Netherlands

Developed by Dutch start-up AquaBattery, the storage technology is claimed to independently amend power and energy capacity. The battery system utilizes three storage tanks, one with fresh water, one with concentrated salt water and one with diluted salt water, and also relies on membrane stacks.

A new report from the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) shows the strong potential of photovoltaics in all scenarios for the country’s future energy mix. According to the Dutch experts, solar may reach between 55 GW and 132 GW by 2050.

Two different studies have highlighted the potential and challenges of low-head pumped hydro storage (PHS), which has so far never been implemented in real projects. Different main areas were identified for future research and an interesting levelized cost of storage was indicated for certain project configurations.

The hydrogen generation facility will be initially powered by a photovoltaic plant, but Essent may also add wind power for periods when the sun is not shining. The energy company also plans to deploy some battery storage capacity at the plant for the temporary storage of the surplus of solar power that cannot be immediately converted into hydrogen or supplied back to the grid.

Created by a Dutch group of companies and research institutions, the mobile solar system may also be combined with an electrolyzer for hydrogen generation. Two prototypes are currently being tested by a farmer and a research institute in the Netherlands.

In other news, Airbus and Kawasaki Heavy Industries plan to work together to prepare a hydrogen-fueled ecosystem, while Storgrundet Offshore and Lhyfe want to build a 600 MW hydrogen production plant in Sweden. Furthermore, Canada-based First Hydrogen has identified four industrial sites in the United Kingdom and is advancing discussions with landowners to secure land rights to develop green hydrogen production projects.

The Genap Energy Cover uses HyET Solar Powerfoil thin-film solar modules, rated at 12.0% efficiency, for agricultural water storage and reservoirs, with an initial focus on the greenhouse and horticulture markets in the Netherlands. Genap said a 12kWp test setup had a generation density of 60W/m2, rising to 120W/m2 within a year, with an eventual target of 165W/m2.

Research activities on hydrogen are in full swing at Penn State University, University of Aberdeen, Brunel University London, Loughborough University and Cardiff University. This week marks a systemic shift towards hydrogen in research, production, sale and consumption.

A Dutch-British research group is developing a 1μm crystalline silicon membrane with a remarkable optical performance and a hyper-uniform pattern design. A simulation of the device was theoretically able to achieve an absorption equivalent photocurrent of 26.3mA/cm².

Alliander and Groenleven have completed construction on the Netherlands’ first green hydrogen production facility. It is connected to a 50MW solar park and is expected to generate hydrogen from June.