The GROW consortium has been awarded a 4 million euro grant from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) for their FlexH2 project. The Shell-led research project, which stands for Flexible Offshore Wind Hydrogen Power Plant Module, intends to develop and demonstrate technology that will accelerate the scale-up of offshore wind, green hydrogen production and its integration in the energy system.
Through this grant, as part of the MOOI-SIGOHE tender scheme that supports innovations that contribute to the system integration of large-scale renewable electricity production, the government is contributing 4 million euros, the partners are investing about 5 million euros in the project. The research project is to start on April 1st 2022 and will last four years.
Wind-to-hydrogen solution
The FlexH2 project will develop innovations that could significantly reduce investment costs for offshore wind transmission infrastructure. The proposed wind-to-hydrogen solution, which will be tested in laboratories at a Medium Voltage kW-scale, enables direct sourcing of renewable electricity to green hydrogen production. It is expected to be scalable and can be operated independently from a local or national power grid, thus reducing the time-to-market significantly by 5 to 10 years. The integration of the various proposed innovations – varying from the offshore wind turbines to the transport and delivery of the power to an onshore electrolyser – could reduce the cost of hydrogen production by at least 10% and well before 2030. The results of this research project could provide the basis for the accelerated development of Power-to-H2 projects in the Netherlands.
A strong consortium covering the energy conversion route
The FlexH2 research project is part of the GROW programme that aims to reduce levelised costs of offshore wind electricity, to create added value for the Dutch economy and to strengthen the Dutch offshore wind industry. In the GROW programme 17 partners cooperate to initiate research and accelerate innovations in offshore wind. The FlexH2 project is led by Shell.
“The development of this innovative concept is a fantastic example of the collective efforts between industry, academia and governments that will be needed to reach society’s net-zero emissions goals. Shell is committed to supporting the delivery of a sustainable energy system and I am proud that FlexH2 will enable the acceleration of offshore wind development, as well as Power-to-H2 projects”
Dr. ir. Yin Sun, offshore wind electrical innovation lead at Shell
“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.”
David de Jager, GROW director
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. Source: GROW
