Hydrogen the Groningen way.

💦⚡️💚 Green hydrogen is ‘booming’. As the missing link in the energy transition and in the transition to sustainable industry. But how do we make hydrogen ‘big’ and make sure that everyone benefits? Read my voyage of discovery here👇 💚🌍

Blog nr 3 ☀️💨⚡️From Hydrogen Valley to Hydrogen World  🌍

A transition is more than just a simple change. A transition is a structural process of moving from an old situation to a new situation. It almost always produces new problems of its own, and the old solutions no longer work. New problems require new solutions. 

New solution

The same applies to the energy transition. In Groningen we have an advantage compared to other regions in the Netherlands or abroad. We’re already coming up against problems that will soon be commonplace. We have plenty of sustainable energy and at times when the sun shines and the wind blows, it is more than our electricity grid can deal with. We also have an industrial cluster that wants to become greener and that is looking for alternative raw materials that can replace oil and gas. So, new problems that require new solutions. 

Everywhere

Green hydrogen is one of those new solutions. In my previous blogs I explained why. We use industrial products all around the world. As yet, there are no renewable sources for large-scale energy production other than solar panels and wind turbines. It means that Groningen is not the only place where hydrogen is the solution for peaks in energy production or as a raw material for industry. That solution is needed everywhere ... throughout the Netherlands, Europe, the world. 

From signature to implementation

Over the past few years, the countries that signed the Paris Agreement needed to convert those signatures into deeds. Negotiations and signatures are one thing, but the next step - translating this into implementation plans - is much more complicated. In December 2019, the Netherlands achieved that move to an implementation plan with the National Climate Agreement.  Other countries also prepared plans to limit CO2. Although the approach and the processes differ from country to country, the plans are actually quite similar. Everywhere, the focus is overwhelmingly on energy savings, making transport more sustainable, sustainable agriculture, building solar parks and wind turbines and making industry greener. 

Ecosystems

Initially, individual solutions were the starting point for all those sectors. However, in Groningen and the northern Netherlands we quickly realised that there is one solution for nearly all those sectors: green hydrogen. The production of green hydrogen does not produce any CO2 emissions and consequently it contributes to implementing the Paris Agreement. So, we are working on a hydrogen plan with the provincial executives of Drenthe and Fryslân and with many businesses and partners in all those sectors.  This hydrogen plan turns the northern Netherlands into a ‘Hydrogen Valley’ because it is about a total ecosystem of solutions with hydrogen. An ecosystem, where small and large companies work together to ensure that solar energy is used to produce hydrogen that in turn fuels lorries. An ecosystem, where the hydrogen that is produced from sun and wind is stored underground and used when the sun doesn't shine or when it’s windless. An ecosystem where a hydrogen barge is built and where wind energy is used to produce e-kerosene for aircraft. 

Global hydrogen systems

These are major steps in European sustainability and the green hydrogen economy. However, a global low-CO2 economy with a truly new energy system would go much further. To become completely CO2-low in a relatively short time, we need an exchange of energy between continents. According to Professor Ad van Wijk of the TU Delft, it is important to consider other countries for the production of sustainable energy and hydrogen alongside producing hydrogen in Europe itself. For example, North Africa and Ukraine have better conditions for generating solar energy and wind energy. The “Green Hydrogen Initiative” already produced a report about large-scale hydrogen production in North Africa and Ukraine for use in Europe. Global hydrogen systems were also on the agenda of the World Hydrogen Fuels Summit, which was held in Amsterdam in March 2020. It always concerns large wind parks and solar parks in parts of the world where it is cheaper to generate sustainable energy due to the wind currents and hours of sunshine. This is mainly in developing countries. 

Honest and ecologically responsible

That’s when I started wondering: if there is large-scale production of sustainable energy and hydrogen all around the world, would this not be the perfect moment to reach agreements on how we do this in an honest and ecologically responsible manner? To combine new global solutions for climate change with new ecological and socially responsible benchmarks? Now green hydrogen is ‘booming’, this is the time to attach conditions to the production of this energy carrier consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Which agreements are needed and who is needed to achieve them? Stay with my voyage of discovery and read my next blog.  

Hydrogen the Groningen way

Blog Nr 2  🤷‍♀️ Why hydrogen?

Your laptop runs on electricity, you cook on gas or electricity, and your car runs on petrol, diesel or electricity. Energy is available anywhere and anytime, and that's completely normal as far as we’re concerned. More to the point, despite the various attempts to save energy, the world as a whole consumes more energy year on year. This energy ranges from sustainably generated electricity to polluting energy sources. 

