Siemens sees wind as a component of green hydrogen development
German renewable energy company Siemens Gamesa said June 9 it was looking at wind energy to help power electrolysers to produce green hydrogen.
The company unveiled a whitepaper, Unlocking the Green Hydrogen Revolution, that showcases how green hydrogen could become cost effective by drawing on wind energy resources to help fuel the process.
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Siemens Gamesa CEO Andreas Nauen said that it took decades for wind and solar to reach price parity with some of its fossil fuel counterparts. Though hydrogen is still in the nascent stage, the mounting international issues stemming from climate change suggests time is of the essence.
“When it comes to green hydrogen, we need to act now,” he said.
Costs, however, can be an impediment, he said, so there should be a collaborative approach between policymakers and would-be investors on the best way to build up the supply chain and necessary infrastructure to support green hydrogen development.
At the moment, Siemens estimates the greatest cost for green hydrogen is powering the electrolysers that split water into hydrogen and oxygen. In theory, it said, green hydrogen could be cost competitive as early as 2030 by using wind as a power source.
Siemens Gas & Power last year teamed up with French major Total, now dubbed TotalEnergies, to work on concepts for green liquefied natural gas (LNG) production. The ultimate aim is to decarbonise liquefaction, an energy-intensive industrial process.
Siemens Gamesa is already testing wind as a source for green energy at a facility in Denmark.
“In addition, Siemens Gamesa and Siemens Energy announced that they were joining forces contributing their developments to an innovative solution that fully integrates an electrolyser into an offshore wind turbine as a single synchronised system to directly produce green hydrogen,” the renewable energy company said. “The solution will lower the cost of hydrogen by being able to run off grid, opening up more and better wind sites.”