End for hydrogen project SinneWetterstof
Network company Alliander and renewable energy developer GroenLeven are pulling the plug on the pilot project SinneWetterstof in the Frisian town of Oosterwolde.
With SinneWetterstof, Alliander and GroenLeven wanted to investigate how hydrogen can play a role in areas where the capacity of the electricity grid is not sufficient to feed back large-scale generated solar energy. Among other things, the study looked at whether grid congestion could be reduced or prevented and whether hydrogen is a solution to prevent grid expansion.
The pilot project was meant to last five years, but after three years both parties are already giving up. They say the texts carried out provided several useful insights, but apparently not enough to continue. They are making the hydrogen plant available to other parties.
Limited production
SinneWetterstof was officially opened in March 2022 at a symposium of the same name. The intention was to produce the first hydrogen in June of that year, eventually growing to an annual production capacity of 100,000 kilograms. Several challenges in the start-up of the plant prevented this target from being met.
The limited production of green hydrogen that was eventually achieved proved insufficient to answer the original learning objectives, although Alliander and GroenLeven retain useful insights into how an electrolyser can operate alongside a solar farm. One important lesson they drew in advance is that suppliers of components for this kind of installation are not yet optimally attuned to each other. In addition, at the start of the pilot, much was still unclear in the licensing procedure. For the licensing authority, this pilot therefore provided frameworks for licensing.
Both promoters are now looking for a party to take over the hydrogen plant.
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