The system is moored in southeast China's waters off Fujian province and is capable of withstanding high waves and gusts of 8. It is an effort led by researcher Xie Heping from Shenzhen University and China's state-owned Dongfang Electric Group.
A system that harnesses both wind and solar energy to produce hydrogen at sea in China. Photo: Weibo
"It has been in continuous operation for 10 days during its first commissioning in May, marking a promising start for the prospect of offshore hydrogen production powered by renewable energy," state news agency Xinhua reported on June 5.
The 63-square-meter system includes hydrogen production equipment powered by offshore wind energy. By combining these two ingredients, the researchers created an eco-friendly floating farm that electrolyzes seawater into hydrogen without creating side effects or emissions.
Seawater is very complex to handle due to its abundance of microorganisms and suspended particles, often resulting in low electrolytic efficiency and shortened equipment life. Previous projects – such as those in the Netherlands and Germany – had to rely on desalinated seawater to produce hydrogen.
But that approach adds complexity to the process due to the need for multiple desalination equipment and large land resources, which increases both the cost of hydrogen production and the difficulty of project construction.
Xie's team first published a paper on the new process in the journal Nature last November. The solution proposed by Xie's team has been recognized by the country's Ministry of Science and Technology as one of China's top 11 scientific advances by 10.
Meanwhile, Dong Phuong Power Group has helped industrialize the production of this technology. Powered by a 10-megawatt wind turbine and equipped with a 28-kilowatt energy storage system, the floating electrolysis system maintains hydrogen production at near-absolute efficiency, the researchers say.
Furthermore, the technology costs only 11,2 yuan (US$1,57) per kilogram of hydrogen – much lower than the current mainstream hydrogen production cost from natural gas, which ranges from 20 to 24 yuan per kilogram.
Mai Van (according to SCMP, Xinhua News Agency)
