The concept of a hydrogen financial system is catching on, and Europe particularly is banking on inexperienced hydrogen to assist push fossil vitality out of the image. They’re relying on Africa and the Center East to leverage their copious wind and photo voltaic sources on behalf of the renewable H2 effort. If US suppliers wish to faucet into this market, policymakers must shake a leg. The window of alternative is shrinking by the minute.

The State Of Offshore Wind Improvement In The US

One good place for the US to start out revving up a inexperienced hydrogen business for export is the Atlantic coast, the place offshore wind farms might energy electrolysis methods to push inexperienced hydrogen gasoline from water.

The Middle on World Power Coverage at Columbia College just lately took a have a look at offshore wind sources alongside the Atlantic coast and famous that a variety of states have a complete of fifty gigawatts’ value of offshore wind farms within the planning levels. They instructed that the CREZ (Aggressive Renewable Power Enterprise Zone) program in Texas might function a mannequin for ensuring these plans get off the drafting board, by coordinating transmission sources.

That’s a good suggestion, contemplating that Texas’s CREZ-enabled transmission strains are credited with catapulting the Lone Star State into the #1 slot for put in wind capability nationwide.

The Atlantic offshore wind business positive might use some assist. Regardless of having fun with near-perfect situations for offshore improvement, the Atlantic coast presently hosts a grand complete of simply seven offshore wind generators in operation, combining for a deplorable complete of simply 42 megawatts in capability.

The One-Two Punch Of Offshore Wind & Inexperienced Hydrogen

The Atlantic offshore wind business might get in gear even with no complete electrical energy transmission community. Inexperienced hydrogen is a transportable vitality storage medium that may be ferried to its vacation spot by ship, rail, truck, or pipeline. That’s along with its use as an electrical energy generator in gasoline cells or energy vegetation.

Offshore wind planners are already starting to pair onshore electrolysis vegetation with electrical energy from offshore wind farms. A motion can be afoot to co-locate electrolysis methods at wind farms, both on their very own platforms or as attachments to particular person generators.

Right here within the US, the Power Division has staked $8 billion on establishing regional hydrogen hubs across the US, and a strong group of Atlantic states seems to be among the many entrance runners. Offshore wind sources might play a major position contemplating the keenness of state-level officers in New York and New Jersey. The 2 states teamed up in 2021 to coordinate their sustainable H2 sources, and now Massachusetts and Connecticut are additionally on board.

Amongst different seaports, the Atlantic coast additionally has two liquified pure gasoline terminals that may very well be of use. One is in Maryland, which is a member of half the proposed Mid-Atlantic Regional Hydrogen Hub.

The opposite LNG terminal is in Georgia, and a number of other others are positioned in Texas, on the Gulf of Mexico.

10 Gigawatts Of Wind Energy For Egypt

On a latest go to to Germany, CleanTechnica had an opportunity to debate Europe’s inexperienced hydrogen provide chain with specialists at Bosch. We’ll cowl that in additional element subsequent week, however for now the quick model is that Europe needs inexperienced hydrogen, however it doesn’t have the bandwidth for home wind or solar energy to scale up its electrolysis alternatives to a adequate diploma. So, Europe is seeking to the Center East and Africa, the place land, wind, and photo voltaic sources can be found in abundance.

If that is beginning to ring a bell, that’s as a result of it’s. Schemes for transmitting inexperienced electrical energy from northern Africa and the Center East to Europe have been simmering on the again burner for years, held again by the dearth of a transmission infrastructure. Extra just lately, the price of inexperienced hydrogen has been spiraling downward. That opens up various avenues for transporting renewable vitality over lengthy distances, deploying inexperienced hydrogen as a provider.

And, that’s the place the Saudi Arabian agency ACWA Energy is available in. The corporate payments itself as “the primary mover into inexperienced hydrogen” in addition to the “world’s largest personal water desalination firm.” The desalination connection is critical as a result of water must be purified earlier than electrolysis, doubtlessly offering ACWA with a know-how edge on the rising seawater-to-hydrogen business.

On Monday, ACWA introduced that it’s one step nearer to constructing a huge, 10-gigawatt onshore wind farm in Egypt, with the signing of a memorandum of understanding that allocates 3,000 acres of land for the venture in an space close to the city heart of Sohag.

“We foresee that the constructive contributions with financing establishments and improvement companions, in addition to the comparative benefits of Egypt when it comes to the provision of land, will present that Egypt has what it takes to supply renewable vitality for home consumption and export,” ACWA defined in a press launch.

“The wind venture is predicted to generate round 50 thousand gigawatt-hours of fresh vitality yearly, offering electrical energy to round 11 million households and mitigating the influence of 25.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions every year,” they added.

It stays to be seen how a lot vitality from the brand new ACWA wind farm shall be earmarked for producing and exporting inexperienced hydrogen, however “some” is an efficient guess. Final 12 months, Reuters reported that Egypt plans to determine itself as a renewable hydrogen hub, with export to Europe taking part in a major position.

Extra Inexperienced Hydrogen For The USA

As for the US, the Obama administration tried to arrange the Atlantic coast offshore wind business again in 2010 to no avail, however that was earlier than inexperienced hydrogen emerged as a brand new and doubtlessly profitable business. Wind energy is a very good match as a result of electrolysis methods can reap the benefits of the night-time hours, when wind speeds usually decide up however demand drops.

Considerably satirically, the Trump administration set the stage for inexperienced hydrogen motion when the Inside Division’s Bureau of Ocean Power Administration put the ending touches on a brand new, streamlined course of for approval of federal offshore lease areas. Now the system is bearing fruit.

Within the newest improvement, New Jersey’s proposed Ocean Wind 1 offshore wind farm, which weighs in at 1.1 gigawatts, has been inching nearer to development with BOEM issuing a key approval on July 5.

All just isn’t sweetness and lightweight, nevertheless. At the very least three offshore wind opposition teams have sprouted up in New Jersey they usually have been sharpening their authorized knives, so keep tuned for extra on that.

Discover me on Threads @tinamcasey. Additionally Publish @tinamcasey, or @TinaMCasey on LinkedIn and Spoutible, or @Casey on Mastadon. Additionally again on Twitter (for now).

Photograph: ACWA is planning a 10-gigawatt onshore wind farm in Egypt with a watch on the inexperienced hydrogen market (picture courtesy of ACWA).

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