What does a real, working hydrogen facility actually look like – and how does it connect to the wider energy system?

We recently got access to Everfuel’s HySynergy plant in Fredericia, Denmark, where Nel has delivered 20 megawatts of electrolyser capacity. And what makes this place genuinely fascinating isn’t just the scale – it’s how many things are plugged into it at once.

The plant splits water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity. But it can ramp consumption up or down in real time depending on what power costs on the grid – absorbing cheap renewable energy when it’s available, and backing off when the grid is under pressure.

The hydrogen goes straight to a neighbouring refinery to cut industrial emissions. Some is distributed to hydrogen stations across Denmark and Germany. The waste heat feeds into district heating. And there are plans to put the oxygen to work too.

It’s a rare example of hydrogen doing exactly what its advocates say it can – connecting industry, energy infrastructure, and the grid in one place, right now, in the real world.

Let’s take a look inside.