Lhyfe has recently announced a crucial milestone that could revolutionize the future of the sector. The company’s Sealhyfe platform has successfully initiated its offshore hydrogen production, a world first that underscores the feasibility and potential of such pioneering initiatives.
Launched just 20 kilometers off the Atlantic coast, the Sealhyfe platform began producing its initial kilograms of offshore hydrogen on June 20, 2023. This achievement is not just a first for Lhyfe, but also an immense leap for the global hydrogen sector. It represents a tangible step forward in the drive towards renewable and sustainable energy production, underscoring the viability of hydrogen as a clean energy source.
Sealhyfe is an experiment that exemplifies Lhyfe’s capabilities in driving innovation in the hydrogen sector. With this project, the company aimed to prove the technical feasibility of offshore hydrogen production and acquire the operational experience required to scale quickly. To this end, Lhyfe deliberately exposed Sealhyfe to the most extreme conditions possible.
The Sealhyfe project was conducted on a floating platform that has been redesigned to stabilize the offshore production unit. The platform, named WAVEGEM, was developed by GEPS Techno and has been connected to the SEM-REV sea trial site’s power hub at Centrale Nantes, which is operated by the OPEN-C Foundation. It is also connected to a floating wind turbine, FLOATGEN, developed and operated by BW Ideol.
Moreover, Lhyfe and its partners designed, built, and assembled all the necessary equipment to produce offshore hydrogen, including a 1 MW electrolyzer provided by Plug. Remarkably, this feat was accomplished in just 16 months and on a platform of less than 200 square meters. The production capacity of Sealhyfe reaches up to 400 kilograms per day.
The Sealhyfe platform is a testament to the remarkable progress in renewable energy technology. Its success could serve as a blueprint for future offshore hydrogen production initiatives. However, the full impact of this achievement will only be revealed as we monitor the operation and scalability of the platform. The future looks bright and green, with Lhyfe at the forefront.