New energy system required

In 2015, we agreed in Paris to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees. This means that we need to achieve enormous savings on CO2 emissions all around the world.  In the Netherlands, we translated that to a 49% reduction in CO2 by 2030. Another 54 countries have comparable objectives or are working on them. In all those countries that leads to two drastic changes. First of all, fossil energy sources, such as coal, oil and gas, need to be replaced by other ways of producing warmth and electricity. Secondly, alternatives need to be found for industries that use coal and natural gas as raw materials. Simply moving from fossil fuels to sustainably generated electricity is only part of the solution for the climate issue. It is a complicated jigsaw that requires more than just large quantities of solar panels and wind turbines. A transition to sustainable sources requires a completely new energy system.

You can store natural gas

For the last 60 years, we've always had natural gas in Groningen. This natural gas is pumped up throughout the year. In the summer that is more than enough for consumption in the Netherlands, but in winter demand is much higher. To absorb those differences, natural gas is stored in empty fields and this stored gas can be used when demand is high. This system guarantees stable natural-gas deliveries throughout the year.

Always available

Electricity you generate with solar panels and wind turbines shows peaks. If the wind blows and the sun is out, there is a lot of electricity available. Cloudy and windless days produce nothing, and you have a problem. For an economy that depends on electricity to live, work and to travel, electricity has to be available all year round. Even when it is windless and when there is no sun. The problem is that it is difficult to store electricity: it is expensive and it takes many raw materials to achieve this on a large scale. 

Storage

Gas is much easier to store in hollow spaces, such as tanks. In Groningen we know all about that, because we are experienced in storing large quantities of natural gas. So if we want to store green electricity, we need to make it gaseous. That enables us to store the surplus electricity we generate when it is windy and sunny and to use it at the times the sun doesn't shine and when there is no wind. You can make green electricity gaseous by converting it into green hydrogen with a process that is known as electrolysis.  

Hydrogen

Maybe you remember the large chemistry chart from school - the periodic table. The first element is H: hydrogen. The most common element on the earth. In normal conditions it is gaseous and we call it H2. Green hydrogen is made from water (H20) that is split into hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) with green electricity. Then there are other types of hydrogen that are made from fossil fuels. As they are not generated sustainably, they still produce CO2 emissions. We call that grey hydrogen. When the CO2 is captured and stored, we call it blue hydrogen. 

Heavy transport and industry

Why do we need that green hydrogen? Because it can be used as clean fuel, when electricity is not a solution. For example in heavy transport, such as lorries, sweeper trucks, boats and large vessels. People are also working on using hydrogen to replace kerosene in air traffic. However, the largest part of CO2 emissions comes from industry. The CO2 emissions that are produced as a result of processing in primary industry are not only produced by burning fossil fuels for heat. Another cause for those emissions is the use of fossil fuels as raw materials. For example, natural gas is a raw material for fertilisers and oil is used for plastics. For those types of industrial applications electricity cannot replace oil or natural gas. The temperatures required for those processes are often too high to be achieved with electricity. Above all, electricity is not a raw material. In both those situations, green hydrogen can be a sustainable solution.  

Missing link

In conclusion, we need: 

1. To move to an energy system with sustainable production from solar panels and wind turbines and with storage, so that energy is always available. 
2. Alternative raw materials and high-temperature heat for industry.

That is why hydrogen is the missing link in the transition to a sustainable economy. We can achieve this if we manage to produce hydrogen on a large scale and preferably in countries where the sun shines most of the time and/or where the wind blows frequently. Read more about that in my next blog!

Hydrogen the Groningen Way

💦⚡️💚 Green hydrogen is ‘booming’. As the missing link in the energy transition and in the transition to sustainable industry. But how do we make hydrogen ‘big’ and make sure that everyone benefits? Read my voyage of discovery here👇 💚🌍

Blog nr 1 ☀️💨⚡️From natural gas to hydrogen

August 2012 and the earth moved in Groningen. The earthquake was felt deep into the province. Cracks crept along the walls and fear crept into the souls of our people. It is a moment that is etched on my mind. At the time, I was a Member of the Provincial Executive of Groningen, but more importantly I was an ordinary citizen of Groningen, a mother, a partner. I grew up in a country where everything was organised perfectly well, where you were safe ... or so I thought. 

