A team of energy experts from Tractebel Engineering and offshore engineers from Tractebel Overdick have developed a concept for an offshore platform to produce hydrogen (H2) from offshore wind energy at an industrial scale using electrolysis.In large-scale offshore wind farms in the German North Sea and other locations there is enormous potential for CO2-neutral production of green hydrogen. Based on the platform model Tractebel is currently working on a detailed solution for the use of the platform on an industrial scale (up to 400MW). It accommodates all the technical components required to produce “green” hydrogen. This includes the electrolysis units and transformers for the transformation of the electricity supplied by the offshore wind turbines, along with desalination plants for producing high-purity water required for electrolysis.
Hydrogen can play an increasingly important role in the energy mix because it serves as an efficient form of storing energy and is easily transportable. Existing infrastructure consisting of gas pipelines and storage facilities such as underground caverns can be used for this purpose. H2 can also be stored on ships and transported anywhere in the world. As a source of energy, H2 is used to power gas engines, gas turbines and fuel cells, but can also be used as a supplement to natural gas in private households.
