Floating offshore hydrogen generators presented Three-year BMWK joint project, ProHyGen

The electricity generated by the wind turbine will be used to operate an on-site electrolyser. The green hydrogen produced in this way will be stored as carrier fluid in the ‘Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier’ (LOHC). The prototype is expected to be operational by 2027.

The presenters were: Dr Robert Banek, RENK Group; Dr Martin S.D. Yoo, CRUSE Offshore GmbH; Tim-Ole Böhm, Innovation Norway; Kirsten Schümer, Renewable Energy Hamburg Cluster Agency; Prof Moustafa Abdel-Maksoud, TU Hamburg; Jens Cruse, CRUSE Offshore GmbH; Dr Michaela Ölschläger, Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, Prof Peter Wasserscheid, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, and Prof Andreas Timm-Giel, President of TU Hamburg.

The new process relies on continuously high wind speeds in offshore areas, which guarantee the highest possible energy yield from wind turbines. These wind conditions and available offshore areas are found off the coasts of Norway, Scotland and Ireland. New methods of extracting and transporting hydrogen now enable ‘on-site production’ on floating wind turbines. The hydrogen is bound, temporarily stored on site and shipped at monthly intervals. The bound hydrogen is transported to its destination via industrial ports on the inland waterway or rail network using the existing oil industry infrastructure. “This is currently the most efficient method of producing and transporting hydrogen from wind power,” says Jens Cruse.

The floating offshore hydrogen generators are not connected to an onshore power grid.  The electricity generated by the wind turbine is mainly used to operate an electrolyser. The green hydrogen produced in this way will be stored as carrier fluid in the ‘Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier’ (LOHC). The waste heat from the process is used for water treatment. This is cheap, eco-friendly, efficient and relatively quick to implement. This patent-pending development is supported by TU Hamburg in the area of offshore technologies & shipbuilding and by Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg for the storage of hydrogen in the LOHC. All the installed supplier components have at least Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 for onshore operation.

CRUSE Offshore GmbH has completed TRL 4 for the floater and plans to build a 5 MW scaled version using the components optimised for offshore use, followed by a 15 MW version for GW offshore hydrogen farms. The offshore industry has adapted the tried and test logistics process, thereby facilitating a seamless transition from fossil to renewable energy using the liquid energy carrier, LOHC. Numerous computer simulations, wave tank and wind tunnel trials predict a successful proof of concept in just two to three years. Many components from German manufacturers can be installed, such as electrolysers and electrolyser components from H-TEC Systems, Siemens Energy and Schaeffler, for example.