Developer of large-scale green energy systems Novar and contracting company in the civil and construction sector Avitec are definitively investing in the H2 Hollandia hydrogen project. Through this project, the parties aim to generate 100% green hydrogen in Nieuw-Buinen in Drenthe. Production should start within a few years.
Green hydrogen is hydrogen produced in an environmentally friendly way, namely by electrolysis of water. Typically, this process uses renewable energy sources such as solar or wind energy. The process splits water (H₂O) into oxygen (O₂) and hydrogen (H₂), without releasing CO₂ or other harmful substances.
Transition to low-carbon economy
Green hydrogen is often seen as an important step in the transition to a low-carbon economy. For example, green hydrogen offers an alternative to fossil fuels for industry, transport and energy storage, among others. In addition, as an energy carrier, green hydrogen is suitable for large-scale storage of renewable electricity.
Production capacity for green hydrogen is currently still limited. Partly because electrolysis technologies are relatively expensive compared to fossil alternatives, including small modular reactors (SMRs). Also, electrolysers are not yet widely available.
300 tonnes of hydrogen on an annual basis
H2 Hollandia is a project through which the parties involved aim to demonstrate the feasibility of a 5 MW Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyser. This should enable the annual production of 300 tonnes of hydrogen.
A PEM electrolyser is a type of electrolyser, in which a proton exchange membrane (PEM), serves as the electrode-electrolyte interface. This membrane provides transport of protons from the anode to the cathode during the electrolysis process. Among other things, a PEM electrolyser offers high efficiency, while the technology is relatively compact. The hydrogen produced is also of high purity.
Convert excess solar energy into hydrogen
As part of H2 Hollandia, the parties involved are installing a 5MW electrolyser at the 115 MWp solar park Vloeivelden in Nieuw-Buijnen in Drenthe. In doing so, the electrolyser will convert the surplus solar energy generated by the solar farm into green hydrogen.
The connection to the solar park prevents the electricity grid from being burdened by hydrogen production. This allows the H2 Hollandia project to effectively use a significant amount of the excess renewable power for hydrogen production.
Transport via tubular trailers
The generated hydrogen is loaded into tubetrailers on site. These are high-pressure truck cylinders that enable the transport of hydrogen. A customer uses these tubetrailers to transport the hydrogen to end users, such as heavy transport filling stations.
H2 Hollandia is owned by Avitec and Novar, who are joint shareholders. They are forming a consortium for the project together with project and consultancy firm Repowered. The project receives support from the Province of Drenthe, GroenvermogenNL and the RVO. Thus, the project will receive a subsidy of more than EUR 6.54 million from the RVO.
Production from 2026
"We are really going to do this, this project will become a reality. An important step for the Dutch hydrogen economy taking concrete shape: H2 Hollandia will now be realised. Green hydrogen is expected to be produced in Nieuw-Buinen in Drenthe by 2026," explains Jan Martijn Buruma, Director Storage, Hydrogen & Smart Grids at Novar.
Ben Timmermans, Avitec Group: "For Avitec, as co-initiator of the project, this green hydrogen is essential to further flesh out the sustainability of its equipment in the infrastructure and construction sector."
Various projects in the Netherlands
There are various projects underway in the Netherlands in the field of green hydrogen. For example, in 2024, the Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR) and ROGER signed an agreement to establish a small-scale hydrogen production and testing facility. This facility offers the opportunity to demonstrate and validate hydrogen technology under realistic conditions. The test facility is accessible to both NLR and ROGER, as well as external parties.
In addition, the RFO announced last year that RWE will receive a €124.9 million grant for the Eemshydrogen project. As part of this project, RWE is building a 50-megawatt electrolysis plant to produce green hydrogen. The electrolyser will use green electricity from RWE's Westereems wind farm, located five kilometres from the Eemshaven power plant.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
