CNH2 and PLOCAN Collaborate on Use of Hydrogen in Marine Field

The National Hydrogen Centre (CNH2) and the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) will boost the collaboration of their infrastructures and resources in the production of hydrogen from renewable energies as an energy vector in the marine field and in sea applications.

The National Hydrogen Centre and the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands will join efforts to accelerate the energy transition in the offshore field, because the combination of capabilities and synergies between research infrastructures is essential. They must serve the social demand and the business sector in order to achieve the challenges which are set in the 2030 Agenda for energy transition.

The next generation of multipurpose harvesting systems of marine resources will be introduced in a sustainable manner, consolidating hydrogen and water as vectors for high value-added energy storage (MUSICA project).

The CNH2 is managed by the Consortium for the design, construction, equipment and operation of the National Center for Hydrogen Technology Experiment and Fuel Cells, with the participation of the Ministry of Science and Innovation (50%) and the Castile-La Mancha Region (50%). The CNH2 has a team of excellence in hydrogen research which is specially aimed at optimizing and reducing costs in technologies for the generation and use of renewable hydrogen as an energy vector.

The National Hydrogen Centre boosts the use of hydrogen in ports (H2ports, Implementing fuel cells and Hydrogen technologies in PORTS), promoting efficient solutions to facilitate a rapid evolution from a fossil fuel industry to a low-carbon sector.

The CNH2 develops technical-economic studies on the use of electrolyzers and storage systems in marine environments such as the SHIPS4BLUE project, which objective is to analyze an innovative system for the generation of off-shore wind energy by a wingsail technology to produce energy and to study its economic and market prospects.

Furthermore, the CNH2 has participated in the RENOVAGAS project, which objective is to develop a synthetic natural gas (SNG) pilot plant based on electrolytic hydrogen production using renewable energy and its methanation with CO2 from Biogas, making the natural gas obtained totally renewable and with a quality enough to be injected directly into the natural gas network. Actually, the National Hydrogen Centre is leading the IMPROVEMENT project (Integration of combined cooling, heating and power microgrids in zero-energy public buildings under high power quality and continuity of service requirements), which aims to face the challenge of the integration of renewable energies and improve the energy efficiency of public buildings in which, due to their field of activity, quality and continuity of supply must be considered fundamental aspects.

PLOCAN is developing new ways for knowledge and technologies for the sustainable use of energies in the marine environment, specially in the field of offshore wind and wave energy, boosting the testing and demonstration of technologies at sea. Experimental prototype testing in the environment is essential to improve its performance, eliminate risks and provide experimental evidence of business models.

PLOCAN provides test area of ​​more than 20 km2 in the waters of Gran Canaria, including an offshore experimental platform capable of simulating multipurpose service models to technologies installed far from the coast. PLOCAN executes more than 40 active projects, which include experimental devices for offshore wind energy such as FLOTANT, PIVOTBUOY or ELICAN or WIP10 +, in addition to others for marine energy (WAVEPISTON of BLUE-GIFT).

Both infrastructures have funding from ERDF funds, which contribute to the development of their activities.