Technology assessment of components, grid layouts, and configurations in offshore green hydrogen production systems

Offshore wind hydrogen production systems (OWHPS) have recently emerged as a solution for decreasing the cost of green hydrogen. This paper addresses a technology assessment of the components, system configurations and grid layouts for OWHPS. Three system configurations, including decentralized, centralized offshore, and centralized onshore electrolysis are studied. The decentralized configuration benefits from lowest electrical grid cost but suffers from higher power fluctuations, which can be problematic for Alkaline electrolyzers. The centralized onshore solution is easiest to implement and has least threat on marine life but requires costly electrical grid. For each configuration, different grid layouts are presented with consideration of wind turbine voltage levels (MV/LV), wind farm internal grid types (MVDC, MVAC) and transmission grid types (HVAC, HVDC). Assessment of the grid layouts showcases how design goals, such as reducing the number of conversion stages and minimizing the footprint can be realized through proper grid layout design.