There may be potential to supply 300 TWh of hydrogen a 12 months from offshore wind energy within the North Sea by 2050, danger and assurance group DNV mentioned right this moment.
This would supply a considerable a part of the EU’s anticipated demand for climate-neutral hydrogen of two,000 TWh by the identical 12 months and assist to scale back vitality imports.
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Importantly, in response to DNV’s research, offshore hydrogen manufacturing related by pipeline is cheaper than onshore hydrogen manufacturing. For areas positioned over 100 km from the shoreline, it prices extra per vitality unit to transmit electrical energy to the shore than to hold hydrogen by way of pipeline, the agency explains.
Total, the research demonstrates some great benefits of an offshore hydrogen spine within the North and Baltic Seas. It was commissioned by German gasoline pipeline operator Gascade and Belgium-based vitality infrastructure group Fluxys, and strengthened the case for his or her AquaDuctus challenge.
“The AquaDuctus offshore pipeline, thought as a regulated open access infrastructure available to all future operators of hydrogen wind farms, will make a substantial contribution to security of supply by diversifying Europe’s hydrogen supply sources,” mentioned Fluxys chief govt Pascal De Buck.
Preliminary calculations have proven that hydrogen system prices for the North Sea of EUR 4.69 (USD 4.97) to EUR 4.97 per kg are achievable with a EUR 35 billion-52 billion funding in offshore hydrogen transport infrastructure, together with underground storage.
(EUR 1 = USD 1.060)