Energy provider Ørsted announced today its final investment decision on the H2RES renewable hydrogen demonstration project, which will be the company’s first in operation. The Copenhagen-based facility will utilize offshore wind energy to power the hydrogen electrolysis process, using Ørsted’s two 3.6 MW offshore wind turbines at Avedøre Holme. According to Ørsted, the H2RES project will investigate how to best combine an electrolyser with the fluctuating power supply from offshore wind. The project is expected to begin producing hydrogen in late 2021.

Hydrogen is viewed as one of the key building blocks of the transition to a cleaner energy future, given its ability to act both as a clean energy carrier and fuel, as well as a CO2-neutral feedstock for the production of green chemicals. Despite being the most abundant element in the universe, however, there are no pure hydrogen deposits on earth, and it must be extracted from other materials. The extraction process often creates pollutants and GHG emissions. Renewable hydrogen, on the other hand, relies on a renewable source of energy such as wind or solar to power the electrolysis process to extract hydrogen from water, with oxygen released as a byproduct.

Martin Neubert, Executive Vice President and CEO of Ørsted Offshore, said:

“We see renewable hydrogen and other sustainable fuels as cornerstones in reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, and H2RES will contribute with key learnings to turn Europe’s ambitious build-out targets for renewable hydrogen into a new industrial success story. With the right framework in place that incentivises the shift away from fossil fuels, renewable hydrogen can decarbonise transport and heavy industry, which is paramount to creating a world that runs entirely on green energy.”

According to Ørsted, the project will have a capacity of 2 MW, and will produce up to around 1,000 kg of renewable hydrogen daily, which will be used to fuel road transport in Greater Copenhagen and on Zealand.

Anders Nordstrøm, Vice President and Head of Ørsted’s hydrogen activities, said:

“Renewable hydrogen will be a cornerstone in achieving Denmark’s ambitious decarbonisation target. H2RES is an example of how public co-funding coupled with a committed hydrogen industry and ambitious offtakers can drive the decarbonisation of the transport sector. H2RES is a small but important step towards large-scale renewable hydrogen production, and it will allow us to demonstrate how offshore wind combined with onshore electrolysis can offer decarbonisation beyond direct electrification.”