Vincent Fennis, a Technician Engineering student at Noorderpoort, worked on an innovative project during his internship at Holthausen Clean Technology: converting a diesel ground power unit to a fuel cell ground power unit. Holthausen, in collaboration with the Province of Drenthe, KLM Equipment Service and Groningen Airport Eelde, carried out this assignment. This new development will contribute to a more sustainable future for the aviation industry.
Vincent had the unique opportunity to contribute to different phases of the project, from design to conversion. In doing so, he received support from the team at Holthausen Clean Technology. Vincent was highly motivated to be part of this project and to further develop his technical skills. He is therefore very proud of the result of his work.
“I found the internship at Holthausen very fun and of course interesting. I learned a lot about hydrogen of course, but also a bit about solid structures and forces in vehicles,” Vincent said. Noorderpoort is very satisfied with the work Vincent did during his internship at Holthausen. His efforts and results have been rewarded with an excellent rating.
Using hydrogen instead of diesel drastically reduces emissions from the GPU. This is not only better for the environment, but also for the health of employees at the airport. It also provides valuable experience in using hydrogen in airport ground operations equipment, which can contribute to the further development of sustainable technologies.
On 1 June, Vincent attended a world first at Groningen Airport Eelde: the unveiling of the Hydrogen GPU.
Later this year, the fuel cell ground power unit will be tested at KLM Equipment Services at Schiphol Airport and at Groningen Airport Eelde.
