Offshore wind turbines are rapidly growing - with a 15 MW behemoth currently undergoing testing.
Progress is also being made on typhoon-resistant and over forty varieties of floating variants as the wind sector prepares for a quantum leap forwards.
One particularly bold example is the curiously named H2mare project. It is one that as a qualified soccer referee, I would probably have avoided at all costs, but seeks to exploit the progress and comprises four joint projects
· OffgridWind: A turbine concept that realizes electrolysis directly in the offshore wind turbine.
· H2Wind: Aims to improve the maximum yield of wind energy, consisting of the development of a proton exchange membrane electrolysis system.
· PtX-Wind: Focuses on converting to more easily transportable, synthetic energy carriers and fuels, such as methane, methanol, and ammonia. Direct saltwater electrolysis is also being tested.
· TransferWind: Addresses transfer of knowledge to the public and exchange of expertise across multiple projects.
H2mare involves the entire value creation chain: from wind-energy generation and hydrogen production to the conversion of hydrogen into methane, liquid hydrocarbons, methanol, or ammonia right up to use in industry or the energy sector. The aim is for significant cost advantage in the production of large volumes of hydrogen.
Direct coupling of wind turbines and electrolysers will minimize the costs of hydrogen production, since infrastructure costs can be significantly reduced when a connection to the power grid is not needed. In addition, the decoupling of electrolysis and grid relieves the local grid structures.
The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research reports that the TransHyDE flagship project will comprehensively develop transport technologies in a technology-neutral manner while considering various development paths.
Hydrogen transport in high-pressure containers
Hydrogen transport in existing and new gas pipelines
Transport of hydrogen bound in ammonia
Hydrogen transport by means of LOHC
Stay informed: Methanol, Ammonia and Hydrogen
