now it’s time to introduce the first hydrogen generator in the Netherlands. The first model, called ‘Purity’, was presented to the public for the first time at Energie Beurs 2008 in the Brabanthallen in Den Bosch. With this, mobile power systems supplier Bredenoord, responsible for the design, gave a glimpse of an innovative power system of the future. “Others in the sector mainly talk about environmentally friendly alternatives for power, we decided to actually build a hydrogen generator.”

Bredenoord took a gamble and as a European ‘power rental company’, went to work designing an environmentally friendly generator. The starting point was that hydrogen as a potential energy source, could also be used for generators with a fuel cell. It took Bredenoord a year and a half to design the prototype. Bredenoord worked with Exendis and Nedstack, specialists in fuel cells and like Bredenoord, members of the Gelderse Energie en Milieunetwerk EMT. Together they focused on creating a design with the same reliability and quality as a diesel generator. That meant being able to start it quickly and autonomously (without mains power) and immediately use it at full output.

As well as construction and industry, organizers of large events are concerned about ‘green energy’. Large festivals that sometimes consume up to 10 MWe of electricity could be the forerunners in the use of hydrogen generators. These are not only more environmentally friendly, but are also extremely quiet. A hydrogen generator produces no more noise than a laptop. From the outside, this new invention looks just as robust and durable as a conventional diesel generator. On the inside, the technology is entirely different. The hydrogen generator is smaller than a diesel generator, but contains a battery of hydrogen gas cylinders that can keep the machine running for 30 hours.