The Rijnstate hospital in the Netherlands generates its energy using a combination of heat pumps, PV panels, and an electrolyzer, maintaining a constant supply of power from over 1,300 solar panels.

• The Rijnstate hospital opened in 2023 and uses heat pumps, PV panels, and an electrolyzer for energy generation.
• The building collects energy from over 1,300 solar panels located on both the roof and the ground floor.
• When there’s a surplus of solar energy, it goes towards electrolysis, the splitting action that produces hydrogen.

More hospitals are integrating hydrogen into their energy generation systems, using surplus solar energy to produce hydrogen for reserve power and repurposing the byproduct oxygen for medical procedures.

• The Rijnstate isn’t the only hospital that integrated hydrogen into its energy generation this year.
• The Viamed San José Hospital in Murcia, Spain, installed a system that powers the creation of hydrogen through its 289 solar panels.
• The resulting hydrogen feeds into a boiler for space heating, while the oxygen produced as a byproduct of the electrolysis is repurposed as a critical resource for medical procedures.

While green hydrogen is already being used, its widespread adoption is hindered by issues of energy efficiency, cost, and the difficulty of transporting and storing hydrogen. However, there have been major steps forward in producing hydrogen.

• Energy efficiency, cost, and the difficulty of transporting and storing hydrogen are the main issues pushing back on hydrogen adoption.
• Major steps forward for producing hydrogen have been made, such as Hysata’s groundbreaking electrolyzer.
• Hydrogen is making an impact in places like hospitals, but its wider adoption is challenged by these issues.

Hydrogen can be found almost everywhere in the universe and supports various sectors including healthcare, transportation, and heating. Despite its downsides, there are ongoing efforts to make hydrogen cleaner and cheaper.

• Hydrogen supports various sectors including healthcare, transportation, and heating.
• Efforts are being made to make hydrogen cleaner and cheaper, especially in Australia.
• Hysata, an Australian company, has developed an electrolyzer with an efficiency rating jumping from about 75% to 95%, translating into 25% less electricity lost as heat.

Hysata's capillary-fed electrolyzer uses a reservoir at the bottom of the cell which keeps the electrolyte away and out of contact with both the anode and the cathode until it's drawn through a porous separator. This results in higher efficiency and lower costs.

• Hysata's capillary-fed electrolyzer uses a reservoir at the bottom of the cell which keeps the electrolyte away and out of contact with both the anode and the cathode until it's drawn through a porous separator.
• This electrolyzer design results in higher efficiency and lower costs, contributing to the goal of making green hydrogen cost-competitive.
• The company claims to have reduced the amount of electricity wasted through heat by 10 times and the quantity of liquid needed to pump through the system by 20 times.

Sparc Hydrogen uses a reactor to combine solar energy with a photocatalyst to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, a method known as photocatalytic water splitting. Their reactor design offers multiple advantages, including reduced photocatalyst use and a modular design.

• Sparc Hydrogen's approach is to use a reactor to combine solar energy with a photocatalyst to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
• This method doesn't require an electrolyzer or electricity pulled from renewable energy infrastructure.
• Their patent-pending reactor design offers multiple advantages, including reduced photocatalyst use, a modular design, and the ability to capture and reuse excess heat.

Hydrogen energy faces challenges in production, storage, and cost. However, with continued research and development, it can be a versatile form of energy storage that produces no harmful byproducts.

• Hydrogen needs to be removed from something first, like water, biogas, or natural gas, which takes a lot of energy.
• Hydrogen is difficult to store as its molecules are small and tend to escape the cracks and crevices of pipes and storage vessels.
• The cost of hydrogen production and storage is a major obstacle to its widespread adoption.