Green hydrogen for sustainable mobility
The hydrogen covenant was drawn up by the province of Utrecht to accelerate the production and use of green hydrogen in the mobility sector. Collaboration with entrepreneurs, knowledge institutions and government is essential.
Living Lab Region Foodvalley Circular
The Workshop Hydrogen, as part of Living Lab Region Foodvalley Circular, started in 2020 to merge and accelerate the developments of hydrogen initiatives related to transport, storage and distribution in the region. These initiatives are driven by the government, the business community and knowledge institutions. The aim of the Workshop Hydrogen is to support the following aspects based on regional needs: knowledge exchange, connection and collaboration, but also the concrete development of goals and ambitions for existing or new hydrogen initiatives. The focus is on transport. One of the ambitions is to realize a hydrogen filling point in the region. The ambitions of Workshop Hydrogen are in line with the 'covenant hydrogen in mobility in the province of Utrecht', partly because a number of running initiatives in Regio Foodvalley can be realized even earlier and better by signing the covenant. Even more parties are able to to work together to share knowledge and learn from each other's inspiring practical experiences.
Why hydrogen?
Hydrogen is a good alternative for energy storage, for example for vehicles that have to travel long distances. In addition, it can also function as an energy carrier in a sustainable energy system, in which energy is generated from renewable energy sources. It can serve as a solution to bridge the gap between the supply of green energy and the demand for it.
The storage of hydrogen as a buffer is necessary because generation from sustainable sources such as sun and wind is not always in balance with the demand for energy at that exact moment. There are various steps to actually apply hydrogen: for example, the generation of sustainable energy, conversion to hydrogen, storage, distribution and end use in, for example, a truck. There are already initiatives in many areas, including in the Foodvalley Region. Various parties have a role to play in accelerating the introduction, making it more effective and thus cheaper. Cooperation between parties from the entire energy chain is therefore crucial for the successful application of hydrogen as a solution.