H2X: An Ecosystem Approach to Hydrogen for Industry, Territories and Defense
Presentation of H2X Écosystème
I am Geoffrey Tourneur, project manager, doctor in materials science and R&D expert in energy optimization and storage at H2X Écosystème — a company specializing in renewable and low-carbon hydrogen production, distribution and consumption solutions.
H2X is five years old and operates across two Breton sites, between Brest and Rennes. The first site is dedicated to ecosystem development, R&D and traceability. The second hosts the engineering and design office across all hydrogen-related fields.
Two ecosystems are currently operational or nearing completion, located in Finistère and Maine-et-Loire, with a combined power output of 500 kW and storage capacities of 2,400 kWh and 4,150 kWh in hybrid storage.
H2X also delivers training programs at engineering schools and with AFNOR, through H2X Académie, covering the hydrogen value chain and the development of symbiotic ecosystems.
The H2X Product Bricks
H2X has developed a range of modular components that can be integrated into its ecosystems.
Low Power
The 5 kW generator integrates a fuel cell, cooling system, electrical conversion and all necessary auxiliaries. It can be paired with two types of cylinders:
— The H2X T700: 700 g of hydrogen, R134 certified
— The H2X T1000: 1,000 g of hydrogen, TPED and R134 certified — transportable and suitable for mobility applications
Both cylinders connect to the RIDE energy and stock management application.
The Hermione UGV drone illustrates the integration of these components: a wire-guided teleoperated drone for reconnaissance and surveillance, it carries H2X cylinders and the 5 kW fuel cell in hybridization with batteries. It offers 37 kWh of onboard energy, an estimated autonomy of over 7 hours and a payload of 300 kg. Use cases include surveillance, agricultural spraying and support in disaster zones.
The 15 kW mobile generator, equipped with five T1000 cylinders, provides electricity and heat for over 6 hours, for civil or defense applications.
High Power
The G350 is a 350 kW nomadic generator combining 400 kWh of battery storage and 220 kW of fuel cell power. Transportable, it can be complemented by a domestic hot water module — recovering heat from the fuel cell and batteries — and a solar farm module to recharge the batteries. Labeled Le Havre Smart Port City Smart Marina and funded by the ERDF, it can replace diesel generators during peak demand or integrate into event and nomadic settings.
The Hub 100-400 is a fully modular system capable of integrating 1 to 4 fuel cells of 100 kW each with all their auxiliaries, designed to remain permanently on site within H2X ecosystems.
The Principle of Symbiotic Ecosystems
H2X is built on symbiotic economy principles formalized in AFNOR specification M58003, co-written with its partners.
The ideal of these ecosystems is to produce hydrogen locally from territorial resources and waste, consume it locally to supply energy, and share the economic value created locally — building regenerative rather than destructive ecosystems.
Hydrogen plays three roles in these hybrid energy ecosystems: extending battery system autonomy, improving availability of mobility systems through removable cylinders, and enabling fast recharging through simple cylinder swaps.
The ENR priority logic works as follows: electrical supply first, battery charging second, and hydrogen production by electrolysis when batteries are full — hydrogen then being mobilized through the fuel cell as batteries discharge.
Ecosystems for Industry
A high energy-consuming industrial facility typically presents a fairly regular baseline with sporadic power peaks that can be extremely costly.
H2X offers three levers:
— Peak shaving: absorbing sporadic and unforeseen power spikes
— Partial load shedding: providing constant power to smooth the baseline
— Energy cost optimization: acting on every point of the consumption curve by exploiting each available resource
The target is to keep electricity costs below €90/MWh for the industrial client.
Ecosystem resources include local renewables (photovoltaic and wind, stable LCOE but intermittent availability), the grid (high availability but variable and rising prices), and battery or hydrogen storage whose LCOE depends on the Energy Management System strategy.
A typical ecosystem includes 100 to 900 kg of hydrogen storage, 100 kW to 1 MW peak of solar panels, 100 to 700 kWh of battery storage, and 100 to 400 kW of hydrogen power generation via the Hub 100-400.
In the near future, H2X aims to integrate biomass as a hydrogen production source through biogas steam methane reforming, with CO₂ capture and resale to nearby agricultural greenhouses — adding new branches to the ecosystem and further reducing electricity costs.
Isolated Sites and Mobility Clusters
For an off-grid isolated site, the main challenge is offsetting renewable intermittency without relying on costly diesel generators. Hydrogen plays a long-duration storage role to guarantee continuity of supply.
For mobility clusters, the target is to maintain a hydrogen price below €10/kg.
The Port Ecosystem
For a mid-sized port, hydrogen needs can reach several tonnes per day. The strategy is to use local biogas networks to produce hydrogen through steam methane reforming, with CO₂ capture and resale to nearby farmers and greenhouses.
Two distribution networks are planned:
— A high-pressure network for distribution stations or port surveillance drones
— A low-pressure network to directly feed H2X Hubs
The electricity produced powers port facilities — cranes, lighting — and enables shore power connections for vessels at berth, reducing peak demand spikes during connections.
H2X Defense
A defense division was recently created to address the specific energy autonomy needs of armed forces:
— Decarbonization and reduction of dependence on diesel generators at base camps
— Maximizing equipment availability
— Force mobility and continuous base camp power supply
— Energy support in disaster zones from increasingly frequent natural catastrophes
The defense ecosystem architecture operates across two zones. In the rear, a hydrogen production zone using electrolysis or biogas steam reforming, with compression and high-pressure storage in transportable cylinders. At the base camp, mobile 15 kW generators with T1000 cylinders, a small mobile backup electrolyzer, and heat recovery from the fuel cell for camp needs. Hermione drones provide reconnaissance and electricity supply through to the operation zone.
Q&A
On natural hydrogen — Under the AFNOR M58003 specification framework, all locally available resources are explored. Natural hydrogen can be integrated into the ecosystem as long as it is confirmed on site and regulations allow its exploitation.
On required hydrogen purity — Purity is determined by the downstream fuel cell requirements: hydrogen at 99.95% purity, grade D (ISO mobility standard).
On CSP vs PV — H2X works primarily with photovoltaic technology, including in deployable solar farm configurations integrated into the G350. Concentrated solar power (CSP) has not yet been evaluated but represents an interesting avenue.
On wind energy — Some projects already integrate wind alongside PV as a complementary renewable energy source.
