DENS and Heijmans are testing Hydrozine generator at Atlas Living Lab in collaboration with Eindhoven University of Technology

Last month, DENS ran a successful pilot with the Hydrozine generator on the campus of Eindhoven University of Technology. During the pilot, the generator produced 200kWh of energy without emitting harmful emissions.

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An unique form of energy generation on the construction site.

As part of the energy transition and emission-free construction, tech company DENS and construction company Heijans are starting a trial with a new form of energy generation. It is a Hydrozine generator that replaces the traditional diesel generator on the construction site. This generator, called the DENS X2, works without the emission of harmful substances such as fossil carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides and particulate matter. The purpose of this generator? Creating an acceleration in the energy transition and making sustainable energy available at every location.

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Hydrozine as a sustainable fuel for the DENS X2 generator

Renewable energy can be generated anywhere by using the liquid fuel Hydrozine in the DENS generator. Hydrozine consists mainly of formic acid and is produced with carbon dioxide, water and renewable electricity. The same elements are released when using the fuel, making Hydrozine a 100% CO2 climate neutral solution. The innovative generator from DENS can generate more than 20kW of energy per hour. This offers the possibility to provide the power requirement of a small construction site with CO2 neutrality, in contrast to the often used diesel generator. The ease of use of the X2 is comparable to the diesel generator, due to the fast start-up, the power supplied, refueling and moving.

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Why Heijmans believes in the Hydrozine generator

Both the nitrogen crisis and climate change pose major challenges for the construction sector. Heijmans wants to tackle these challenges and is therefore one of the frontrunners in the field of emission-free construction. The DENS generator provides construction companies with CO2 neutral and nitrogen-free electricity for the construction site. This sustainable power makes it possible to electrify construction equipment on a larger scale and then to charge it in a sustainable manner, so that electrical construction can also take place without a grid connection. “In this way, the generator has become the backbone of the zero-emission construction site and thus a strategic piece of equipment for a sustainable future.”- says Stefan Daamen Sr. Sustainability advisor at Heijmans. This technology is in line with Heijmans’ vision of making construction activities more sustainable. Working together to stimulate sustainable innovations!

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Purpose of the pilot

In preparation for the construction site, a first trial was carried out at the location where the development started more than five years ago, at Eindhoven University of Technology. The pilot could take place as part of the Atlas Living Lab component, an OPZUID project of the TU/e, which offers young companies from the South region the opportunity to test new sustainable technologies in a controlled practical situation. These tests serve as an opportunity to gain experience for further use of the technology in society. Atlas, the most sustainable renovated building in the world according to the BREEAM standard, plays a role in this as a Living lab. During the test period, a lot of knowledge was gained about the technology of the X2, the logistics and the storage of Hydrozine in an user environment, in a safe environment outside the workshop of DENS. The pilot also shows how the X2 can function as support for an existing energy network.

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Results of the pilot

The electricity generated by DENS was used to charge the electrical machines of De Enk and to supplement the electricity network used by the Atlas building. De Enk provides the green areas around Atlas and the rest of the TU/e campus. If more electricity is required in the future because of an event or larger number of electric vehicles, the DENS generator can function as support for the electricity network. The successful outcome has prepared DENS for the second phase of the collaboration with Heijmans: on-site testing.

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DENS-demonstrator has been made possible in part by a contribution from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under OP-Zuid https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/nl/funding/erdf/