French green hydrogen production specialist Lhyfe has announced the operating results of its offshore hydrogen production pilot platform, Sealhyfe, confirming the initial objectives have been met with valuable insights gathered for the large-scale HOPE project.
After 14 months of testing, including in particularly tough conditions, Sealhyfe was brought back with its full production capacity intact and with a wealth of insights that are already benefiting Lhyfe’s onshore and offshore projects, the French company said.
The Sealhyfe project, equipped with a 1 MW electrolyser supplied by Plug, aimed to demonstrate that producing hydrogen offshore from renewable energy sources is already a reality.
As offshore hydrogen production is particularly relevant for providing services to the electricity grid, Lhyfe repeatedly tested the system’s versatility and responsiveness in a wide range of configurations.
The experiment also confirmed the system’s ability to manage the variability of wind power in specific offshore conditions.
The electrolysis system was operated as part of the planned research tests, including at maximum production capacity. The performance achieved was as high as on land, confirming the reliability of the installation, according to Lhyfe.
The demonstration made it possible to validate the software and algorithms for producing green and renewable hydrogen, and to reduce the number of operations required in the marine environment.
In total, Lhyfe carried out fewer than ten maintenance operations and the system was operated for 70% of the operating time, the company said.
The results of the trial are already being incorporated into the HOPE project, which represents the second stage in Lhyfe’s offshore ambitions.
The project, which Lhyfe presented with a consortium of nine partners, was selected by the European Commission for a $21.8 million (€20 million) grant as part of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, along with an additional $13 million (€13 million) grant from the Belgian government.
From 2026, this large-scale project, with 10 MW capacity, will be able to produce up to 4 tons per day of green hydrogen at sea, which will be exported ashore by pipeline, and then compressed and delivered to customers, according to project partners.
Lhyfe’s ambition is to have a production capacity of up to 22 tons of green hydrogen per day by the end of 2024 and up to 80 tons per day by 2026
“The positive results of the Sealhyfe trial and the lessons we have learned from it represent a major new step for Lhyfe. We can now draw on our experience of three onshore sites and one offshore site to design our next green hydrogen production sites.
"This bolsters our expertise and the confidence of our partners, and supports the entire industry, because Sealhyfe has made offshore hydrogen production a reality” said Matthieu Guesné, Founder and CEO of Lhyfe.