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

H2arvester is a circular energy system for the local generation and utilization of renewable energy, using abundant farmland without loss of crop production.
H2arvester’s solar cars are arranged in a matrix of solar panels and move autonomously across farmland of arable farmers, dairy farmers, and across ditches. Because the solar panels are mobile, H2arvester can be seen as an ‘extra crop’ in the rotary cultivation of arable farmers and tulip bulb growers. For dairy farmers, where the H2arvester solar cars “rotate” with the grazing and/or drive over ditches, this literally means double use of farmland with additional income, at a maximum land use of 10% per hectare.
The output from the solar panels can be converted to green hydrogen (H2) on the farms and stored. This balances the production as well as its own use of generated energy (hydrogen as well as heat), without overloading the power grid. The hydrogen supply can also be supplied to third parties, such as agricultural cooperatives, energy cooperatives, industry, or one’s own village.
The agricultural business is at the intersection, the sweet spot, of the sustainability challenges for the rural area: renewable energy, improved soil health and better 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. Regional employment is paramount and aligns with the “short chain” concept: local producers add value to the environment and short chains help achieve the ambitions for circular agriculture.
This offers a unique opportunity, in addition to large-scale energy production, to contribute at the local and regional level to the energy transition to renewable energy and a sustainable economy. This also includes an improved revenue model for farmers!
The agricultural farm is an ideal location for building the circular energy model because of its ability to produce not only energy but also heat “in the scale of the region,” which can be used locally throughout the seasons.