The project Don Quichote (Demonstration of a new qualitative innovative concept of hydrogen out of wind turbine electricity) is set up to demonstrate the technical and economic viability of an integrated hydrogen storage system of renewable energy linked to a hydrogen refueling facility.

The project has reached an important milestone refering to the following specifications of the hydrogen refuelling station of WaterstofNet at the premises of the Colruyt Group in Halle (Brussels).

• on-site electrolysis, storage capacity 65 kg/day, 450 bar,
• use of alkaline electrolyser with a footprint only half of the current standard footprints, and coupled to the grid,
• in the direct neighborhood (< 100 m) 1,5 MW wind turbine and 1050 kW of solar panels,
• refuelling fuel cell based forklifts in a three shift operation.

Has been now expanded by:

• PEM electrolyser (30 Nm3/h),
• extra storage capacity (40 kg),
• fuel cell (120 kW), delivered and built by Hydrogenics.

For the first time, it will be able to perform additional tests on both electrolyser systems to find out which type is better to connect to renewable energy sources. As this system will extensively be tested for the next two year (until October 2017). During this testing period, the PEM electrolyser will be benchmarked against the existing alkaline electrolyser.

Up to now, the existing hydrogen refuelling stations has delivered more than 2200 kg of hydrogen to mostly forklift trucks and performed 2.500 refuelings. The technical availability of the fueling stations is more than 95%.

Please, contact for the further information on the project:

• Johan Seykens – jseykens@hydrogenics.com

• Wouter van der Laak – wouter.vanderlaak@waterstofnet.eu

• Ahmed Aly – ahmed@fast.mi.it