Herning Municipality is among the frontrunners in the hydrogen field. A recent project involved the construction of 66 youth accommodation units that receive electricity and heating from hydrogen and wind energy, making the units 100 per cent CO₂ neutral. At the same time, insulation and heat recovery has reduced energy consumption by 98 per cent.

Most of us agree that renewable energy is the future, although challenges remain.  Not least in regard to storing energy for later use when the sun is not shining or the wind is not blowing. This is where hydrogen comes into the picture, as this type of gas may well prove to offer one of the most efficient methods of storing renewable energy.  

Herning Municipality knows a lot about this, having been a frontrunner for many years in the development of hydrogen technology for use in transport, heating for housing etc. One of the most innovative projects in which the municipality has been involved is H₂College, a project that has resounded throughout Europe by being nominated for the EU’s Sustainable Energy Europe award.  

66 youth accommodation units use only alternative sources of energy

H₂College comprises 66 youth accommodation units that are supplied with electricity and heating using hydrogen and wind energy. H₂College is 100 per cent CO₂ neutral. The system also utilises wind energy at night when the demand for electricity is low, thereby benefiting from surplus electricity that would otherwise be wasted.  

“Hydrogen is still a relatively new technology that requires more research and development before it is ready for use on a large scale,” explains Line Thastum, climate coordinator and green guide with Herning Municipality. “It is particularly important to test the technology in real life and that is precisely what we are doing here in Herning.”  

H₂College also distinguishes itself in other fields than hydrogen. The construction is Denmark’s first passive building, a characteristic of which is that energy consumption is minimised by implementing measures such as insulation and heat recovery to achieve a maximum consumption of 120 kWh/m2/year. Compared to a regular household, this is equal to a reduction of 98 per cent. 

H₂College proves that theories can be put into practice

With H₂College, Herning Municipality has shown that it is possible to utilise hydrogen technology and the passive building concept in practice – and achieve success. The project also proves that passive buildings can be constructed at prices to match those of regular housing – even without taking into account the additional economic gain to be made from the low energy consumption that is a feature of passive buildings.