Floating hydrogen farm brings China clean renewable energy

The system is anchored in the waters off southeastern China's Fujian province and is capable of withstanding high waves and force 8 winds. The effort was led by researcher Xie Heping from Shenzhen University and the state-owned China Eastern Electric Power Group.

A system that harnesses both wind and solar energy to produce hydrogen at sea in China. Photo: Weibo

“It ran continuously for 10 days during its first run in May, marking a promising start for the prospect of offshore hydrogen production powered by renewable energy,” state news agency Xinhua reported on June 3.

The 63-square-meter system includes a hydrogen-producing device powered by offshore wind power. By combining the two components, researchers have created an environmentally friendly floating farm that electrolyzes seawater into hydrogen without creating side effects or emissions.

Seawater is complex to treat because it is full of microorganisms and suspended particles, which often results in low electrolysis efficiency and shortens the life of the equipment. Previous projects – such as those in the Netherlands and Germany – have relied on desalinated seawater to produce hydrogen.

But that approach adds complexity to the process by requiring large desalination facilities and land resources, increasing both the cost of hydrogen production and the difficulty of building the project.

Xie's team first published a paper on the new process in the journal Nature last November. The solution Xie's team came up with was recognized by the country's Ministry of Science and Technology as one of China's top 10 scientific advances in 2022.

Meanwhile, Dongfang Electric Power Group has helped industrialize the technology. Powered by a 10-megawatt wind turbine and equipped with a 28-kilowatt energy storage system, the floating electrolyzer has maintained hydrogen production at near-perfect efficiency, the researchers said.

Furthermore, the technology costs just 11.2 yuan (US$1.57) per kilogram of hydrogen – much lower than the current mainstream cost of hydrogen production from natural gas, which ranges from 20 to 24 yuan per kilogram.

Mai Van (according to SCMP, Xinhua News Agency)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/trang-trai-hydro-noi-dua-trung-quoc-den-gan-hon-voi-nang-luong-sach-post250523.html