Assessing operational profiles for offshore renewable energy: a data-driven approach for hydrogen production feasibility

The integration of offshore renewable energy with hydrogen production presents a promising pathway for decarbonization. However, the variability of metocean conditions introduces challenges in determining reliable operational windows for energy conversion processes. This study presents a systematic approach to analysing historical wind and wave records to assess operational and downtime periods for floating wind-hydrogen systems (FWHS).

Using the IEA 15-MW reference wind turbine power curve, we estimate power generation and energy production at the ScotWind NE8 site based on several years of hindcast metocean data. By evaluating wind speed, wind turbine (WT) power output, and typical operating requirements for various alkaline electrolyser (AEK) rated capacities, we compute performance profiles for both the WT and the hydrogen facility. This analysis includes estimations of electrolyser energy consumption, curtailed WT energy, capacity factors and operational/downtime frequencies.
Through persistence and exceedance/non-exceedance analyses, we characterise operational and downtime events relative to offshore hydrogen production thresholds. Preliminary results indicate that while the 15-MW WT achieves a good capacity factor, wind resource variability still impacts hydrogen production. However, integrating other offshore energy (ORE) resources, such as wave energy, could significantly mitigate these effects. Indeed, an initial assessment of wave conditions suggest that sustained suitable wave conditions at the installation site could substantially reduce operational downtime and under-rated hydrogen production. These insights contribute to optimising offshore renewable energy utilization and enhancing the economic viability of offshore hydrogen production through ORE resource complementarity.