GROHW - an initiative of Witteveen+Bos
How we’re accelerating the energy transition with green hydrogen
GROHW - an initiative of Witteveen+Bos
Grid congestion is an increasingly common problem in the Netherlands. The electrical grid has insufficient capacity to handle the growth in locally generated sustainable energy, while the demand for (sustainable) electricity will only increase in the future. There is a risk that sustainable energy will be wasted unnecessarily, which will hold back the energy transition. This demands a smart solution for sustainable electricity generation, storage and distribution on a local scale.
Regional collective
GROHW (GReen Oxygen, Hydrogen and Waste heat production) is a collective of regional entrepreneurs, research institutes and local government in the Deventer region initiated by Witteveen+Bos. The objective of GROHW is to accelerate the energy transition and reduce CO2 emissions, with green hydrogen as the most important building block. Our collective focuses on the technical and financially feasible generation, storage, distribution and use in industry and mobility of green hydrogen, oxygen and waste heat.
Scalable and affordable
The result of GROHW is a blueprint developed by Witteveen+Bos: a scalable design that can also be used in other industrial areas in combination with wind and solar farms. The hydrogen system consists of a device (electrolyser) that produces hydrogen and oxygen using sustainable electricity, with some of the electrical energy released as waste heat. The concept has been developed in a way that allows the electrolysers to be produced in large quantities. This considerably reduces the cost price.
By investing in developing this technology now, an affordable solution can be deployed on a large scale in the short term. This will contribute to the essential energy transition. In the GROHW design, not just the hydrogen but also the oxygen and waste heat are used. The decentrally generated green hydrogen can be used locally by industry, for mobility and in the built environment. This means almost no energy is wasted.
Pilot project at the Gas Factory
In 2022 and 2023, GROHW realised and operated an initial 50 kW demonstration project at De Gasfabriek (Gas Factory) in Deventer. This demo was made possible thanks to a subsidy from REACT EU Eastern Netherlands, combined with contributions from the project partners. The system was used to sustainably heat a historic office building, with the waste heat from the electrolyser also being used. Witteveen+Bos was responsible for the system integration design, safety analyses (HAZOP and QRA) and the application for the WABO (environmental) permit.
Upscaling at Nefit Bosch
In late 2024, work started on the construction of the GROHW hydrogen receiving station at Nefit Bosch in Deventer. This project is an important step in the unique collaboration between the supplier Essent, the industrial user Nefit Bosch, the network operator Firan and the design and engineering firm Witteveen+Bos. Witteveen+Bos produced the civil engineering design, organised the all-in-one permit and construction permit and coordinated a subsidy application to the ERDF.
Nefit Bosch will use the hydrogen to perform endurance tests on hydrogen central heating boilers in their new hydrogen R&D centre that will open in the spring of 2025.
Local hydrogen production
In 2025, Firan will install the first part of a 100 MW open network between the hydrogen receiving station and a second user close to Nefit Bosch: Nefit Industrial. The installation of a 2.5 MW electrolyser at Nefit Bosch is planned for 2026. This will produce hydrogen locally, which will eventually also be made available to other parties on the industrial estate through the open Firan network. In the long term, the intention is to connect this network to other regional Firan networks and the national hydrogen backbone from HNS (Gasunie).
More Information?
