Offshore renewable energy resources and their potential in a green hydrogen supply chain through power-to-gas

Abstract

Offshore renewable energy resources have great potential to contribute to the global energy supply chain; however the LCOE of offshore power is still higher as compared to conventional power generation. With a growing interest in offshore resources and considering the capacity of offshore renewable resources, they are anticipated to contribute a larger share of electric power in the next decade. The existing dispatch of offshore wind electricity through offshore substation and sub-sea cables increases the cost of offshore electricity manifold. The offshore wind electricity can be dispatched by conversion into hydrogen and transportation through existing offshore gas pipeline infrastructure. The study presents a novel idea of performing the methanation process entirely offshore by utilizing CCS in conjunction with electrolysis. A proposal of an artificial island that hosts the complete offshore power-to-gas is also presented. It has been found that the proposed arrangement can handle the offshore generated energy seamlessly and transport it to onshore demand centers through traditional natural gas pipeline infrastructure.