New test centre to make hydrogen dreams and climate ambitions come true

Danish Gas Technology Centre and FORCE Technology have received a grant of DKK 6.8 million from the Green Labs DK programme to establish a test centre for hydrogen technology. The centre will be the first of its kind in Denmark and will help the energy sector with the demanding but necessary transition to hydrogen and Power-to-X.

1 July 2021

Hydrogen is the key to a greener energy sector and to meeting the government’s climate targets. However, switching to hydrogen and Power-to-X requires a technological and technical quantum leap – especially, new, and larger test facilities are needed.

That is why Danish Gas Technology Centre and FORCE Technology are now setting up a Test Centre for Hydrogen Technology, which will help the actors in the energy sector switch to hydrogen.

“Hydrogen puts new and special demands on the energy sector. It is not an unproblematic gas to deal with, and there are, for example, a whole range of safety and environmental aspects that we must also consider. Therefore, excellent testing facilities are a prerequisite for success, and with Danish Gas Technology Centre and FORCE Technology’s experience in this area, it is natural that we take on this task", says Helle Gottschalk Nygaard, who is Head of Laboratory at Danish Gas Technology Centre and senior project manager for the establishment of the Test Centre for Hydrogen Technology.

“With the grant from the EUDP programme, we can already establish an advanced testing environment for the benefit of all actors who develop and market their technologies for a hydrogen market that will be of crucial importance for the transition to renewable energy in the EU countries”.

Testing, analysis, and development

The test centre shall carry out tests and analyses in the production, transport and consumption of hydrogen – e.g., material testing, hydrogen quality analysis, metrology, efficiency, emission and leakage tests. The centre will be able to provide services to all hydrogen technologies ranging from boilers and fuel cells to large sector-coupling plants and from kW to GW size.

"The main objective of the Centre is to support and facilitate the development of hydrogen technologies so that hydrogen can deliver its full potential in an integrated energy system. In addition, the centre will stimulate the development of new hydrogen and Power-to-X technologies and help them on the market. But it is not just about lifting individual products from individual companies to the market – it is about giving the whole area a general boost," says Nicole Ciacotich, Head of Department at FORCE Technology.

The new centre will therefore very much seek cooperation with other Danish actors and thereby support the Danish position of strength in green energy technology but will focus on European cooperation.

DKK 6.8 million from EUDP

The Test Centre for Hydrogen Technology come into existence with DKK 6.8 million in support from Green Labs DK under the Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Programme (EUDP).

The test centre supports Danish energy and climate policy and enables a future in which hydrogen plays the leading role. At the same time, the centre supports sector coupling – i.e., moving energy between e.g., electricity, heat, gas, industry and transport fuels.

The test centre will have stationary testing facilities at Force Technology’s facilities in Brøndby and at the Danish Gas Technology Center in Hørsholm, but in addition to the stationary testing facilities, there will also be mobile facilities that can be moved to wherever the need is.

On-demand webinars: Power-to-X

Hydrogen in pipelines
The gas network is one of the most profitable ways to transport hydrogen. Thus, the Danish gas network will be crucial in connection to the purchase, storage, and distribution of a significant part of the energy produced from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, which may subsequently be converted into hydrogen.

The workshop, will focus on both the challenges that are known and where we have solutions, but also the challenges that we lack knowledge of and solutions to. We have gathered a number of speakers who will explain the various challenges and start the debate.
- Watch webinar (1:59:27)
Materials compability in hydrogen environments
To follow up on the immense interest on the subject since our workshop in January 2021, we hosted a webinar on materials compability in hydrogen environments. Focus was on metallic materials and possibilities of mitigating risk by e.g. coatings. Presentations were covered by a range of our specialists.
Topics covered during the webinar;
- How does hydrogen cause damage in metallic materials?
- How can we test to mitigate risk and define the limits of applications?
- Case on hydrogen induced stress cracking testing
- Guidelines and standards – who decides what is safe?
- Permeation testing and theory on metals. Does hydrogen even enter the steel, and then what?
- Permeation of hydrogen through coatings and elastomers – are they affected?
The webiunar consisted of 4 parts:

Part 1: Introduction
- Watch part 1 (04:19)
Part 2: Materials compability in hydrogen environments
- Watch part 2 (33:47)
Part 3: Permeation testing
- Watch part 3 (10:07)
Part 4: Coatings and elastomers in hydrogen environments
- Watch part 4 (14:39)
Online workshop: Metrology for large scale hydrogen production
Power-to-X is an essential part of the green transition in the Danish energy sector. For decades the Danish wind turbine industry has demonstrated an ability to establish and sustain a technology leadership. Power-to-X will extend this leadership with new value chains from upstream green power production to consumers.

Key elements of these value chains are large scale hydrogen production, development of the Power-to-X infrastructure and the knowhow required to operate the infrastructure in optimal coordination between power production and power consumption.

Water electrolysis is a well-established technology that has been used industrially for a century. What roles do metrology and instrumentation play in the scale up of water electrolysis for safe and cost-effective green hydrogen production? Are there any gabs between the available laboratory facilities and the needs seen by the industry? Upscaling puts more focus on custody transfer, fiscal measurements and needs for independent 3rd party control of instrumentation.
- Watch webinar (1:58:17)