How tidal power can support green hydrogen production

Stuart Murphy, founder of TPGen24, calls for the creation of offshore tidal power islands to produce zero-carbon green hydrogen, which he argues should be the focus of the government’s Hydrogen Strategy.  

With profit-gushing oil giants now promising to ‘accelerate greening’, and post-COP26 climate-change negotiations progressing around the world, the green energy revolution is surely gathering pace.

However, the sad reality is the race to Net Zero by 2050 has barely begun. Economists warn limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius will cost many more trillions to achieve than anticipated, with vast investment required for new infrastructure, innovation, retrofitting of homes and public buildings, and seismic behavioural change, as we all strive for carbon reduction.

Time to solve deep-rooted energy and fuel problems

I believe our current strategic approach is misplaced. We focus investment on intermittent energy generation such as wind and solar, when we should be looking at a perpetual one capable of delivering green baseload. Equally, we pin our hopes on EVs, when it’s well understood there are never going to be enough resources worldwide for universal conversion and adoption.

My views on tidal range, and its potential for achieving green baseload, are well known. However, I’ve been less vocal regarding another resource on the cusp of transforming all areas of UK business and industry: hydrogen.

Hydrogen will play a key role in decarbonisation of the energy system, particularly in sectors such as industry, road freight, shipping and aviation which can’t easily be electrified. Furthermore, this fundamental element’s use for long-duration energy storage, to manage demand fluctuations in the power sector, is another big tick.

Although it’s now accepted that the demand for hydrogen is likely to be met through the production of both blue and green hydrogen, together referred to as ‘low-carbon hydrogen’, we need to focus our attention on the latter.

While blue hydrogen is derived from natural gas with production generating unacceptable amounts of CO2, green hydrogen is produced by splitting water using electrolysis that has been powered by renewable energy sources. Ultimately, it’s the cleanest option, since CO2 is not produced as a by-product, so should prioritises in investment terms.

We’ve seen some great progress made in pilots like HyNet North West and Acorn CSS. However, as is the case with tidal energy, we need to progress further and faster, moving on from research and trials, to building industrial scale plants that can start solving the planets problems.

Harnessing tidal range energy for hydrogen production

The government’s Hydrogen Strategy, published last year, has a goal of 5GW production ambition by 2030. To me this seems painfully modest and short-sighted. A major existing conundrum is that hydrogen capture is energy intensive, and yields don’t equal or match the amount of power required to produce it. So, what’s the solution?

A logical and wholly achievable way forward is to create offshore tidal power islands which can also produce hydrogen at a competitive strike price, independent of the grid.

This is where tidal range systems can step in to deliver real value. For example, by using a lagoon or tank-based system (like my own TPGen24), attached to a hydrogen capture plant, it becomes possible to share the same raw material: seawater.

Huge advances have been made in electrolysing hydrogen from seawater, known as seawater splitting, and it’s time to capitalise on these.

A recent example would be the work of German industrial conglomerate ThyssenKrup, which is so confident in its ability to drive down the cost of seawater splitting, it has indicated the float of 25% of its hydrogen gas producing subsidiary. With an order book already around €1 Billion it is a firm committed to scaling up the industry sooner than later.

That’s not all, to drive down the cost of electrolysis water they are proposing, guess what? A water-based energy solution to deliver the perpetual power which wind and solar just cannot deliver.

As you can see, this proposal offers the potential for a self-sustaining resource, simultaneously realising the benefits of tidal energy and hydrogen fuel.

Long-term economic benefits

There are so many benefits beyond the core clean fuel and energy production. Investment into plants that combine tidal range energy and hydrogen production, would create thousands of jobs, and instigate much-needed urban renewal infrastructure developments, while also nurturing the net zero revolution.

Going even further, a whole new industry can build up around hydrogen, encompassing everything from hydrogen vehicles to zero-emission HVAC systems. It’s a win-win all round, UK manufacturing gets a powerful shot in the arm, with the longer-term opportunity to export our expertise and 24/7 generating platforms around the world.

Green hydrogen production and logistics will be essential in the coming decades, ensuring businesses and consumers in the future with hydrogen-powered vehicles and machinery can access green hydrogen to fuel them. What’s needed now is for the Government to show its commitment to the sector by investing in the entire green hydrogen supply chain, from production, to end user access to this amazing fuel.

Time is running out, so let’s convert the academic conversations into actions, and make our visions into reality so we can kick our high-carbon addiction for good.