At the 9th edition of the LCL North Sea Regatta in Nieuwpoort on Thursday 11 June, we will introduce a quiet but powerful innovation: the event will run entirely on renewable electricity. No diesel generators. No fossil fuels. (No noise!) Instead, a hydrogen fuel cell powered by green hydrogen supplied by Air Products and deployed by Eneria will generate clean electricity on site. It is a first for our LCL North Sea Regatta and a tangible step towards rethinking how temporary events are powered.
Antonina Firsova (Business Development Manager Hydrogen for Mobility at Air Products), Curd Merlo (Head of Sales & Marketing at Eneria) and Valérie Van Roy (Marketing, Communication & Sustainability Manager at LCL Data Centers) share the ambition that this project could demonstrate the potential for clean, decentralised energy.
Curd Merlo (Eneria): “This project builds on relationships that already existed. We have been working with LCL on various energy solutions, such as introducing generators that run on biofuel HVO100 for its emergency power generators (a first in Belgium), and we collaborate with Air Products for the green hydrogen supply we need for our fuel cells. A few years ago, we also powered the Nerdland festival with hydrogen fuel cells in a collaboration with Air Products. Bringing the three of us together for the LCL North Sea Regatta was a natural next step.”
Antonina Firsova (Air Products): “As Curd rightly said, turning the LCL North Sea Regatta into a green event, came naturally. Sustainability is a core element in all three companies. Translating that ambition to the Regatta as a showcase of how you can rely on cleaner energy solutions in daily operations, made perfect sense.”
Valérie Van Roy (LCL): “The LCL North Sea Regatta is indeed one of our flagship customer events, and precisely because of its visibility, it offers a unique opportunity to demonstrate leadership in sustainability. Rather than ignoring the inherent tension between events and energy consumption, we chose to turn the Regatta into a living lab for innovation.”
Antonina: “Hydrogen is often associated with mobility, but its potential goes much further. It is a very flexible energy carrier that can also be used for local electricity generation. That makes it particularly suitable for temporary installations like events or building sites, where access to the grid can be limited or not fully sustainable.”
Curd: “You also need to look at the bigger picture. Hydrogen is not the only solution, but it is one of the key solutions in the energy mix. Especially in situations where electrification is difficult or not available, hydrogen can fill that gap.”
Curd: “We supply, install and commission the hydrogen-based power system. In this case, it is a 100 kVA hydrogen fuel cell that produces electricity on site. We bring expertise in decentralised energy solutions: systems that are flexible, local and tailored to specific needs, like the LCL North Sea Regatta.”
Antonina: “Air Products supplies the green hydrogen. For LCL’s North Sea Regatta, the hydrogen is produced via electrolysis using renewable electricity, which results in a very low CO₂ intensity. We also ensure the hydrogen meets the required purity standards, what we call ‘fuel cell grade’ hydrogen, so the system can operate flawlessly.”
Valérie: “We aimed to build a true partnership with our suppliers based on shared values and ambition. Our expectations were threefold: innovation (by exploring a forward-looking energy solution aligned with our net-zero strategy), reliability (as this is a high-profile customer event) and demonstration value (showing that sustainable alternatives are already operational and scalable today).”
“The impact of this event? It’s roughly taking 20 to 25 cars off the road for a day”
Curd: “The installation will deliver around 1,132 kWh of energy, with peak loads of up to 80 kW. That is well within the capacity of the fuel cell system, so it provides stable and continuous power throughout the event. Compared to a traditional diesel generator, the difference is significant. The system runs silently, produces no emissions and operates on green hydrogen.”
Antonina: “We estimate that around 800 to 1,000 kilograms of CO₂ emissions are avoided. That is roughly equivalent to taking about 20 to 25 cars off the road for a day, assuming average driving distances. And the only by-product of the process is water.”
Antonina: “Hydrogen is not more dangerous than other fuels, but it behaves differently. That means different safety standards and procedures apply. The challenge is not the lack of knowledge (hydrogen has been used in industry for a long time) but rather that its use in new applications like events is unfamiliar.”
Curd: “In Belgium especially, it is relatively unknown in this context. Authorities and emergency services are not always comfortable with hydrogen applications at events, which can make approvals complex. That is why demonstration projects are important. They help build understanding, both with the public and regulators.”
Curd: “The technology itself is ready: fuel cells work and they are reliable. Yet we are still in an early adoption phase. The main challenges are logistics, regulation and cost. Hydrogen requires specific transport and storage solutions and the regulatory framework is still catching up.”
Antonina: “Awareness is another big factor. Many companies do not realise that alternatives to diesel generators exist next to batteries. Pilot projects such as the LCL North Sea Regatta show that the technology works in real-life conditions.”
“Awareness and regulation need to evolve alongside the technology”
Curd: “One lesson is that awareness and regulation need to evolve alongside the technology. We often face additional administrative steps simply because hydrogen is still unfamiliar in these contexts. That is something we need to address collectively.”
Antonina: “And from a technical perspective, these projects confirm that hydrogen solutions are viable and reliable. Each project helps us improve, scale up, and make the technology more accessible.”
Valérie: “Absolutely. One of the biggest barriers to adopting new technologies like hydrogen is the gap between theory and practice. By integrating hydrogen into our event, we make the technology visible and credible. Customers can see firsthand that it works.”
Antonina: “We need demonstration projects to show that the technology is reliable. But we also need them to raise awareness. People cannot choose a solution if they do not know it exists.”
Curd: “The LCL North Sea Regatta brings together decision-makers. If they see what is possible, they can become ambassadors for these solutions.”
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