Offshore Wind-to-Hydrogen Project Launched in Ireland

A new project aiming to advance development of green hydrogen production powered by offshore wind has been launched in Ireland.

The H-Wind project, led by UCC MaREI Research Centre, is being co-funded by Science Foundation Ireland and four industry partners: Gas Networks Ireland, DP Energy, ESB, and Equinor.

The project will look to position green hydrogen as the means of more efficiently providing energy by bringing the electricity network and gas network together to make optimal use of Ireland’s offshore wind resources.

H-Wind will also seek to identify new markets for green hydrogen and ensure that Ireland delivers on EU strategy in energy system integration.

The project goals are cost-reduction measures for large-scale hydrogen production from offshore wind farms, concepts for scalable offshore wind – hydrogen hubs, procedures for hydrogen safety, the customer value chain, and policy recommendations.

All the partners from the energy sector are involved in hydrogen projects in one way or another.

According to the H-Wind project consortium, Gas Networks Ireland is committed to delivering a net-zero gas network by 2050 by gradually replacing natural gas with renewable gases such as hydrogen. Blends of up to 20 per cent hydrogen with natural gas and biomethane, and subsequently up to 100 per cent are being tested at the organisation’s new Hydrogen Innovation Centre in Dublin.

Irish energy company and Equinor announced in April that they would jointly develop a 1.4 GW Moneypoint floating offshore wind farm off the West Coast of Ireland, a project that could also include hydrogen production.

DP Energy, the developer of floating wind and ocean energy projects, is also involved in multiple wind, hydrogen and energy storage developments.

At the beginning of this year, Iberdrola agreed to take a majority stake in DP Energy’s 3 GW offshore wind pipeline in Ireland, which marked the Spanish energy company’s entry into the Irish offshore wind market.