Hydrogen Generator Instead of Diesel: What Can It Really Do in Lithuania Today?

We are Hybrid Energy: we sell CAT and Marsun diesel generators, so this comparison
gives us no reason to talk up hydrogen. A diesel generator is already in our
catalog; a hydrogen-powered one isn’t, not yet. This article doesn’t push you
toward buying a hydrogen generator, and we don’t sell one. It shows what such a
unit can really do in Lithuania today, based on the manufacturer’s published
figures, and how much hydrogen the country actually produces. The decision is
yours.

The short version

• An 80 kW Kvyreen generator running at rated output consumes
  5.5 kg of hydrogen per hour, or 132 kg over a
  full 24-hour day. That’s the manufacturer’s figure for rated power at the start
  of operation, not a fixed number for the unit’s whole service life.
• The Port of Klaipėda’s hydrogen station, running at full capacity, produces
  around 127 tonnes a year, about 348 kg a day. The port itself
  keeps roughly a quarter of that, leaving around 261 kg a day for
  the market. One such unit, running around the clock, would use up about
  half of everything Lithuania currently makes available to the
  market. Two units running at once simply wouldn’t have enough hydrogen to draw
  on.
• The manufacturer states in its own brochures that the specifications are
  still evolving, and that the first version of the unit works only in stand-alone
  mode: it can’t run in parallel with the electricity grid.
• The price per kilogram of hydrogen in Klaipėda isn’t published, so any cost
  comparison with diesel is simply impossible today: we can’t say it’s cheaper,
  and we can’t say it’s more expensive.
• This arithmetic points to one conclusion: in Lithuania today, hydrogen isn’t
  suited to continuous work in place of diesel. It fits short, high-value jobs
  instead: events, construction sites with emissions limits, and locations near
  Klaipėda.

What you’re choosing between

Diesel generator with ATS. An internal-combustion unit with
an automatic transfer switch (ATS in our catalog). Our range includes Marsun
models from 18 kW to 90 kW; the ATS is chosen separately, based on the
generator’s output. Fuel is diesel, which you can fill up at any filling station
in Lithuania within minutes.

Hydrogen generator (Kvyreen, H2 Energy). A fuel-cell
generator offered in two versions: the 80 kW version delivers 100 kVA of AC
power (400 V, 50 Hz, 3+N+PE) and consumes 5.5 kg of hydrogen per hour; the
160 kW version delivers 200 kVA and consumes 11 kg per hour. There’s also a
charging version (CG) that supplies up to 90 or 180 kW of DC power through a
CCS Type 2 connector, with no grid connection at all. Hydrogen is supplied at
9-16 bar, at ISO 14687-2:2012 Type I Grade D / SAE J2719 quality. Depending on
the version, the unit weighs between 1,800 and 3,000 kg.

The pivot this whole choice turns on: diesel supply in
Lithuania is practically unlimited, while hydrogen is limited to one station in
Klaipėda and roughly 261 kg a day left for the market. Until you know how many
hours, and how often, you’ll actually need the generator, you won’t know
whether there’s enough hydrogen for you today at all.

Comparison at a glance

When the right answer is a diesel generator

A diesel generator wins wherever backup is needed for a long time or
unpredictably often, no matter where in Lithuania the site is. If you might
need the generator several times a year, for several days in a row, or in any
corner of the country, that’s a job for diesel, not hydrogen.

A second, less obvious case: a site that needs to run in parallel with the
grid, not just fully replace it during an outage. With an ATS, that’s a
standard setup; the first Kvyreen version can’t do it, no matter how close you
are to Klaipėda.

The mechanism is simple: diesel supply isn’t tied to any national production
limit, so the generator’s run time is limited only by the tank and your
willingness to refill it. What that costs: noise and exhaust on
site, regular test runs, and fuel-stock upkeep. Skip them, and the unit won’t
start on the day it’s actually needed.

When the right answer is a hydrogen generator

A hydrogen generator wins where short but high-value work is needed with no
combustion on site and no grid connection: an event, a concert, a film set, a
construction site with emissions limits, especially if the location is near
Klaipėda.

A second, less obvious case: a site that doesn’t actually need a generator
at all, but fast EV-charging power where the grid can’t provide it. The CG
version delivers up to 180 kW of DC power via CCS Type 2 with no grid
connection whatsoever, a job a diesel generator can’t solve.

The mechanism here is national arithmetic. One 80 kW unit, running around
the clock, uses up about half of all the hydrogen Lithuania currently leaves
for the market. So running continuously, for several days straight, at the
scale diesel normally allows, is physically impossible today: only short,
occasional use is realistic.

What that costs. The first version works only stand-alone,
so it doesn’t fit cases that need parallel grid operation. The manufacturer
itself notes that the specs may still change. Neither the unit nor the hydrogen
is publicly priced in Klaipėda, so we can’t calculate a total project cost
today, and we don’t sell this equipment ourselves; we only help you assess
whether it fits your site at all.

What the site decides for you

Some choices disappear before you even form an opinion.

The need to run in parallel with the grid rules out a hydrogen
generator immediately. If the site needs to shave a peak alongside the
grid, rather than fully replace it during an outage, the first Kvyreen version
can’t do that; the manufacturer itself states it works only stand-alone. That
leaves a diesel generator with ATS, or battery storage.

