Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy is starting a pilot project in western Denmark to evaluate how its wind turbines can produce green hydrogen for clean fuel.
The wind energy provider, which is based in Zamudio, Spain, is partnering up with Denmark’s Green Hydrogen Systems (GHS) for its electrolysis needs. The pilot project involves utilizing a 3 MW Siemens wind turbine in island mode to power a 400 kW GHS electrolyzer, which will subsequently split water into hydrogen and oxygen. While the oxygen will be released into the atmosphere, the hydrogen will be stored by a Danish hydrogen fuel company called Everfuel and distributed to hydrogen-powered vehicles in Copenhagen including buses, taxis and cars.
Green Hydrogen Systems CEO Niels-Arne Baden states, “Europe is really banking on sustainable energy, and green hydrogen will and must play a vital role in the coming transition. Siemens Gamesa, which has recently launched the world’s largest wind turbine, is an obvious leader in making wind-hydrogen production the next big Power-2-X application. We are very proud to have been chosen as electrolysis partner for this important and visionary project.”
Green Hydrogen Systems will supply Siemens Gamesa with a HyProvide A-Series electrolyzer which is designed to accommodate the fluctuating power output of wind turbines while ensuring high efficiency—enabling the production of hydrogen at the lowest levelized cost possible. GHS has already been providing its pressurized alkaline electrolyzers to hydrogen refueling stations and Power-2-X facilities around Scandinavia.
The term “green hydrogen” stems from the fact that the hydrogen is being produced by electrolysis using electricity from renewable sources, as opposed to fossil-based resources. Hydrogen fuel is seen as a major solution for addressing carbon emissions from the transportation industry—so much so that the European Union (EU) has placed hydrogen production at the heart of its Green Deal.
The EU has outlined a hydrogen strategy that targets 6 GW of installed capacity by 2024, growing exponentially to 40 GW by 2030. Countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, France, Portugal and Norway are already establishing ambitious national strategies for the production of green hydrogen. The EU has additionally announced that it will allocate USD$28–49 billion (EUR€24–42 billion) to scale up electrolyzer capacity, and $258–398 billion (€220–340 billion) for the 80–120 GW of additional wind and solar energy needed to provide electricity to the electrolyzers. In spending billions of dollars to encourage hydrogen production, European governments aim to offset the costs associated with incorporating sustainable energy systems.
Siemens Gamesa’s CEO Andreas Nauen envisages a future where the company could sell hydrogen equipment to wind farm developers along with its turbines.
Hydrogen production is expected to begin at the new Siemens Gamesa facility by January 2021.
To read more about Siemens’ wind-to-hydrogen projects, check out this story: Turning Wind into Gas.