NLR and ROGER develop a production and test facility for green hydrogen.

NLR and ROGER have signed an agreement at the Innovation Expo in Rotterdam to establish a small-scale hydrogen production and test facility at NLR's location in Marknesse. The partners share the vision that green hydrogen will become a versatile and clean alternative to fossil fuels for mobility and heavy machinery.

The combined production and test facility enables ROGER, NLR, and external parties to demonstrate and validate hydrogen technology under realistic conditions and to optimize production processes. Research in such an operational environment is crucial to accelerate innovations towards large scale adoption. The facility will help reduce the costs of green hydrogen, thus accelerating the transition to emission-free energy carriers. The parties aim to have the facility operational by 2025.

NLR

For NLR, collaboration with ROGER provides an opportunity to build knowledge and conduct research on the application of hydrogen in aviation. Green hydrogen is a promising solution to make aviation more sustainable. For example, aircrafts can be equipped with electrically powered propellers, with hydrogen serving as an energy carrier. The joint development also aligns perfectly with NLR's other activities to make hydrogen suitable for aviation applications, with a specific goal of conducting a hydrogen-powered flight with an electrically powered research aircraft, the Pipistrel PH-NLX, in 2025.

Michel Peters, CEO of NLR:

For NLR, this is a logical step to contribute to making aviation climate-neutral by 2050. Hydrogen is an important pillar for NLR in this regard. Collaboration with ROGER provides us with the opportunity to further build knowledge through the combined facility for industrial-scale hydrogen electrolysis validation. NLR will also be a consumer of green hydrogen, primarily intended for our drones, material, and structural research.

ROGER

ROGER is developing large-scale green hydrogen production facilities in various locations in the Netherlands to offer companies emission-free solutions for their vehicles, vessels, aircrafts, and heavy machinery. However, ROGER was also looking for a location to combine small-scale production and research on a representative scale.

Aad Bruggeman, CEO of ROGER:

For ROGER, conducting, participating in, and promoting research and development is a fundamental part of its mission and strategy. We aim to be a leader in the development and application of advanced technologies and processes that make green hydrogen production and application even more effective and cost-efficient. Collaboration with a renowned research institute like NLR is a unique opportunity to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to sustainable energy carriers.

Background Royal NLR

Royal NLR - the Netherlands Aerospace Centre - is committed to a sustainable, safe, efficient, and effective aerospace. The combination of deep insight into customer needs, multidisciplinary expertise, and leading research facilities enables rapid innovation. In the Netherlands and abroad, NLR serves as the linchpin between science, industry, and government, bridging the gap between fundamental research and practical applications. In this way, NLR works objectively and independently with its partners to contribute to a better world of tomorrow.