of buildings, homes, swimming pools, schools or sports facilities, which are difficult or impossible to insulate. This is relevant when realizing that all buildings will need a sustainable alternative. Namely, by 2050, all homes in the Netherlands must be natural gas-free.
Knowledge is the key to success
According to Dutch 'hydrogen professor' Ad van Wijk, hydrogen can fulfil a similar role as natural gas, which was sourced in large quantities in the Netherlands. Reijerkerk works a lot with van Wijk and agrees. "The installation sector will have to deal with hydrogen in the future anyway. There are already specific training courses for mechanics and installers on hydrogen. Brush up on your professional knowledge so that you are prepared for the future," advises Reijerkerk.
Green hydrogen as fuel
Green hydrogen is also suitable as a fuel for all forms of transport: cars, vans, trucks, trains, planes and ships. In Rotterdam, a water taxi runs on hydrogen and in Groningen, a hydrogen train runs as a trial on the Leeuwarden-Groningen route. Over 500 cars in the Netherlands are currently running on hydrogen. The same applies to 50 hydrogen-powered buses, 15 delivery vans and 14 trucks. The price of a hydrogen car currently is about one and a half times higher than that of a comparable electric car. Both are subject to price reductions in this early market. So is hydrogen suitable for transport? Or is electric driving, which is already much more common, a better alternative?
Green hydrogen in heavy-duty transport
According to Reijerkerk, hydrogen is actually very suitable for heavier transport that has to travel long distances. "Because they travel long distances and cover many kilometres, entrepreneurs who drive on diesel are pre-eminently the target group to switch to hydrogen." Think of shipping, trucks, public transport and taxis. But also machinery in the agricultural, construction or green sector. "There are a handful of entrepreneurs in the Netherlands who, looking ahead, have invested in tractors and machinery that run entirely on hydrogen or dual fuel (part hydrogen, part diesel). I think that is a smart move."
Hydrogen: faster, lighter and further
Refuelling hydrogen is much faster than charging a battery. Looking at a car, in three minutes of refuelling, you have a full hydrogen tank. By comparison, an electric car has to spend hours at the charging station for that. Hydrogen vehicles have a longer range. "That is a big advantage for trucks or other business drivers, for example," Reijerkerk underlines.
A hydrogen drivetrain is also much more compact, allowing you to carry more freight or cargo. The difference in a passenger car is not that big, but becomes greater the more intensive the vehicle's deployment profile. With fewer trips, you can transport the same amount of cargo, drive further and spend less time refuelling and recharging. For a sector like transport, where time and loading volumes are important factors, this is a big advantage.
The biggest challenge is the limited number of public hydrogen refuelling stations. "Currently, there are only 16 in the Netherlands. But there will probably be 20 by the end of 2022. Developments are fast," Reijerkerk explains. In early 2022, a new hydrogen filling station was opened in Zuid-Holland, which has capacity for 50 heavy vehicles, making it one of the largest in Europe. Hydrogen buses can refuel green hydrogen here for the next 12 years.
According to Reijerkerk, about 50 hydrogen filling stations are needed in the Netherlands to supply most business users. "Realise that you can serve the same target group with that as the current 4,000 traditional fossil fuel filling stations do now." Because you can drive much further with a hydrogen-powered car than with an electricity-powered car, fewer filling stations are needed for the same coverage.
Hydrogen or electric?
"It seems like it's a competition between driving electric or driving on hydrogen. But precisely a combination of both is needed on the road to emission-free driving," Reijerkerk emphasises. According to him, making the transport sector more sustainable will not be achieved by just going electric. After all, battery production is still polluting and raw material problems call for smaller batteries.
"Moreover, our electricity network is not at all suitable for all vehicles to run on battery electric power," explains Reijerkerk. "A florist delivering bouquets locally can do so with a small electric delivery van. But consider a landscaping company with several heavy machines, which also has clients all over the country and travels quite a lot of kilometres. That one, once the use of green hydrogen is sufficiently rolled out in the Netherlands, could well make the investment in hydrogen."
Getting started with hydrogen
"We cannot do without hydrogen in the future," Reijerkerk is convinced. "How fast that goes depends on policy and accessibility. Production and storage facilities for renewable hydrogen require a major scale-up. Hydrogen vehicles need enough refuelling stations for good coverage." Hydrogen is going to break through in the coming years, experts expect. For instance, Europe will get 250 more hydrogen refuelling stations by 2026. Efforts are under way worldwide to lower the price of green hydrogen and could make it even cheaper than fossil fuels by 2030.
Reijerkerk adds: "Hydrogen is versatile, but not a miracle product that is the solution to all our climate problems. But neither are solar panels, wind power or electricity on their own. Every sustainable technology has advantages and disadvantages. We should see hydrogen as an important link in making our world more sustainable."
Profile Jaco Reijerkerk
Jaco Reijerkerk - Commercial director at Ekinetix B.V.
Reijerkerk has over 20 years of experience with hydrogen as a clean energy carrier. He drives one of the very first hydrogen cars in the Netherlands.
Study background: MSc University of Hertfordshire, BEng Hogeschool Arnhem en Nijmegen
Location Ekinetix: Zwijndrecht
Founded in 2016
"Hydrogen is not a silver bullet, but it is an important link
in making our world more sustainable."
This is an edit of the article:
https://www.kvk.nl/advies-en-informatie/innovatie/duurzaam-ondernemen/waterstof-groene-energie-voor-het-mkb/