The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) announced that the FlexH2 project of the GROW consortium had been awarded a grant as part of the MOOI-SIGOHE tender scheme.
FlexH2, which stands for Flexible Offshore Wind Hydrogen Power Plant Module, is a Shell-led research project that aims to develop and demonstrate technology that will accelerate the scale-up of offshore wind, green hydrogen production, and its integration into the energy system. The government is contributing 4 million euros through this grant, and the partners are investing approximately 5 million euros in the project. The four-year research project will begin on April 1st, 2022.
The FlexH2 project will create innovations that could significantly reduce the cost of investing in offshore wind transmission infrastructure. The proposed wind-to-hydrogen solution, which will be tested in laboratories at a Medium Voltage kW-scale, allows for direct renewable electricity sourcing for green hydrogen production. It is expected to be scalable and capable of operating independently of a local or national power grid, reducing time-to-market by 5 to 10 years. The integration of the various proposed innovations – ranging from offshore wind turbines to power transport and delivery to an onshore electrolyzer – could reduce the cost of hydrogen production by at least 10% before 2030. The findings of this research project could lay the groundwork for the rapid development of Power-to-H2 projects in the Netherlands.
The FlexH2 research project is part of the GROW program and is led by dr. ir. Yin Sun, offshore wind electrical innovation lead at Shell, who stated: “The development of this innovative concept is a fantastic example of the collaborative efforts between industry, academia, and governments that will be required to achieve society’s net-zero emissions goals.” Shell is committed to delivering a sustainable energy system, and I am proud that FlexH2 will accelerate offshore wind development as well as Power-to-H2 projects.”
General Electric, ABB, VONK, Technical Universityof Eindhoven, and Technical University of Delft will develop the electro-technical innovations. Shell, Van Oord, TKF, TNO and DNV will use their expertise related to hydrogen electrolysis, balance of plant, market/flexibility, and key component design, transport and installation expertise, respectively.
David de Jager, GROW director: “FlexH2 shows the dedication of the industry to speed up the energy transition, and to improve the integration of offshore wind in the energy system. The innovation instruments of the Dutch government are essential for GROW projects such as FlexH2. And with a high payback potential for society. Take 4 gigawatts offshore wind capacity for example – the FlexH2 concept could reduce transmission costs with more than 100 million euros per year”.
