A high-powered wind power consortium has won EC backing to demonstrate and investigate a combined wind turbine and electrolyser system designed to operate in marine environments.
The consortium behind the Oyster project got the backing through the European Commission’s Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking (FCH2-JU) public-private partnership.
The funds will pay for a feasibility study into combining an offshore wind turbine with an electrolyser as well as transporting renewable hydrogen to shore.
A consortium spokesperson explained that the project partners aim to develop and test a shoreside trial of a MW-scale marinised electrolyser. Key aspects will be designing for water desalination, corrosion resistance, and reduced footprint, they added.
The partners will then use the trial results to inform design exercises for full-scale systems. This will focus on an extended jacket foundation and platform to house the electrolyser and balance of plant.
The project is due to start this year and run until 2024.https://www.windpowermonthly.com/article/1704019/eu-backs-orsted-siemens-gamesas-offshore-wind-powered-hydrogen-study