Optimising hydrogen production using electrolysis

Today, we emit a large amount of CO2 during the production of hydrogen. Much remains to be done to stimulate the production and use of green hydrogen, produced entirely from sun and wind. Electrolysis, the splitting of water into oxygen and hydrogen, with electricity from wind and sun is the main option.

We are working in various ways on optimising and reducing the cost of producing green hydrogen. Electrolysis is a proven technology. But there are still several challenges and opportunities for the high-tech manufacturing industry for its large-scale deployment.

Scaling up electrolysis by a factor of a thousand

The capacity of the electrolysers, which we are currently installing in subsidised pilots, is no greater than 1 to 10 megawatts. To supply our country with CO2-free hydrogen, we need to move towards gigawatt-scale electrolysis. This means scaling up by a factor of a thousand. Once these electrolysers are in place, we should use them preferably:

  • in sectors that are difficult to make sustainable, such as the steel industry, heavy road traffic, aviation and shipping
  • for supplying electricity during periods without wind or sun
  • to integrate the large amount of wind at sea into our energy system by converting some of it into hydrogen

Drastically reducing costs

Also, the cost of producing green hydrogen is still 2 to 3 times too high for it to be able to compete with grey hydrogen produced from natural gas. The comparison with today's natural gas, without CO2 capture, is no longer relevant in the long term because it releases enormous amounts of CO2.

The electrolysers need to come down in price because they are in use only part of the time, solely for renewable electricity. In the case of offshore wind, this is approximately 4,000 hours a year. We are working with manufacturers and suppliers on new components, alternative materials and circular designs to significantly reduce costs and increase lifespan. This would remove the barrier to large-scale production of sustainable hydrogen. Would you, as a manufacturer or supplier, like to participate? Then don’t hesitate to contact us.

Breakthrough electrolyser development: 200 times less iridium needed

Researchers at TNO have been the first to develop a method that will require 200 times less iridium where a performance of 25% - 46% of the current generation of electrolysers can already be achieved.

Research and pilot plants

In the Gigawatt Electrolyser project, we are working with companies and universities in our country and beyond to design a new electrolyser. It should be built before 2030.

In Groningen we are working on the Hydrohub. This is an open research centre where 13 parties including the Institute for Sustainable Process Technology (ISPT) and TNO work together to optimise and scale up electrolysis.

In the EU project H2FUTURE, we are closely involved in a demonstration project. Here, a 6-megawatt PEM electrolyser was installed at an Austrian steel company.

In Petten, we have the largest hydrogen research facility in Europe: the Faraday laboratory. Faraday is an open innovation lab focused on optimising low temperature (PEM, alkaline, AEM) and high temperature (SOE) electrolysis technologies. In the Faraday laboratory, we work on technological breakthroughs for upscaling. There is close collaboration between the Hydrohub in Groningen and companies in the chain that have materials and components tested here and which they continue to develop together. This means that they don't need to invest in test facilities themselves.

Electrolyser production: opportunity for Dutch manufacturing industry

Hydrogen is one of the pillars of the energy transition and can be the growth engine for a new economy. The Netherlands is leading the way internationally as a supplier of electrolysers. This emerges from an exploration we did together with FME, the entrepreneurs' organisation for the technological industry. But there is still some way to go to achieve this. Currently, the Netherlands lacks a fully-fledged industry that can produce electrolysers on a large scale.

Read the report

Read the follow-up report where TNO in the Voltachem programme outlines a plausible future in which the improvement and upscaling of electrolysis technology go hand in hand. The technology generations presented are by no means self-evident. They represent opportunities that, in order to manifest, must be addressed.

Get inspired

15 resultaten, getoond 1 t/m 5

The Netherlands: a global hub for hydrogen import, transport and storage

Informatietype:
Insight
7 August 2023
The first hydrogen chain from abroad to the Netherlands is a fact. Spain will become a major supplier of green hydrogen to north-western Europe and our country will play a hub role in further exporting.

Hydrogen developments in full swing in the energy and materials transition

Informatietype:
Insight
20 July 2023

Time setters: 200 times less iridium needed for green hydrogen production

Informatietype:
Insight
1 June 2023

The Netherlands takes the lead in development of third-generation electrolyser

Informatietype:
Insight
31 May 2023

Combining offshore wind and floating solar to reduce costs of green hydrogen

Informatietype:
News
28 February 2023