• News
  • 15/06/2026
  • Nederlands

SOLID brings iron-based energy storage from lab to practice

Student team SOLID is set to build an energy storage system with a capacity of 2.5 megawatt-hours, comparable to the output of 2,000 solar panels. With the so-called Steam Iron Reactor 2, the TU/e student team is scaling up its iron-based hydrogen technology from the laboratory to a real-world demonstration project.

by
photo Vincent Hogenhorst

The reactor will be the largest system the team has built to date. It fits inside a shipping container and will be tested under operational conditions at three locations over the coming years. According to SOLID, its capacity of 2.5 MWh (megawatt-hours) is equivalent to the daily output of approximately 2,000 solar panels.

The technology uses iron as a circular energy carrier. Renewable electricity is used to produce hydrogen, which then converts iron oxide into iron. In that form, the energy remains stored.

Proud SOLID board members showing the container that will house the reactor. Photo | Vincent Hogenhorst

When the iron is later oxidized again using steam, the energy is released in the form of hydrogen. This creates a circular process in which renewable energy is safely stored in iron and later made available again as hydrogen.

Sun and wind

Large-scale energy storage is widely seen as a key requirement for the energy transition. Increasing volumes of green electricity, generated when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing, need to be stored for use when energy demand arises.

SOLID’s technology is intended for industrial processes that need to become more sustainable but for which electrification is not a viable option. “This mainly includes high-temperature and energy-intensive industries,” says Sam Liebregts, team manager of SOLID (second from the left in both photos).

3 million

One of the three test locations is at LC Glass, a company that currently uses hydrogen on a small scale and will require larger amounts of hydrogen in the future to continue its sustainability efforts.

The pilot project is part of IJzerkracht (“Iron Power”), a consortium of twelve partners from industry, research, and education. The project has a budget of 3 million euros. The plans were unveiled on Friday during an event at the High Tech Campus Eindhoven.

In the main photo at the top, from left to right: TU/e Vice President Patrick Groothuis, SOLID team manager Sam Liebregts, Bas Maes, Provincial Executive Member for Energy and Climate (Province of North Brabant), Tom Karstens and Mylan van de Werken, both board members of SOLID.

This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor.

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