Green hydrogen production project

 "Green hydrogen is in demand, and like almost everything that is in demand, it is in short supply. Only one percent of the hydrogen produced globally is green, so it is produced with the help of CO2-free energies. The greatest potential for changing something about this shortage is probably at sea. 

Siemens Gamesa and Siemens Energy have now launched a corresponding project. Together they want to develop a system in which an electrolyser is integrated directly into an offshore wind turbine. Such a technology would lower the manufacturing price for green hydrogen. Companies are certain that this will have high utility in the future, as wind energy can be stored and transported independently of the power grid, which is already struggling with enough fluctuations. 

The start-up investment for such an undertaking is no small matter, 120 million euros are to flow into the project over the next five years. At the end of this period, two demonstration plants should be in place, each with a 14-megawatt turbine and a 10-megawatt electrolyser. 

Siemens Energy puts hydrogen into the equation. Managing Director Christian Bruch explains that his company's “highly flexible electrolyzer technology” could redefine offshore energy generation. Siemens Energy is developing a new PEM (polymer electrolyte membrane) platform specifically for this purpose, which must be seaworthy and can later be used in a modular manner. Because of the built-in precious metals, PEM systems are expensive. Their advantage, however, is that they are based on cell modules that are interconnected to form stacks. In addition, emphasizes Siemens Energy, the technology is efficient with an efficiency of around 75 percent and reacts quickly to fluctuations in operation. This is important for the unpredictable wind at sea. 

However, in order to be able to operate the electrolysis system at all, distilled water is required. Without a high-quality desalination system, the best wind electrolysis unit is of no use. This is a “technical challenge”, says the initiative's spokesman. In order to master this, the Siemensian duo will soon be expanded to include further specialized partners. " 

  These technologies should be of particular interest to Russia, which has well-developed pipelines for the export of hydrogen gas and plenty of room for wind farms.