Published today: the progress report on the North Sea Wind Power Hub consortium": "Towards the first hub-and-spoke project"!
northseawindpowerhub.eu/node/178
In short:
1. The North Sea is an offshore wind energy powerhouse
2. Countries must come together
3. Time for an ambitious next step
4. A solution is at hand
5. Cooperation is the way forward – The NSWPH consortium is helping to pave the way
Kudos to @EnerginetDK , @Gasunie , and @TenneT for showing leadership, developing a great, comprehensive approach to integrating ~180 GW of North Sea offshore wind into the European energy system, and bringing it to the next level!
As @GuidehouseESI team, we're proud to support the consortium in many ways, and we're looking forward to continue the co-operation, on one of the cutting edges of Europe's decarbonisation drive!
Hub-and-Spoke as the next step in the evolution of offshore wind connections:
Considerations on where to locate the Power-to-X (e.g. electrolyzers) when integrating North Sea offshore wind in the European energy system: Inland, Coastal, Offshore.
Possible configurations for North Sea energy hubs:
- All-electric
- All-hydrogen (as considered for the NortH2 project)
- Combined electric-hydrogen
The latter two options depend on developments in offshore electrolysis, which is now even being considered at the wind turbine level, by major manufacturers.
E.g. @SiemensGamesa and @Siemens_Energy
siemensgamesa.com/en-int/newsroo…
In the combined electricity-hydrogen configuration, the electricity cables connecting the hub would have a capacity less than that of the wind farms. On very windy days, the offshore electrolyzer would kick in and bring part of the production onshore as hydrogen.
Next steps for the North Sea Wind Power Hub consortium, this year: full speed ahead!
Two options being considered for international hubs:
Distributed, consisting of a number of connected national hubs or
Centralised, located in the Exclusive Economic Zone of one of the countries, but connected to other countries as well.
What North Sea energy hubs could physically look like: a caisson island (up to 6 GW), a sand island (up to 36 GW), a platform on a 'jacket' (up to 2 GW), or a gravity-based structure (up to 6 GW). Dependent on many other considerations as well.
Next steps 2021, on technical feasibility:
Societal cost-benefit analysis: the tool for governments to make choices regarding North Sea energy hubs. Essential, and pretty complicated now it gets:
Hybrid (connections used for offshore wind farms, but also as interconnections between countries)
Cross-sector (producing electricity and hydrogen) and
International (which country gets what benefits, and how to share the cost).
Next steps, North Sea Wind Power Hub, cost-benefit analysis:
Important for the economics of North Sea energy hubs, and the connected offshore wind farms: regulation and market design.
Will it be a Home Market setup, or will there be an Offshore bidding zone around the hub, with its own wholesale prices?
Next steps, regarding market setup, governance models, and regulatory frameworks:
I trust this thread gave you a flavor of the many aspects of this important and challenging project, generating tonnes of valuable insights for the renewable energy industry and policy makers in Europe and beyond. Great to work on! Download the paper here: northseawindpowerhub.eu/sites/northsea…
The North Sea Wind Power Hub consortium's current work is being co-financed by the EU's Connecting Europe Facility, enabled by the project's PCI status (Project of Common Interest).
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