Qingdao Gute Ship Supplies Co., Ltd.

When the Central Economic Work Conference deployed key tasks for next year, it was proposed to accelerate the adjustment and optimization of the industrial structure and energy structure, promote coal consumption to peak as soon as possible, and vigorously develop new energy sources. On December 21, the State Council Information Office officially released the white paper "China's Energy Development in the New Era". The white paper proposes to accelerate the development of hydrogen energy industry chain technology equipment such as green hydrogen production, storage, transportation and application, and promote the development of hydrogen energy fuel cell technology chain. Hydrogen production from wind power can not only help decarbonize areas that are difficult to decarbonize, such as transportation, construction, and industry, but also improve the ability to store electricity when there is an oversupply of electricity, which is favored by many countries. However, my country has little accumulation and insufficient experience in hydrogen production from offshore wind power. my country's shipbuilding industry needs to carry out overall design research on related platforms in advance to form hydrogen carrier ship design and research capabilities, and lay a solid foundation for the implementation of related projects in the future.

--editor

With the ever-expanding demand for energy and increasing emphasis on sustainable development and environmental protection concepts, the existing global energy system based on fossil fuels is gradually transforming into an efficient and renewable low-carbon energy system.

As one of the most mature power generation methods among renewable energy, wind power has developed rapidly in recent years. In order to further expand the share of wind energy in the renewable energy market, some new technological solutions have emerged, such as hydrogen production from wind power. Hydrogen production from wind power can not only help decarbonization in areas that are difficult to decarbonize, such as transportation, construction, and industry, but also improve the ability to store electricity when there is an excess supply of electricity, which is favored by many countries. At present, many countries and regions have begun to implement offshore wind power hydrogen production projects. my country’s shipbuilding industry should actively follow relevant trends and carry out overall design research on related platforms in advance to form hydrogen carrier design and research capabilities and promote the development of this strategic emerging industry. development of.

Green hydrogen has a bright future

According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) forecast, by 2050, the proportion of renewable energy will increase substantially, and wind power and photovoltaics will account for 60% of power generation capacity. Statistics from the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) show that the newly installed capacity of global offshore wind power reached a record high in 2019, reaching 6.1 gigawatts (GW), an increase of 38.6% compared to 2018. It is estimated that by 2024, global offshore wind power Will add 50GW. As of the end of 2019, the cumulative installed capacity of global offshore wind power was 29.1GW, of which the UK, Germany and China accounted for the top three in the market, accounting for 82% of the total installed capacity. The global offshore wind power market as a whole is in a growth stage. In the last 10 years, the global offshore wind power installed capacity has increased by 866.67%, and China's offshore wind power installed capacity has increased by 3853.33%.

The development of offshore wind power has created favorable conditions for hydrogen production from offshore wind power. The World Energy Council divides hydrogen into three categories: "gray", "blue" and "green" according to the source of production. Gray hydrogen comes from fossil fuels and has a lower manufacturing cost, but has the highest carbon intensity, and therefore has the lowest social acceptance; blue hydrogen is manufactured through steam methane reforming technology or coal gasification plus carbon capture and storage technology, which has low carbon intensity and high cost , The social acceptance is high; green hydrogen uses renewable energy for electrolysis, zero carbon dioxide emissions, high cost, and the highest social acceptance. Hydrogen production from offshore wind power is green hydrogen. Data shows that in 2019, hydrogen production by electrolysis has increased to more than 25 megawatts (MW). It is estimated that by 2023, the growth of the hydrogen production market by electrolysis will exceed 1,400MW. Although the current cost of hydrogen production from renewable energy is high, as its cost continues to decline and the scale of hydrogen production continues to expand, it is estimated that by 2030, the cost of hydrogen production from renewable energy will drop by 30%.

Different countries have different stages of development

Hydrogen production by offshore wind power can be divided into two methods: onshore hydrogen production and offshore hydrogen production. Depending on the installation location of the electrolysis device, offshore hydrogen production can be subdivided into wind power platforms, existing oil and gas platforms, and new offshore hydrogen production methods. An electrolysis device is installed on the platform to produce hydrogen.

In Europe, the pressure of decarbonization is increasing. Renewable energy and hydrogen energy are being valued and developed. Its offshore wind power occupies great advantages in wind energy resources, wind energy utilization rate and industrial chain. It is the world's largest offshore wind power market. Relying on these advantages, European offshore wind power hydrogen production can be described as a breeze in recent years.

Judging from the existing offshore wind power hydrogen production plans/projects, some European countries have adopted different offshore wind hydrogen production plans based on their own offshore wind farm sites, but the target realization time is basically 2025 and is set to be formed around 2030 Large-scale hydrogen production capacity. Generally speaking, the hydrogen production technology of offshore wind power has basically been fully verified. The main problems currently facing are the preparation of commercial hydrogen and the transportation and storage of hydrogen. Economic efficiency has become an important consideration for each plan.

Different hydrogen production methods are suitable for different scenarios. The hydrogen production method of "electrolysis device + wind power platform" is suitable for new offshore wind farms, and large-scale distributed hydrogen production is realized by installing electrolysis devices on wind turbines. The hydrogen production method of "electrolysis device + existing oil and gas platform" is to use the oil and gas platform and existing oil and gas pipelines to be decommissioned near offshore wind power to reduce the cost of hydrogen production. The hydrogen production method of "electrolysis device + new offshore platform" is suitable for wind farms that are farther from the shore, because as the distance from the wind farm increases, the greater the power transmission loss, the way to build a new offshore hydrogen production platform can be directly avoided This loss. The “offshore wind power + onshore electrolysis” approach is applicable to offshore wind farms.