23 January 2025

Hydrogen in the Smart Energy Hub: Advancing the energy transition together

How can your Smart Energy Hub prepare for a future where hydrogen plays a central role in the energy transition? As hydrogen gains traction in industrial processes, hubs in the Netherlands face a unique challenge: how can clusters of businesses collectively ensure a smart and sustainable energy supply without individual companies struggling with grid congestion or high costs? Let’s explore some critical questions that can help your hub make strategic choices. 

Tackling the energy transition 

While smart energy hubs often focus on electricity, hydrogen offers a valuable complement. Grid congestion frequently prevents companies from increasing their power capacity and excess solar energy often can’t be fed back into the grid. This issue affects the entire country, particularly regions where the network is already overloaded - the so-called ‘red zones’ on congestion maps. Hydrogen can serve as a buffer: solar energy that can’t return to the grid can be converted into hydrogen and stored for later use. 

Generating and sharing energy together 

A smart energy hub can function as an ecosystem where businesses exchange energy with one another. For example, company A might generate a surplus of solar energy, which company B can use. Alternatively, company A could produce hydrogen from its solar energy and later supply it to company B. However, achieving this balance requires careful planning. What happens when the sun isn’t shining, or hydrogen production falls short? To ensure a reliable energy supply, the hub needs sufficient storage capacity and shared buffer systems. This approach fosters a degree of self-sufficiency, enabling companies within the hub to share energy effectively. 

Mapping out the options 

To weigh the possibilities and costs, a thorough analysis of energy options is essential. What is the local demand for hydrogen and how much can your hub produce? What role can solar energy play and how much storage capacity is needed to ensure stable energy supply? How should energy exchanges between businesses be organized and what tariff structures would apply? Each option comes with its own challenges, particularly since every business has unique processes and needs. 

The path forward 

The complexity of the energy transition demands that companies in smart energy hubs look beyond their individual operations and consider the bigger picture. Hydrogen offers versatile opportunities for storing and sharing energy sustainably. By working together as a cluster, businesses can ensure energy security, share costs and collectively advance the energy transition - an impactful way to enhance your hub’s contribution and secure the future of your region. 

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