“We work with Flux50 on specific hydrogen projects”

WaterstofNet, the Turnhout-based developer of sustainable hydrogen projects, recently joined Flux50. Now project manager Isabel François talks about membership, the upcoming Smart Energy Academy and the workshop ‘Hydrogen and the energy transition’ on November, 7th.

Together with industry and governmental authorities, WaterstofNet develops and realizes sustainable hydrogen projects and roadmaps to enable zero-emission transport and energy storage. Its central focus is on Flanders and the Netherlands. Project manager Isabel François joined WaterstofNet eighteen months ago. She coordinates the IBN (Innovatief Bedrijfsnetwerk, Ed.) Power to Gas.

Waterstofnet recently joined Flux50. Why did you become a member?

“Flux50 is one of the spearhead clusters supported by Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship. In addition to these large clusters, the Flemish Government supports several smaller IBN’s or ‘mini clusters’. WaterstofNet coordinates the IBN Power to Gas. We bring companies from different backgrounds together around the power-to-gas concept. We facilitate their structural cooperation, helping them to launch new products and services that can force a breakthrough in the hydrogen market. Obviously, the ambitions of our IBN partially overlap with Flux50’s ambitions. We’ve recently worked together on specific hydrogen projects, one of them for the harbor of Zeebrugge. The other was a feasibility study centered around the solar park Terranova Solar in Zelzate, in partnership with Lampiris. WaterstofNet joined Flux50 to consolidate our cooperation on specific projects. Also, the Flemish Government insists on cooperation and cross-fertilization between the different clusters it subsidizes.”  

WaterstofNet is specifically teaming up with Flux50 to remove these obstacles and pave the way for more, easier and integrated hydrogen applications

You will be speaking on the second day of our Smart Energy Academy? 

“Indeed. Our director Adwin Martens or I will give a presentation on Thursday, November 23. We’ll provide an overview of local and international hydrogen projects in which WaterstofNet was and is involved. The most well-known project realized in Flanders to date is the Don Quichote project at the Colruyt distribution center in Halle. Here, renewable electricity (wind and solar) is stored in hydrogen and then utilized to refill fuel cell based forklift trucks. More recent projects deal with the development and demonstration of heavy duty transport (trucks and garbage trucks). At the Smart Energy Academy, we will focus on the opportunities of hydrogen in different sectors such as mobility, energy storage and industry, but also reflect on the remaining obstacles and barriers for a hydrogen breakthrough. WaterstofNet is specifically teaming up with Flux50 to remove these obstacles and pave the way for more, easier and integrated hydrogen applications.”