Sustainable and self-sufficient with decentralized hydrogen storage
JP-Energiesystemen delivers smart systems in which, based on sustainably generated energy, battery storage and hydrogen, a location is made fully or partially self-sufficient. A recent project is the new building of hospital Rijnstate-Elst, which stores part of the energy produced on its own site in hydrogen.
'At times of excess energy production, the electricity is not supplied back to the grid, but is efficiently stored in hydrogen through electrolysis. During the times when the solar panels do not provide enough energy, the hydrogen is used to make electricity with a fuel cell, using the (residual) heat to heat the building,' says founder Jan Pereboom. His company is the Dutch agent of PowiDian, a startup that originated from Airbus. The company provided the technology and installations of the renewable energy supply at Rijnstate-Elst.
Own energy supply
Solar and wind energy are contributing to the shift from centralized to decentralized electricity production, Pereboom argues. 'From that capacity, it makes sense to also develop decentralized storage. Conversion of green energy into hydrogen lends itself perfectly to this. And that is what is happening at the new Rijnstate hospital in Elst. As a result, at certain times electricity does not have to be fed back to the grid, but is stored locally. Moreover, you have a higher reliability at the location in terms of electricity supply in case of a grid failure.' A decentralized storage system provides local support to the power grid. 'Using a system like the one at Rijnstate increases the reliability of electricity supply and gives the ability to keep running in case of grid failure.'
Rijnstate (all-electric) has chosen an electrolysis and fuel cell, the basis for producing electricity from hydrogen. The residual heat is used for the (additional) heating of the building, which results in positive overall efficiency of hydrogen storage. With the installation, the hospital saves 42,000 m3 of natural gas annually. It saves two million kilograms of CO2 emissions over the next 15 years. 'For us it is a commercial project. We can start a new project รก la minute, so to speak.' The booster for Rijnstate is the Green Deal Healthcare. 'This contains not only CO2 targets, but also the agreement that self-generated green energy that is supplied back to the electricity grid does not count towards the sustainability targets,' says Pereboom. This is why Rijnstate has chosen to store the self-generated energy on its own premises, so that they can use it again at a later date.
Green Deal Care 3.0
The healthcare sector is responsible for at least 7% of the Netherlands' CO2 emissions. With the signing of the Green Deal Zorg 3.0, titled "Working Together on Sustainable Care," concrete and ambitious goals have been set. 'In addition to reducing CO2 emissions, we are (even more) committed to the prevention and promotion of health and reducing the use of primary raw materials and towards circular care the reduction of the environmental impact of medication (use),' says Mirjam Kok, team manager Strategy & Projects Vastgoedbedrijf Rijnstate. The construction of the new entrance at the main location in Arnhem is a fine example of circular care. 'Sustainable materials such as wood were chosen, which will be replanted elsewhere in our country. The entrance is also being manufactured in a circular way, so that - should the need arise in the future - the entire entrance can be reused, without residual waste.'
Important role of hydrogen
Hydrogen can be used to store green energy, but it can also play an important role in heating homes that are difficult to make sustainable, explains Pereboom. 'To me, the 200% is certain that we are going to need hydrogen a lot. It is already very much used in industry, also as a raw material for products. We use natural gas for heating at high temperatures. We can't do that with electricity, but hydrogen is definitely suitable for that. For heavy mobility and stabilizing supply and demand on the electricity grid, hydrogen also has an important role to play," explains Pereboom.
Source: Topic Talks
