First 25 kilos of green hydrogen from a Dutch solar park: H2 Hollandia is running
The first 25 kilos of green hydrogen have been produced at H2 Hollandia in Nieuw-Buinen, in the Dutch province of Drenthe. Developer Novar announced the milestone at the end of June. The plant is not yet fully operational: the compressor and the refuelling infrastructure are still to follow.
"This site brings together large-scale renewable generation, smart conversion into hydrogen and concrete use in the region," Novar said, calling it a tangible step towards a new sustainable energy infrastructure.
Power the grid cannot take
The electrolyser sits next to the Vloeivelden Hollandia solar park, one of the largest in the Netherlands, opened by King Willem-Alexander in 2021. The park can deliver up to 115 MVA while the grid connection is limited to 70 MVA. On sunny days, that leaves power the grid simply cannot absorb.
Those surpluses now go into the electrolyser. Electricity that would otherwise go to waste is turned into a fuel that can be stored and transported — a practical answer to grid congestion.
The figures
- Electrolyser capacity: 5 megawatts.
- Expected output: around 300,000 kilos of green hydrogen a year.
- Solar park: 115 MWp, with a 70 MVA grid connection.
- Location: Nieuw-Buinen, municipality of Borger-Odoorn, province of Drenthe.
Who will use the hydrogen
Civil engineering contractor Avitec is the first customer and a co-owner. The company wants to run its tractors, loaders and heavy equipment on hydrogen. An industrial gas supplier will also take hydrogen and distribute it by tube trailer to refuelling stations and industrial customers. Heavy road transport, buses and inland vessels are in the picture as users too.
Who is making it happen
Novar is developing the project, with Avitec handling the civil works. The technology involves Plug Power, Resato Hydrogen Technology, Van Halteren Technologies and Summit Renewable Projects, among others. Repowered controls and optimises the system and Klaer takes care of operations and maintenance, with financing from Rabobank. Support comes from GroenvermogenNL, the Dutch DEI+ scheme, the hydrogen scale-up programme run by RVO and the province of Drenthe.
Why it matters
Hydrogen projects that actually reach construction and production are still rare in the Netherlands. Here, solar generation, electrolysis and end users sit within a stone's throw of each other, which keeps the chain short and easy to follow.
We are watching this project with interest. For machinery and heavy transport that need to keep running all day, locally produced green hydrogen is an attractive route to zero-emission operation. And those first 25 kilos show it is no longer a drawing on paper.
Sources
- Novar, Eerste 25 kilo groene waterstof geproduceerd bij H2 Hollandia, 26 June 2026
- Novar, Doorbraak in groene waterstof: H2 Hollandia bereikt financial close
- Change Inc., Te groot zonnepark levert groene waterstof voor vrachtwagens, tractoren en shovels
- Solar and Storage Magazine, Bouw elektrolyser Zonnepark Vloeivelden Hollandia van start
- GroenvermogenNL, Bouw waterstofinstallatie H2 Hollandia van start
