Hitachi Energy’s hydrogen powered generator fuelled a battery-powered electric excavator at Air Products’ Rotterdam location, showing that there is a greener option than diesel.
Hitachi Energy successfully unveiled HyFlex™, a hydrogen powered generator based on zero-emission fuel cell technology, during a live event in Rotterdam. This was the first time it had been shown in the Netherlands. The event was a big step towards greener building techniques and showed how strong cross-industry cooperation can be in speeding up decarbonisation. Hitachi Energy brought together important players in the clean energy ecosystem to make the demonstration possible. They worked with Air Products, the world’s largest hydrogen supplier; Hitachi Construction Machinery, which makes the ZE135, a battery-powered electric excavator; and Dura Vermeer, a leader in sustainable and innovative construction solutions.
The move to cleaner energy is becoming more and more focused on green hydrogen. It has a lot of promise to help decarbonise industry since it can be used as a clean energy carrier and can electrify hard-to-abate sectors indirectly. Building activities are responsible for more than a third of the world’s energy-related CO2 emissions1, yet the footprint of these operations is growing.
Policy momentum is also very important. For example, the EU’s revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive2, Oslo’s climate and environmental requirements for construction sites3, and the Netherlands’ roadmap for zero-emission construction equipment4 all show that there is both need and demand to speed up the use of cleaner alternatives to traditional fossil fuel generators.
Hitachi Energy’s hydrogen-to-power solution produces electricity, useable heat, and water without burning anything, so it doesn’t release any hazardous emissions and runs very silently. A 500 kilovolt-amperes (kVA) HyFlex may use up to 800 tonnes less diesel fuel per year than a regular diesel power generator, which means it releases 2,900 tonnes less CO2. It takes around 70 kilogrammes of green hydrogen to make one megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity.
“As the world’s largest hydrogen supplier, Air Products is proud to support this innovative step toward zero-emission construction. This demonstration proves that hydrogen-powered solutions are not just viable, they’re ready to perform in real-world conditions.
“Collaborations like this bring the energy transition to life, showing how hydrogen can decarbonize even the most challenging sectors.” Caroline Stancell Vice President Marketing and Growth Programmes Europe and Africa, Air Products.
“At Hitachi Energy, we are committed to providing innovative solutions and technologies that inspire the next era of sustainable energy. We recognize that the entire energy ecosystem needs to move in the same direction. We are proud to have showcased HyFlex in the Netherlands, thanks to a unique collaboration with key industry players.” Marco Berardi Head of Grid & Power Quality Solutions and Service, Hitachi Energy.
The demonstration showed once again that significant cooperation across different sectors is necessary to build locations with no emissions. Hitachi Construction Machinery’s battery-powered electric excavator is a great example of a game-changing technology that is helping to make constructing more environmentally friendly.
Hitachi Energy provides a full range of solutions for every part of the green hydrogen value chain. The firm also offers power-to-hydrogen (grid-to-stack) solutions for electrolyser systems that improve the whole power supply system, from the high-voltage grid connection to the stack terminals.
Some of the most important uses are on construction sites, in areas that are sensitive to noise and pollution, in mining operations to power the growing number of electric machines like dump trucks and excavators, in critical facilities that need an off-grid supply of power and/or heat, like hospitals, data centres, and hotels, and at ports, where shore-to-ship power is available, as recently shown in Sweden, as a clean and quiet alternative to running vessel engines at berth.
Hitachi Energy is a great partner for the hydrogen ecosystem as it becomes ready for gigawatt-scale projects. They can offer the best power supply systems that are the most efficient, reliable, and high-quality.
