In collaboration with Tocardo, HydroWing has launched the THyPSO (Tidal Hydrogen Production, Storage and Offtake), which produces green hydrogen from the sea, leading to the global decarbonization of energy systems.
THyPSO is a floating platform, housing 1–6 conventional bi-directional tidal turbines that transform tidal flows into electrical energy, which is then guided into an integrated hydrogen production unit, converting the infinite supply of surrounding seawater into hydrogen, an energy-dense and versatile commodity.
THyPSO has the capacity to hold up to two weeks’ worth of hydrogen production in pressurized storage tanks. Remote communications plan the offtake autonomously, and discharge happens within a single slack tide. A simple and secure procedure using an offtake vessel moored down-stream of the device, connected via a pressurized delivery hose.
Hydrogen can be processed and used for a wide variety of applications, reducing carbon emissions from marine transport, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing, tourism, leisure, petrochemicals, road transport, rail transport, and grid balancing.
THyPSO incorporates the benefits of tidal and hydrogen technologies, mutually overcoming technical and financial barriers faced by each technology alone.
By being grid autonomous and removing costly and high-risk subsea networks, substantial savings are generated on OPEX and CAPEX, as well as on installation and decommissioning.
Another key issue with producing electricity from any renewable source is the intermittency of production.
By generating hydrogen rather than electricity, the offtake and onward distribution at the time can be actively controlled and scheduled to match the weather windows and market demands.
Consenting, installation, and decommissioning are other areas where substantial time and costs can be saved.
The THyPSO project will demonstrate a streamlined implementation of tidal energy projects with a view to upscaling and carrying out wider projects across Europe and the rest of the world in the years to come, in line with the ever-increasing demand for green hydrogen.
“This project has shifted our focus to a broader and exciting market where we can make use of our tides to provide a more versatile energy mix into the local communities and beyond. I sincerely hope that we can inspire greater use of green hydrogen in the marine sector as a result of this project.”
Richard Parkinson, managing director, HydroWing.
“This project provides a new perspective and a versatile use for tidal turbines. The project is well suited to the range of Tocardo turbines allowing us to effectively scale up as demand for green hydrogen increases into the future.”
Andries van Unen, CEO Tocardo.