Distance from Klaipėda is an open question, not our
assumption. Today, hydrogen in Lithuania is produced in one place
only, the Port of Klaipėda. How, and at what price, it’s delivered to other
regions isn’t covered in our sources; that needs to be checked separately
before planning any project further from the port.

The national production limit rules out large-scale plans.
One unit, running around the clock, already uses up about half of everything
Lithuania leaves for the market. A plan to keep several units running
continuously simply has nowhere to get its fuel from today.

The capacity charge from ESO, Lithuania’s distribution network
operator, applies equally to both cases. If the site is connected to
the grid at all, ESO charges €3.00/kW per month excluding VAT for the permitted
capacity, and triple the capacity charge if you exceed it:

„Atkreipiame dėmesį, kad viršijus objekto leistiną naudoti galią, vartotojas
privalo sumokėti trigubą vartotojo objektui taikomo tarifo plano galios
dedamosios kainą.“ (in English: Please note that if a customer exceeds the
site’s permitted capacity, they must pay triple the capacity-charge rate under
their tariff plan.)

ESO — Electricity Transmission Service Prices for Business Customers

Neither a diesel nor a hydrogen generator changes this charge: both are
backup, not a permanent grid replacement. For a short-term event, it’s worth
comparing bringing in a generator against the alternative: a temporary increase
in permitted capacity, if the site is connected to the grid at all. That
service isn’t publicly priced; you’d need to ask ESO directly.

What changes in day-to-day operation

In place of managing diesel stock, you get hydrogen-supply logistics from a
single source: Klaipėda. In place of a fixed consumption figure, you get
uncertainty: 5.5 kg per hour is the rated figure at the start of operation, and
the brochures don’t say how consumption changes later or under partial load.

What doesn’t change: neither option rewrites your contract
with ESO, your meter, or your permitted capacity. The site remains the same
ESO customer with the same capacity; whichever generator you use, it only
covers the time when the grid is down or deliberately not used.

Do you really have to choose just one?

Two combinations come up most often.

A hydrogen generator for the event, diesel as backup. If
the event or shoot is near Klaipėda and nothing on site can involve combustion,
it’s sensible to also keep a diesel generator as a fallback; national hydrogen
production is still too small to guarantee supply.

Diesel for everything else, hydrogen only for a specific
episode. For a farm, warehouse, or plant with ordinary backup needs, a
diesel generator remains the main solution; hydrogen is considered separately,
only if a specific short, high-value job comes up near Klaipėda.

Frequently asked questions

How much hydrogen does such a generator use?

The 80 kW version uses 5.5 kg of hydrogen per hour; the 160 kW version uses
11 kg per hour. That’s the manufacturer’s figure for rated power at the start
of operation, not a fixed number for the whole service life; the brochures
don’t disclose consumption later on or under partial load.

Can a hydrogen generator run alongside the electricity grid?

No. The manufacturer states directly in its brochures that the first
version works only stand-alone, without connecting to the grid. If a site
needs to run in parallel with the grid rather than fully replace it, this unit
isn’t suited to that today.

How much do a hydrogen generator and hydrogen cost?

Neither the unit nor the hydrogen is publicly priced in Klaipėda, so we
can’t answer that, and any cost comparison with diesel today would be
guesswork. We don’t sell this equipment or arrange contracts for it.

Is there enough hydrogen in Lithuania to run a generator continuously?

No. The Klaipėda station produces around 127 tonnes a year, about 348 kg a
day, and the port keeps roughly a quarter of that, leaving about 261 kg for
the market. One 80 kW unit, running around the clock, would use up about half
of that amount. National production today simply couldn’t supply two such
units running without a break.

When does it make sense to consider a hydrogen generator instead of
diesel?

When you need short but high-value work with no combustion on site: an
event, a shoot, or a construction site with emissions limits, especially near
Klaipėda. Considering it as a replacement for a continuously running diesel
generator makes no sense today; both the supply volume and a published price
are missing.

What we suggest you do

Send us three things: how many hours, and how often, you’d realistically
need the generator; how far the site is from Klaipėda; and whether you need to
run in parallel with the grid or just fully replace it. Based on that, we’ll
tell you whether a hydrogen option is realistic for you today, or whether you
should pick one of our diesel generators instead, CAT or Marsun.

Sources

• H2 Energy (Switzerland), Kvyreen brochures “Kvyreen Genset Brochure,”
  “Kvyreen Charger Brochure,” and “Kvyreen Genset-Charger Brochure”: fuel-cell
  output, hydrogen consumption, technical specifications, and the manufacturer’s
  caveats on stand-alone operation and non-final specifications (reviewed
  2026-09-22)
• Hydrogen Tech World, report on the Port of Klaipėda’s hydrogen production
  and refueling station: production volume, electrolyzer, start of commercial
  supply: hydrogentechworld.com (published 2026-06-08, reviewed
  2026-09-22)
• ESO, Electricity Transmission Service Prices for Business Customers:
  capacity charge and excess-capacity fee:
  eso.lt (reviewed 2026-09-18)
• Hybrid Energy, generator catalog: diesel model outputs and prices:
  hybridenergy.lt (reviewed 2026-09-18)