Dynelectro 1 MW solid oxide electrolyser reached FID at Dutch agri-hydrogen site

Viby Zealand, Denmark – 20 May 2025 – Dynelectro has confirmed 1 MW solid oxide electrolyser (SOEC) at tulip grower Rainbow Colors in Andijk, enabling local green hydrogen production from surplus solar electricity.

The project is positioned as a world-first SOEC deployment in the agricultural sector at this scale and ranks among the one largest operational solid oxide electrolysis systems currently in operation.  

The installation is part of Fieldlab Waterstof in Agri, a regional programme in Noord-Holland Noord developing decentralised hydrogen production and use across the agricultural value chain. The project combines high-efficiency electrolysis with on-site renewables and storage to address a challenge increasingly visible across energy markets: how to monetise renewable oversupply while operating within grid constraints. 

Converting surplus solar electricity into dispatchable green hydrogen 

Rainbow Colors produces substantial renewable electricity via on-site solar PV. During periods when generation exceeds on-site demand – or when the grid connection cannot export additional power due to congestion – Dynelectro’s SOEC converts that surplus electricity into hydrogen. 

To increase operating hours and reduce intermittency, the electrolyser is integrated with battery storage, helping stabilise the electrical input profile and enabling hydrogen production to continue for longer periods than PV alone would allow. In practical terms, the site shifts from “curtailment risk” to local energy conversion and storage, improving overall renewable utilisation. 

The hydrogen produced can be allocated to regional and on-site applications such as: 

• District heating  

• Agricultural machinery and off-road equipment 

• Transport and mobility use cases (where local refueling logistics make sense) 

This “produce where you generate” architecture is particularly relevant for sites facing limited grid headroom but strong renewable potential. 

Why solid oxide electrolysis: high-temperature efficiency and system integration 

Unlike low-temperature electrolysis technologies, solid oxide electrolysis operates at elevated temperatures – around 750°C in this installation – using steam electrolysis. At a high level, the thermodynamic advantage is that a portion of the energy required to split water can be supplied as heat rather than electricity. 

That matters for real projects because: 

• Electricity is typically the dominant operating cost driver for electrolysis. 

• Many sites have access to recoverable thermal energy (or can integrate heat more effectively over time). 

• High-temperature electrolysis can achieve very high conversion performance when heat integration is feasible. 

In this project context, Dynelectro indicates that overall efficiency can reach up to ~90% when suitable waste heat is available and utilised. Actual achieved efficiency will depend on site-specific integration conditions, operating regime and balance-of-plant configuration. 

Extending stack lifetime with Dynelectro’s patented AC:DC methodology 

A known technical focus area in SOEC deployment is durability under real operating cycles, especially where variable renewables introduce load changes. Dynelectro’s system incorporates a patented AC:DC methodology designed to reduce cell and stack degradation. 

In simplified terms, the approach periodically relieves electrical stress on the cells by briefly reversing the applied voltage, which Dynelectro states can significantly reduce degradation rates and extend stack lifetime. For operators and investors, lifetime and degradation are not academic metrics – they drive: 

• Stack replacement intervals 

• System uptime and maintenance planning 

• Levelised hydrogen cost over the asset life 

By bringing this technology into a 1 MW operational environment, the project provides a high-visibility reference for SOEC performance under conditions relevant to distributed renewables. 

Modular 1 MW architecture built to scale 

The Andijk system is delivered as a modular unit design, enabling phased scaling as hydrogen demand increases or as additional offtake routes are developed. 

This modularity supports a pragmatic deployment pathway: 

• Start with a bankable first stage (engineering + commissioning + operational learning) 

• Prove integration with renewables, storage and local operations 

• Scale capacity as utilisation and offtake stabilise 

For international markets, this is a key point: decentralised hydrogen projects often succeed or fail on the ability to right-size capital deployment while keeping expansion straightforward. 

Fieldlab Waterstof in Agri: building a regional hydrogen value chain 

The installation is part of Fieldlab Waterstof in Agri, a multi-year initiative developing a hydrogen ecosystem for the agricultural sector across Noord-Holland Noord. The programme spans multiple location and targets the full hydrogen value chain – from production and storage to distribution and end use – through collaboration between businesses, knowledge institutions and public partners. 

The consortium includes organisations such as Ontwikkelingsbedrijf Noord-Holland Noord, New Energy Coalition, Greenport NHN, Vonk, Inholland, Rainbow Colors, Loonbedrijf Sturm-Jakobs, Vertify, BNR-Energy, Avia Marees, Next Generation Machinery, Hygro and Rabobank. The project is co-financed by the European Union and Rabobank. 

International relevance: a replicable model for constrained-grid renewables 

While the Andijk installation sits in an agricultural context, the technical model is broadly applicable to any region where three conditions overlap: 

• Strong or growing renewable generation 

• A need for local energy buffering (grid congestion, export limits, intermittency) 

• A nearby offtake route for molecules (heat, mobility, process energy) 

The project demonstrates a pathway for turning curtailed or export-limited renewable power into a locally deployable energy carrier – while simultaneously validating SOEC performance in a high-capacity, operational setting. For global markets working to industrialise hydrogen, these are precisely the kinds of deployments that bridge the gap between pilots and repeatable infrastructure. 

FAQ 

What is a solid oxide electrolyser (SOEC)? 

A SOEC is an electrolyser that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen using a solid oxide ceramic electrolyte at high temperature. It typically uses steam as the feed and can achieve high efficiency when thermal integration is available. 

Why operate at ~750°C? 

High-temperature operation improves electrochemical performance and enables part of the splitting energy requirement to be supplied as heat rather than electricity, which can raise system efficiency under the right integration conditions. 

What is Dynelectro’s AC:DC methodology? 

It is Dynelectro’s patented approach to reducing stack degradation by periodically relieving electrical stress on the cells (briefly removing applied voltage), improving durability and extending stack lifetime. 

Why combine an electrolyser with battery storage? 

Battery storage can smooth power input and increase operating hours by reducing dependence on instantaneous PV generation, which supports more stable electrolyser operation and higher renewable utilisation.

For more Information Contact 

Samantha Phillips, Co-founder & COO 
info@dynelectro.dk | dynelectro.dk