Generating sustainable energy on agricultural land and producing hydrogen on the farm

The H2arvester represents a circular energy system for locally generating and utilising sustainable energy, utilising abundant agricultural land without compromising crop production.
H2arvester’s solar cars take the form of a matrix of solar panels, autonomously traversing arable and dairy farmlands, as well as moving over ditches.
As the solar panels are mobile, H2arvester becomes an ‘extra crop’ in the rotary cultivation of arable farmers and tulip bulb growers. For dairy farmers, the solar cars ‘rotate’ with outdoor grasing, providing a double use of agricultural land and generating extra income, with a maximum land occupation of 10% per hectare.
The solar panel yield can be processed on farms to produce green hydrogen (H2), which is stored to balance energy production and consumption (hydrogen and heat) without straining the electricity grid. The hydrogen stock can also be supplied to third parties, including agricultural cooperatives, energy corporations, industries, or the local community.
Agricultural companies are strategically positioned at the intersection, the ‘sweet spot,’ of sustainability challenges for rural areas, encompassing sustainable energy, improved soil health, and enhanced revenue models.

Circular energy and sustainable food production

H2arvester presents a circular energy model designed for a local and/or regional economy, emphasising a local-for-local and scale-by-scale approach. Prioritising regional employment aligns with the “short chain” concept, where local producers enhance environmental value, contributing to the realisation of circular agriculture ambitions.
This represents a unique opportunity to actively participate in the transition to sustainable energy and a circular economy at both local and regional levels, complementing large-scale energy production. Importantly, it offers an enhanced earnings model for farmers. This also includes a better earnings model for farmers!
Farms serve as ideal locations for implementing the circular energy model due to their capacity to generate energy and heat “at the regional scale,” supporting local needs across seasons.

H2arvester solarcar

Key points

• Decarbonise (decarbonisation)
• Durable
• regional Development
• Democratic (democratisation)
• Dynamic (dynamisation)

Who is H2arvester

H2arvester Systems BV is an enterprise dedicated to research, development, and implementation of mobile and autonomous agrivoltaic systems and agrirobotics.The company is a collaboration between npk design BV in Leiden (NL) and L’orèl Consultancy BV in Groningen (NL).

H2arvester Systems possesses the necessary qualifications for energy research, technical development, pilot facilitation, and production outsourcing.

H2arvester won the RVO competition ‘Solar power in agricultural areas’ at the end of 2017.

Selected Dutch agricultural mechanisation companies, preferably local, are contracted for the production, installation, and maintenance of the mobile solar systems.
In the realisation of electrical systems, hydrogen production, and storage systems, we collaborate with established system suppliers and market leaders in these industries.

H2arvester is prize winner
Rob Jacobs
energy specialist
L’orèl Consultancy
jacobs@lorel.nl
06-55 378 188

“The solution to convert the generated kWh directly into hydrogen not only provides an autonomous production plant, but is also a solution to the need to balance the production and use of generated energy without worrying about reinforcements of the electricity network.”

Wouter Veefkind
specialist climate and energy
LTO Noord
wveefkind@ltonoord.nl
06-22 693 944

“Because of my work for the agricultural organization I work on innovations that encourage multifunctional land use. Because the solar power plant is mobile, it can for example be seen as an additional crop in rotational cultivation that many arable farmers use. In the variant where the installation “crawls over the land”, there is literally…

Marcel Vroom
industrial designer
npk design
mvroom@npk.nl
06-22 465 161

“They are movable arrays of solar panels, assembled on lightweight structures and supported on wheels, moving in pre-defined directions. The solar energy is processed into hydrogen (H2) and stored locally. Hydrogen supply is used locally when needed; for example, the surplus is delivered to a dairy processor.”

Thanks to:

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