Project BEHYOND has just finished studying the technical and economic feasibility of generating green hydrogen from wind produced offshore, where wind resources abound. Supported by the EEA Grants Blue Growth Programme, the project studied various configurations for an offshore hydrogen production module in which electrolysis is carried out using energy produced by offshore wind farms.
This study offers a strategic assessment of the creation of an offshore wind-hydrogen market, which could make a significant contribution to the decarbonization of the planet, and which main results were presented that the final dissemination event on December 9th, 2021.
Offshore wind energy production is expected to grow significantly over the course of this decade, and project BEHYOND showed that there is potential for dual renewable production in the same location, creating synergies in terms of infrastructure, energy transport cables, and grid points. The configuration studied by BEHYOND can be implemented all over the world, producing and transferring hydrogen on a large scale. This technological development represents a breakthrough for the creation of the hydrogen value chain, as part of a blue economy, and could be a solution to boost the competitiveness of offshore wind farms.
This phase of the project concluded that economic viability will be achieved once the green hydrogen industry and value chain reach a stage of maturity, as well as with the help of investment from companies that are positioning themselves in the hydrogen market, complemented by innovation support funds. Another way to improve this economic viability is to provide incentives that will help the industry accelerate the decarbonization process, thus increasing the demand for renewable energy.
EDP coordinated this project through EDP NEW R&D and EDP Inovação. It was also in charge of the strategic assessment of the offshore wind-hydrogen market, the definition of business cases, and the technological innovation that will make it possible to launch these solutions in the market. Project BEHYOND brings together EDP and TechnipFMC, a leading company in the development of offshore engineering projects and solutions, as well as research centers CEiiA – Centro de Engenharia e Desenvolvimento (Center for Engineering and Development), WavEC-Offshore Renewables, and the University of South-Eastern Norway. The work that has been carried out will allow the Portuguese research centers involved to offer innovative solutions and consultancy services to engineering companies and is also an opportunity to ramp up cooperation between academia, research centers and domestic and international companies to tackle the challenges facing the energy sector.