Exploring the Shetland Islands’ potential as a green e-hydrogen export hub for Europe

Transitioning away from fossil fuels is essential for reducing carbon emissions and meeting the European Union's 2050 climate goals. Hydrogen and power-to-X products are central to this transition. However, this requires massive amounts of renewable electricity which will be a challenge for the more densely populated areas of mainland Europe and as a result will have to be imported. Shetland is an attractive location to import from due to their incredible renewable energy resources and its proximity to mainland Europe. This study investigates the opportunities of Shetland as a hydrogen exporter into the European Union in 2050 in three different scenarios using EnergyPLAN. The results suggest that Shetland has the potential to export over 626 TWh H2,LHV of green e-hydrogen produced mainly from offshore wind and wave power to mainland Europe using a pipeline at the cost of 77.6 €/MWh H2,LHV (2.35 €/kg H2 ). Alternatively, green e-hydrogen produced partially from onshore wind power and mainly from wave power, can be exported in smaller volumes of 391 TWh H2,LHV annually at 70.6 €/MWh H2,LHV (2.14 €/kg H2 ). For the first time delivered e-hydrogen from offshore renewable energy sources has been documented to be cheaper than from onshore due to scaling of production and transport costs. • The Shetland energy system was modelled for 2019, 2035 and 2050 • Shetland has great potential to be an exporter of e-hydrogen by 2050 • Export potential of 626 TWh/a of green e-hydrogen at 77.6 €/MWh (2.35€/kg) • Cheaper delivered e-hydrogen from offshore energy sources than onshore sources