Danish government funds renewable hydrogen project for clean mobility
The Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program (EUDP), under the Danish Energy Agency, decided to support the H2RES demonstration project in Denmark, using offshore wind power to produce renewable hydrogen for road transport. The industrial partners (Ørsted, Everfuel Europe A/S, NEL Hydrogen A/S, GreenHydrogen A/S, DSV Panalpina A/S, Hydrogen Denmark and Energinet Elsystemansvar A/S) received funding of DKK 34.6 million for the construction of a 2MW electrolysis plant with appurtenant hydrogen storage. The plant will use electricity from offshore wind turbines to produce renewable hydrogen for buses, trucks and potentially taxis.
The daily hydrogen production is expected to total around 600kg, enough to power 20-30 buses, while also making testing its use in trucks and taxis possible. The funding awarded to the H2RES project is the largest among the 53 projects which have received funding from the EUDP in this second 2019 call for applications.
The H2RES project will be using power directly from Ørsted’s two 3.6MW offshore wind turbines at the Avedøre Power Station. Moreover, electrolysis can be run flexibly, thereby helping to ensure flexible use of the fluctuating power production from the offshore wind turbines.
“Renewable hydrogen could potentially form a cornerstone of Denmark’s ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70% in 2030 and of the transition to a world that runs entirely on green energy. Heavy road transport is one of the sectors which can be made greener by indirect electrification with hydrogen produced from renewable sources. It’s important for us to be able to demonstrate the technology and gather experience, that will make it possible to scale up the technology and make it more efficient, so that we’ll be able to produce renewable hydrogen at a price which can compete with the price of the fossil-based alternatives,” commented Anders Nordstrøm, Vice President and Head of Ørsted’s hydrogen activities.
“The interest in green zero-emission fuel is enormous, especially in the Greater Copenhagen area. Hydrogen produced on surplus renewable energy gives us the possibility to make 100% green, pollution-free fuel. The energy can be stored, distributed and used flexibly without the need for further substantial investments in new electricity infrastructure for heavy transport in, for example, the city environment. The H2RES project is completely unique with strong partners and a close proximity to Copenhagen,” said Jacob Krogsgaard, CEO, Everfuel.
“Denmark is a global front runner within renewable energy and has a pole position in leading the way for renewable hydrogen to be the energy source of choice for heavy-duty transportation. The realization of the H2RES project will be an important step towards developing a nationwide infrastructure for renewable hydrogen, and we look forward to working with the H2RES partners on this and future projects,” explained Jon André Løkke, CEO, Nel ASA.
“The integration of energy from offshore wind into heavy transport is a main challenge in the green transformation. With H2RES, we’ll have the possibility of testing how hydrogen and offshore wind can best complement each other, both with each other, with the transport sector and the collective energy system. It’s a very important step for hydrogen as a key technology in the green transformation,” added Tejs Laustsen Jensen, CEO of Hydrogen Denmark.
