Hydrogen Technology
The industrial hydrogen ecosystem in Northern Netherlands is receiving a significant boost, building upon the foundation of Europe's first Hydrogen Valley. This is made possible by the WAviatER project: WAterstofproductietechnologie voor de Aviation sector en Energietoepassingen op Regionaal niveau (Hydrogen Production Technology for the Aviation sector and Energy Applications at Regional level). The Northern Dutch consortium will develop green hydrogen technology, and the project has been granted subsidy from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Northern Netherlands Cooperation. Consortium partners include Douna Machinery Leeuwarden, JB Besturingstechniek, REDStack, Demcon, Groningen Airport Eelde, New Energy Coalition, and the University of Groningen, with support from TNO and VONK. The first concrete application will take place at Groningen Airport Eelde, called the 'Hydrogen Valley Airport.' There, a to-be-developed electrolyzer will produce green hydrogen as an emission-free energy carrier for light aircraft, drones, and ground equipment. "In Northern Netherlands, this is the first step towards an ecosystem of companies developing their products for the green hydrogen economy."
Consortium
The WAviatER project commenced this month with support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Northern Netherlands Cooperation. The total budget amounts to 3.5 million euros, with the project partners contributing more than half. Demcon leads the consortium, which includes technological leaders Douna Machinery Leeuwarden, JB Besturingstechniek, REDstack, Groningen Airport Eelde, New Energy Coalition, and the University of Groningen.
Electrolyzers
The production of 'green' hydrogen is carried out in an electrolyzer, which uses green electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Currently, this process is not yet competitive on a small scale compared to the large-scale, natural gas-based production of 'grey' hydrogen.
The project runs until October 2023; by then, a functioning installation should be in place at Groningen Airport Eelde.
Douna Machinery's Role in the WAviatER Project:
- Stack development
- Research on leakage, measurements, and control
- Support in design and execution of assembly and service
- Service instructions
- Assembly instructions