
Twente is getting a small hydrogen plant
There will be a hydrogen factory on the edge of the center of Almelo. The kickoff will be in the autumn of 2024. The production of hydrogen is at the heart of the H2Hub Twente knowledge and expertise center. Almelo is one of the four places in Europe where research is being carried out into how hydrogen can be used for the energy transition. EUR 1.5 million has been made available.
Almelo
The H2Hub Twente project started three years ago. It is a cooperative in which entrepreneurs, the province and educational institutions work together to flesh out the use of hydrogen. After three years of start-up, it is now getting a practical follow-up with the help of M1.5 Euro European subsidies. In addition to Almelo, Bilbao (Spain), Frankfurt (Germany) and Izmir (Turkey) are also participating. In total, Europe is investing 23 million euros in the so-called IS2H4C program.
Ton Beune is the manager of H2Hub Twente. It is located in the former Sensata building on the Kolthofsingel in Almelo. The owner is real estate man Gerard Schröder, who is also chairman of H2Hub Twente board.
The electrolyser will be started up in the building in the autumn of this year. This device has a capacity of 70 kilowatts and can produce up to 30 kilos of hydrogen per day.
Above all, gain experience
Beune: "I admit that 30 kilos a day is not very much. A truck can drive on it for about a day. But that's not the point. The production facility is intended to gain experience."
The H2Hub Twente is a collaboration of about thirty companies in Twente, the University of Twente, Saxion, the ROC van Twente, the Waterboard, Cogas and other parties, including in the Achterhoek region. With the money they have received, they are trying to make a sustainable working system to produce hydrogen. During the pilot that has been running for the past three years, dozens of students have already done preparatory work as part of their studies.
Beune is enthusiastic that H2Hub Twente can now take the next step: "You could say, we have to do something with hydrogen. But how? Who is going to produce it, who is going to assemble and demonstrate. You can talk about it for a long time, but in the end, you just must start once. Find the right parties, set up a small production line and see what you run into. That's what we're going to do."
The project is about much more than just the production of hydrogen. The sustainable generation of electricity needed for the electrolyser is also being examined. Beune: "We have a megawatt of solar panels on the roof here. We're going to do something with that. We are also thinking about small wind turbines and the storage of electricity with batteries."
Even the oxygen released during production has a destination. This goes to the adjacent water treatment plant to make the treatment more efficient. The Waterboard may also supply the ultra-clean water needed for hydrogen production. To this end, a project with purifier Jotem from the city of Vriezenveen is on the program.
Heat reused
The heat generated by the installation during the production of hydrogen is also reused. This is used to heat the building. That's already off the gas.
There are many parties in the world working on hydrogen. But applying the technique as concretely as possible in a sustainable way still requires a lot of research. Beune wants to contribute to this with H2Hub Twente in close cooperation with many parties.
Hydrogen will play a role
"Hydrogen will certainly play a role in the energy transition. That is why it is important to gain experience with this as early as possible. We hope that others can use the experiences to scale up."
On 20 September, the results of the past years will be presented at a symposium and the new plans will be explained. The project will run until 2027.
Source: Tubantia
Photo: Lenneke Lingmont