The Hydrogen Wind Turbine: Design of a wind turbine optimised for hydrogen production

“Green” hydrogen produced using electrolysis and zero-carbon electricity may be a path for the EU to reduce its dependence on natural gas imports and support the green transition. The EU uses 10 Mt of natural gas yearly for hydrogen production, representing a potential 120 GW market for the wind industry. Placing the hydrogen production (electrolysers) near the energy source (wind turbines) instead of the consumer (e.g. fertiliser producers) changes the energy transportation from power to hydrogen and opens new design possibilities. This work investigates how an off-grid wind turbine designed for hydrogen production may differ from a traditional one. The paper first describes the numerical modelling framework used to estimate the hydrogen production and cost of a “hydrogen wind turbine.” The main parameters of the system (generator rating, rotor diameter, electrolyser rating and battery capacity) are then optimised to reduce the levelised cost of hydrogen (LCOH). Results show that an LCOH-optimised wind turbine should have a lower specific power (i.e. a larger rotor) than an LCOE-optimised design. We find a 7% LCOH reduction compared to the reference system, opening the door for future wind turbines designed directly for hydrogen production.