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Alquion is a new company, resulting from the merger of Battolyser Systems and VDL Hydrogen Systems. Heffels: ‘Battolyser Systems was developing a technology that combines a battery with an electrolyzer. At VDL, we were working on a large scale alkaline electrolyzer for industrial applications. Since there was a large overlap between our individual solutions, we decided to join forces.’

VDL had been improving the efficiency of their 50 kW alkaline electrolyzer and discovered that their system had a certain level of flexibility. Heffels: ‘We have demonstrated that we can reach larger efficiencies and flexibility than current electrolyzers. The system currently can scale from 100 to 20 percent power usage and back without compromising safety and quality of the hydrogen we produce.’

One of the challenges in making water-splitting electrolyzers that can be scaled up and down is the fact that hydrogen might start to mix in with oxygen, leading to explosive mixtures. ‘With our system, we can prevent this gas crossover from happening.’

Move to ºÚÁϸ£ÀûÍø campus
Since 2024, the 50 kW test system is physically located at the premises of VDL Energy Systems in Almelo, whereas the team working on it is based in Eindhoven. Even though the system can be operated remotely, it would be easier if the system would be closer to the engineers in Eindhoven, for example to swap parts or make upgrades. This is where ºÚÁϸ£ÀûÍø comes in. In summer 2026, the electrolyzer will be shipped to ºÚÁϸ£ÀûÍø campus, where it will be located next to the Fudura battery that is part of the GENIUS- and BACH-projects.

‘At ºÚÁϸ£ÀûÍø, we are dealing with net congestion. We are reaching the limits of the amount of electricity we are allowed to consume, which is hindering our expansion plans,’ explains Thijs Meulen, Energy Manager at ºÚÁϸ£ÀûÍø Campus & Facilities. ‘As a technical university, we like to experiment with innovative technologies. Since we regard hydrogen to be an important part of the future energy mix, we jumped on this possibility to bring a hydrogen producing electrolyzer to campus.’

Incremental improvements
At least during the first year after the move, the electrolyzer will be a standalone facility that is only used by Alquion for further testing and development, explains Giel Bosch, project manager at the company. ‘We want to further optimize our system in terms of efficiency and flexibility. The 50 kW system we are moving to Eindhoven is a first pilot product, which we are going to improve upon in small iterative steps. Our first stack is now operational. By the end of the summer we want to swap this for a second generation, and by the end of 2026 we hope to introduce a third generation of our technology.’

‘The stack Giel is referring to is our main product,’ adds Heffels. ‘It is the heart of the system comprising the electrodes, a membrane, the electrolyte and in- and outlets for gas, liquids and currents. Operating this stack in a flexible way causes rapid degradation of the electrodes, as our colleagues from Battolyser Systems have demonstrated. With our test system, we want to answer questions about the optimal morphology of the electrodes and the manufacturability of the system as a whole. For example, we are experimenting with different layouts and frames in order to optimize them for flexible use.’

Clear roadmap
The company has laid out a clear roadmap toward industrial applications, Bosch and Heffels explain. ‘We have deliberately chosen to start at a small scale, to enable fast iterations at lower costs. The 50 kW stack consists of ten cells that are about 50 centimeters in diameter. We are currently working on a bigger stack that is 2 meters in diameter. The first system of this size will also consist of ten cells, and will operate at 500 kW. Once we have demonstrated that, adding more cells is not the biggest technological problem. Eventually, we aim to build 6 meter long, 2 meter wide electrolyzers that operate at a 10 MW capacity.’

One of the biggest uncertainties for the company’s future does not have anything to do with technological issues, but rather with supply chains, Heffels says. ‘Our 50 kW set-up is producing about 1 kilogram of hydrogen per hour. That means that with our 10 MW system, we will be producing hundreds of kilos of hydrogen per hour. For such a big pilot project you need to have a launching customer who is willing to convert his feedstock from grey to green hydrogen.’

Demonstrating possibilities
It is in demonstrating how such an electrolyzer could be part of a future hybrid energy system where Meulen sees the added value of bringing the test system to the ºÚÁϸ£ÀûÍø campus. ‘At first, the system will function as a research and development asset for Alquion. But later on, we want to incorporate it in the campus’ energy system, connecting the electrolyzer to a system RIFT will build here that requires hydrogen to reduce iron oxide back to iron for their heating solution. And we also want to couple Alquion’s Flexolyser to an e-methane system we are going to install, which combines the hydrogen with carbon dioxide to produce synthetic gas. This gas can then either be directly used for heating, or it can be fed back into the gas pipes on campus.’

At any given time, Alquion has multiple PhD students working on topics that are relevant for their technology. Heffels: ‘We have collaborations with ºÚÁϸ£ÀûÍø and the University of Twente on topics like industrialization, bubble behavior, membranes, and electrodes.’ Besides in research, both Alquion and ºÚÁϸ£ÀûÍø also see opportunities for cross-fertilization in education. Heffels: ‘The pilot is very relevant for talent development. In projects like BLEND and United Brains 4 Hydrogen we are collaborating with vocational and academic institutes to educate the professionals of the future who are needed to make the hydrogen economy a reality. It helps a great deal if they can take a look at an actual industrial demonstrator. We need to keep the relevance of hydrogen in reaching the targets set in the Paris Climate Agreement high on the agenda. So, as far as we are concerned, ºÚÁϸ£ÀûÍø can also use it for wider knowledge dissemination about the topic, and show others what is possible with this type of technology.’

Meulen fully agrees. ‘ºÚÁϸ£ÀûÍø is the place where innovation starts. We want to integrate the latest in energy technology in our own energy system. Not only to solve our own net congestion problems, but also to help companies demonstrate what’s possible at a real life scale. That is why our plans don’t stop here. Together with Brainport, we are exploring the possibility of establishing a hydrogen hub on the ºÚÁϸ£ÀûÍø campus that will eventually be connected to the national hydrogen network. The hub will be equipped with an electrolyzer that will initially supply hydrogen to a hydrogen cluster comprising affiliated companies. In addition to hydrogen, formic acid (hydrozine) is another option worth exploring.’ Bosch concludes: ‘It is great to see how ºÚÁϸ£ÀûÍø acts as a testing ground, without setting in stone what the blueprint for the future energy system should be. We share the vision that there will not be a one-size-fits-all solution, but that each situation will require its own energy mix to best serve their specific needs.’