Insecurity

With the earthquake in Huizinge, the damage crept through our houses and the insecurity crept into our hearts. All of a sudden I realised - and I was not the only one - that my environment was nothing like as safe as I had thought. And our house was not even in the epicentre of the earthquake. Fear and insecurity started to gnaw away. Is it safe for our children to go to school? What if these earthquakes become worse? In these Coronavirus days we notice that feeling unsafe makes us feel anxious and insecure. We need clarity - what does this crisis mean to our society, to us, and to our nearest and dearest? How long will it last? At that point it is essential that you have an honest government that takes sensible decisions on the basis of experts’ findings. 

Battles

The same was true for the consequences of the earthquakes. After August 2012, it became clear fairly quickly that gas extraction was causing the earthquakes. However, it took many more earthquakes, damage and distress before money and an action plan made an appearance. The money was there ... but the enormous profits of natural-gas extraction had gone to central government and to the companies’ shareholders. It did not make its way to the people who were suffering the consequences of the earthquakes. It took years of negotiations, battles and lobbying before compensation schemes were set up and before, in 2018, the cabinet finally decided to start reducing gas extraction. 

Energy transition

I wrote that in just a few sentences, but it hides the toll in blood, sweat and tears. That motivated me even more to dedicate myself to the fight against climate change and the use of fossil fuels. Never before had I been so convinced that our future had to be sustainable, without natural gas. And also that Groningen was the best place to start working on my mission. For me it became my day job. Since 2015, I have been the Provincial Executive member who is responsible for the energy transition in our province. That is both an enormous honour and a massive responsibility, particularly when you go for ambitious targets. Fortunately, with the support from countless motivated people in Groningen, we managed to get a lot going and quickly. Homes, businesses and industry started to save energy. We had solar parks and wind turbines to generate renewable energy. 

Major steps required

They are all beautiful initiatives, but they are not enough. The really big steps in the transition from natural gas to sustainable energy require an alternative that is suitable for industry in general and chemical industry in particular. Sectors that are often based in Groningen because of the availability of natural gas. Many large companies use this gas as their basic raw material, to produce fertiliser for example, or for processes that require combustion at high temperatures. Solar power or wind power do not provide the solution in those situations. 

Green hydrogen

Fortunately, everything came together at the right time. In the summer of 2016, I met Professor Ad van Wijk of the TU Delft in Zeeland. He had this committed narrative about green hydrogen. Hydrogen is produced with electrolysis - electricity is used to split water into oxygen and hydrogen. That hydrogen can do everything natural gas can do. It can be used to make heavy transport and industry more sustainable. It goes without saying that the electricity that is used to produce the hydrogen should be generated sustainably. Furthermore, green hydrogen is easy to store and transport. It means it can be used to absorb peak and off-peak demand when there is too much or not enough wind or sun. Green hydrogen would appear to be the missing link in the energy transition. With our knowledge, experience and energy economy, I could see opportunities for Groningen. In the northern Netherlands, the Innovation Board was set up, and in April 2017 it published the booklet ‘The Green Hydrogen Economy in the northern Netherlands’. My fellow Provincial Executive member (Regional Minister) Patrick Brouns started working with industry on making their production and processes greener. Last year's national Climate Accord contains a chapter about green hydrogen and last week, central government published the ‘Cabinet's vision on hydrogen’. 

Large-scale production

All of this together is putting the northern Netherlands on a roller-coaster, but a positive one this time! Nationally and internationally, there is a great deal of interest in the hydrogen solution in combination with Groningen's gas narrative. I have visited Brussels, received high-ranking foreign guests and addressed international conferences. I see fantastic plans, for example the large-scale production of solar energy in the Sahara and wind energy for North Africa. Companies want to invest in those projects to generate green hydrogen that can be transported all over the world in pipelines. 

Voyage of discovery

It sounds fantastic, but it also got me thinking. It brought me back to the insecurity and misery in Groningen. What if we could generate large-scale sustainable energy in developing countries? As with natural-gas extraction in Groningen, it could generate a lot of revenue. But how does it change the environment in those countries or for their inhabitants? How can we get this right from the beginning? How do we prevent what happened in Groningen? How do we make sure that producing green hydrogen improves the ecology rather than destroys it? That it produces money and prosperity for the surrounding areas rather than poverty and insecurity? I will spend the coming period looking for ways in which that can be achieved. Backed up by Groningen's experience of how not to do it. And backed up by the positive prospect of hydrogen without CO2 emissions and with an honest earning model. For the benefit of developing countries, for the Netherlands, and also for Groningen. 

Hydrogen: Northern Netherlands leads Europe and the world

Read the full article at Foresight