Green Hydrogen and Offshore Renewable Energy Integration

Hydrogen produced from renewable energy is known as green hydrogen, and its production, storage, distribution and conversion is a rapidly emerging candidate to help decarbonise the economy. Green hydrogen can be used in combustion engines, domestic heating and hydrogen fuel cells as a carbon-free fuel and has potential as an alternative energy vector for storage and transport of energy, thereby helping to support the integration of offshore renewable energy (ORE).

Current ORE plants are sited relatively close to land in shallow water and use systems of offshore cables and substations to transform the electricity produced, transmit it to the shore and connect to the grid. Future offshore wind farms are likely to be sited further offshore and in deeper waters, where the extent and cost of the electrical cables and their maintenance will increase significantly. Transporting the energy to shore via hydrogen could become the most attractive option. Instead of using cables to transport electrons, gas pipes or liquid carriers may be more cost effective methods for transporting the energy for eventual use either as hydrogen or conversion to electricity.

The aim of the PhD is to assess whether green hydrogen can be a cost-effective solution to deliver sufficient flexibility to support further integration of ORE production in the energy system. Both on-shore and off-shore hydrogen generation will be investigated and the value of hydrogen in the energy system assessed through consideration of (1) integration as a storage medium, (2) vector for transport of the energy and (3) environmental impact.