The Anonymous Widower

ITM Power and Ørsted: Wind Turbine Electrolyser Integration

The title of this post is the same as that of this press release from ITM Power.

This is the introductory paragraph.

ITM Power (AIM: ITM), the energy storage and clean fuel company, is pleased to share details of a short project sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), in late 2019, entitled ‘Hydrogen supply competition’, ITM Power and Ørsted proposed the following:  an electrolyser placed at the wind turbine e.g. in the tower or very near it, directly electrically connected to the DC link in the wind turbine, with appropriate power flow control and water supplied to it. This may represent a better design concept for bulk hydrogen production as opposed to, for instance, remotely located electrolysers at a terminal or platform, away from the wind turbine generator, due to reduced costs and energy losses.

Some points from the remainder of the press release.

• Costs can be saved as hydrogen pipes are more affordable than underwater power cables.
• The proposed design reduces the need for AC rectification.

After reading the press release, it sounds like the two companies are performing a serious re-think on how wind turbines and their links to get energy on-shore are designed.

Will they be using redundant gas pipes to bring the hydrogen ashore?

I think, that they could go further than that!

• Imagine a very large wind farm built over a cluster of redundant gas-fields that are suitable for the storage of gas.
• The wind farm will produce hydrogen, which could be either sent to an onshore terminal or stored in one of the redundant fields.
• When hydrogen is needed onshore, it can come from the turbine/electrolysers in the wind-farm or from offshore storage.
• The pipeline to the shore would probably also be reversible and used to take carbon dioxide offshore for storage.
• If more electricity is needed onshore, the hydrogen is used as fuel for a gas-fired power station.

It sounds complicated, but hydrogen gives a lot of flexibility, as it is easily converted to and from electricity.

Controlling this network is a classic problem for Control Engineers and sophisticated computers will make sure, there is both enough electricity and gas.

The other application for combined wind turbines and electrolysers is where there is a need for moderate amounts of gas in the middle of nowhere.

Uses could include.

• Large farms all over places like East Anglia, much of North America, Australia and Serbia, where it would be used for motive power and heating.
• Islands like the Orkneys to decarbonise heating and transport and especially aviation and small ships like tugs and ferries.
• Hydrogen filling stations for trucks and other vehicles in places like the Mid West and large parts of Africa and Asia.
• Large transport depots, that switch from diesel to hydrogen might install their own combined wind turbine and electrolyser.
• Ports of all sizes will switch to hydrogen and smaller ports may well use combined wind turbines and electrolysers.
• Will isolated villages and small towns have their own combined wind turbines and electrolyser to bring a much needed gas supply?

I used to own a farm and I would certainly have looked at the technology to see, if it was worth installing.

It is my view, that combined wind turbines and electrolysers are one of those enabling technologies, that will find lots of different applications.

April 7, 2020 Posted by AnonW | Hydrogen, World | Ørsted, Innovation, iTM Power, Wind Power, Wind To Hydrogen | 7 Comments