AquaVentus, which is a German-led offshore wind-to-hydrogen initiative, and Hydrogen Scotland, the industry association, have gone on to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that intends to make the hydrogen production & transport across the North Sea region more robust.
By way of joining forces, the two associations look forward to advancing the development as well as the rollout of technologies throughout the entire value chain, right from production, by way of transport as well as storage, to the usage of hydrogen when it comes to the decarbonization of the energy system.
Besides, both the organizations come with an intent to intensify their respective research activities and also advocate jointly for an accelerated ramp-up when it comes to the European hydrogen economy.
The CEO of Hydrogen Scotland, Nigel Holmes, said that Scotland happens to be very uniquely positioned so as to become one of the leading exporters when we talk of green hydrogen, all thanks to the massive offshore along with the onshore wind potential. Through working pretty closely with AquaVentus, they are on the path to build a bridge across the North Sea, not only between the two countries but also for a completely authentic European hydrogen market. This collaboration is indeed going to prove to be a milestone so as to decarbonize the energy systems on both sides.
The Chairman of AquaVentus, Jörg Singer, said that Germany, being the largest industrial hub of Europe, goes on to depend on supplies of green hydrogen that are dependable. Working with their partners in Scotland happens to open up a certain massive set of opportunities – they are combining offshore wind and electrolysis as well as a joint pipeline infrastructure. Hence, in this way, they happen to come up with a security of supply and economic prospects, along with genuine added value in terms of energy transition throughout Europe.
It is worth noting that offshore wind energy coming from the North Sea is anticipated to play a major role in offering climate-neutral energy to the surrounding nations. So as to ensure that this energy gets used in an efficient form, combined infrastructures like electricity grids as well as hydrogen pipelines are indeed pretty essential. In this regard, AquaVentus as well as Hydrogen Scotland are stressing linking wind power, the European hydrogen backbone, and offshore electrolysis.
It is quite important to mention the fact that the initiative from AquaVentus looks forward to producing one million tonnes of green hydrogen every year from wind energy in the North Sea and thereafter transporting it to land through a pipeline. As reported, over 100 companies and organizations, as well as research institutes along the complete value chain, have gone ahead and joined forces in order to create the framework conditions for the installation of 10 gigawatts (GW) of green hydrogen production capacity coming from offshore wind energy in the North Sea throughout Europe and to also come up with the mandated transport infrastructure.
In the case of Hydrogen Scotland, the association happens to have over 200 members, which includes the likes of industry, the city as well as the local authorities, academia, and also development agencies. The organization goes on to support the development when it comes to low-carbon as well as energy-efficient technologies.
German-British hydrogen collaboration
In addition to the signing of the MoU, AquaVentus went ahead and published a position paper that happens to address how the requirements when we talk of German-British cooperation can be met.
It is also understood that the paper underscores the potential when it comes to hydrogen production & transport in Scotland, the requirements of imports as far as Germany is concerned, and also the references to transport infrastructure, which are already under planning. There are three prerequisites that can be termed as essential: producers and consumers networking across national borders, the harmonization when it comes to regulatory frameworks, and also the development from a national core network to being the European hydrogen backbone.
