Pioneer project at sea: First hydrogen directly from wind power!

Pioneer project at sea: First hydrogen directly from wind power!

A new chapter in fuel production could soon be opened on the North Sea. The H2mare project is developing a floating platform that is intended to produce synthetic fuels directly in the sea from renewable energies. This innovative approach could be pioneering for future energy supply and mobility. According to Logistics today is used for this, which is significantly less fluctuating than your onshore-pendant.

The offshore systems provide a higher performance with around five megawatts than the onshore systems that reach around 3.5 megawatts. The problem of the costly sea cables that are required for electricity transport could be avoided by direct energy use at the origin. Project coordinator Roland Dittmeyer explains that it is necessary for a gigawatts to lay a cable, the costs of which can be up to four billion euros in wind farms. The floating platform could reduce these high costs to just a tenth.

the platform and its function

In the planned test phase that started in Bremerhaven, the platform is equipped with a direct-air capture system that gains CO2 from the air, and high-temperature electrolysis to produce synthesis gas. This synthesis gas is then processed in Fischer-Tropsch products in order to obtain green fuels. The entire complex is looked after by six people around the clock and returned to the port every two weeks. These tests run depending on the weather and should take a total of six to seven weeks.

Another highlight is the planned production of e-fuel. A barrel (that's 159 liters) of these synthetic fuels is produced every day. Researchers hope for the "H2Mare" platform, which was already built in January, valuable knowledge about the everyday suitability of such systems under real conditions on the high seas. hydrogen-leit projects CO2 and nitrogen are needed that are to be obtained directly on site.

challenges and opportunities

One of the greatest challenges will be to finance production beyond 2025 after the promotion of the project by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Dittmeyer continues that industry will initially be dependent on European funding in order to get the risks and costs under control. The potential for offshore hydrogen production shows that with the increase in wind turbines in the sea, the possibilities for using wind energy are growing.

But research does not stop: for the time after the test phase, the operators strive to realize the first commercial platforms in about five years. These could then significantly raise production and thus revolutionize the energy supply in the area of ​​sustainable fuels. According to Karlsruhe Institute of Technology , the first fuel production on the sea is already expected for 2025.

Overall, it can be seen that the H2mare project in combination with the advantages of offshore wind power could make a bridge to a more sustainable energy future. The coming months and years will be decisive to demonstrate the feasibility and everyday suitability of these new technologies.