French developer Lhyfe has launched the world’s first demonstration project for offshore green hydrogen production.

The Sealhyfe project will initially produce green hydrogen at a quay for the six-month first phase of the trial, after which it will be relocated to an offshore testing area 20km off the coast of Le Croisic, France. The electrolyser, supplied by US manufacturer Plug Power, will use electricity from a floating wind turbine installed at the testing site in 2018.

Sealhyfe will perform all stages of hydrogen production at sea, including converting electrical voltage from the wind turbine and pumping, desalinating and purifying seawater, fully automatically without physical intervention other than scheduled maintenance. The trial aims to assess the effect of platform motion and environmental stress from offshore conditions on the system.

400kg/d – Sealhyfe green hydrogen production capacity

The trial will last 18 months, after which Lhyfe aims to use the data to design mature offshore production systems and deploy “robust and proven technologies on a large scale”, the company says.

“At Lhyfe, we have only one aim: to leave a more breathable planet for our children. This is why we once again wanted to take up a major technological challenge, to prove—by producing hydrogen at sea for the first time—that it is possible to do it as of today,” says Lhyfe CEO Matthieu Guesne.

Sealhyfe has the capacity to produce up to 400kg/d of green hydrogen, equivalent to 1MW of power. Lhyfe expects offshore green hydrogen could represent 3GW of additional installed capacity for the company by 2030-35.

Lhyfe launched an office in the UK earlier this month and eyes further opportunities for offshore hydrogen production in the region. “Offshore electrolysis can help unlock the huge potential of offshore wind around the UK,” says Colin Brown, the firm’s UK and Ireland country manager.

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Author: Polly Martin