Tractebel reveals windpower to hydrogen technology

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Brussels-based energy company Tractebel has claimed that is has developed a technology that can produce hydrogen from offshore windpower on an industrial scale through the use of electrolysis.

Engineers from the company have repurposed an offshore platform and say that the concept has the capacity to deliver 400 MW - exceeding the output of previous technologies "many times over" - and is at an advanced enough stage that it could be rolled out in certain areas such as the North Sea.

“In large-scale offshore wind farms in the German North Sea and other locations there is enormous potential for CO2-neutral production of green hydrogen,” said Klaas Oltmann, Director of Business Development at Tractebel Overdick.

He added that the new platform “accommodates all the technical components required to produce ‘green’ hydrogen. This includes the electrolysis units and transformers for the transformation of the electricity supplied by the offshore wind turbines, along with desalination plants for producing high-purity water required for electrolysis.”

Hydrogen gas is also easy to store using existing infrastructure such as gas pipelines, storage facilities, underground caverns or even onboard ships.

Tractebel, a subsidiary of the French utilities group Engie, says that the concept is ready to be delivered and that at present it examining the development of demonstration plants in advance of full hydrogen operation, which could commence as early as 2025.

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