Climate change and global warming are crises facing the world. Reducing carbon emissions, reducing the proportion of carbon fossil energy use, and actively developing clean energy and renewable energy are the consensus reached by everyone. The development of hydrogen energy is also one of the technical routes of energy transformation, wind power Hydrogen production is expected to accelerate offshore wind power to further reduce costs and enter the era of parity.

What is hydrogen production from wind power?

Hydrogen production by wind power means that electricity generated by wind is directly converted into hydrogen by water electrolysis hydrogen production equipment. The hydrogen produced by electrolysis of water is convenient for long-term storage. The specific process is: wind power generation-water electrolysis-hydrogen production and oxygen generation-hydrogen energy-applied to a variety of industries, such as transportation, industrial thermal processing, and chemical industries.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) and the China Petroleum Institute of Economics and Technology jointly released the "Future of Hydrogen-Seizing Today’s Opportunities" report that pointed out that with the decline in the cost of renewable energy and the expansion of hydrogen production scale, by 2030, The cost of hydrogen production from renewable energy sources may drop by 30%, and fuel cells, fuel supply equipment and electrolyzers (used to electrolyze water to produce hydrogen) will all benefit from large-scale hydrogen production.

UK: Hydrogen production from the world's largest offshore wind farm

The British government said that rsted’s 1.4GW Hornsea 2 offshore wind farm will be connected to the Gigastack project to produce green hydrogen to power an oil and gas refinery in northeast England. The wind farm is scheduled to be completed and put into operation in 2022, and will replace the 1.2GW Hornsea 1 as the world's largest offshore wind farm.

Another green hydrogen project, Dolphyn, also received a grant of 3.12 million pounds from the British government. The project plans to use an independent device to produce hydrogen in a 4GW floating wind farm in the North Sea, UK. According to the plan, the final investment decision for the prototype project will be completed by the end of 2021 and put into operation in 2023. It will be implemented on 10MW models by 2026. Hydrogen production.

The Gigastack project led by ITM Power aims to deliver green hydrogen through the 5MW electrolyzer. In the first phase of the Gigastack project that ended last year, ITM developed the design of the 5MW electrolyzer module and studied the industrial application of the technology.

Netherlands: The world's first offshore wind power hydrogen production demonstration project

The PosHYdon project in the Netherlands is the world's first offshore wind power hydrogen production project. The PosHYdon project based on the Q13a platform is the world's first offshore wind power hydrogen production project. It is jointly undertaken by many companies and institutions in the Netherlands to promote emission reduction and establish a new energy model in the North Sea. Nepture Energy's Q13a platform is the first fully electrified oil and gas platform in the North Sea in the Netherlands. It will be transformed into a hydrogen production platform in the PosHYdon project. The containerized hydrogen production equipment is small in size and can be accommodated by most offshore platforms. At this stage, the platform's power is temporarily supplied by the onshore power grid through submarine cable connections (and simulated by fluctuating offshore wind power generation), and will be supplied by nearby offshore wind farms in the future.

The PosHYdon project aims to study hydrogen production from offshore wind power, innovative technology, and promote its application in the Netherlands. In the future, electrolysis equipment will be installed on other offshore platforms near offshore wind farms in the North Sea. By combining the three industries of hydrogen, natural gas, and wind power, green energy can be provided for human society and energy transformation can be realized.

Belgium: Expected to build the world's first commercial offshore wind power hydrogen production project

A few days ago, Belgium released a plan for an offshore wind power hydrogen production project called "Hyport Oostende". According to its schedule, it is expected to become the world's first commercial offshore wind hydrogen production project put into operation. The project was jointly developed by offshore engineering giant DEME, investment agency PMV and the port of Ostend in Belgium and implemented in the port of Ostend. The project is divided into two phases. The first phase is to develop a 50MW demonstration project, and the second phase is to develop a larger scale commercial project, which will be completed by 2025.

By the end of 2020, approximately 400 offshore wind turbines will be put into operation in Belgium, with a total installed capacity of 2.26GW. According to Belgium's new sea area plan, an additional 1.75GW will be added, bringing the total to 4GW, which can supply about half of the country's electricity.

France: Launch of the first wind power hydrogen production plan

A French company founded in 2017, Lhyfe, has developed a scheme to use renewable energy to produce hydrogen through electrolysis without connecting to the grid. It has raised 8 million euros and will be established in northwestern France within a few months. France's first wind power hydrogen production demonstration plant. At the same time, the company plans to deploy its concept to offshore wind power projects by 2025.

Germany: The latest offshore wind power hydrogen production strategy, invested 2 billion euros

According to a hydrogen energy development strategy being drafted by the German Ministry of Economy and Energy, Germany is considering designating some offshore wind farms specifically for the production of green hydrogen in the offshore wind power competition. For the German domestic hydrogen energy market, the draft proposes to develop at least 3GW of electrolytic hydrogen production capacity before 2030, and green hydrogen accounts for 20% of the total hydrogen supply. This is a difficult goal. The total installed capacity of offshore wind power in Germany is 7.5GW, which was established over the past 10 years.

The measures in the draft also include financial support totaling billions of euros, and emphasized that Germany should establish a green hydrogen market as soon as possible and be at the forefront of the world. The hydrogen energy strategy is an integral part of Germany's energy reform-the transition from nuclear and fossil energy to renewable energy. In the medium and long term, Germany plans to use hydrogen as an energy source for industries that were difficult to decarbonize, such as transportation, heavy industry, and heating.

Engie's two companies, Tractebel Engineering and Tractebel Overdick, will also build a 400MW offshore wind hydrogen production station in Germany.