ERM Dolphyn ERM Dolphyn Green Hydrogen

ERM Dolphyn – Green hydrogen production at scale from floating offshore wind

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4GW is sufficient to supply heat to more than 1.5 million homes with no carbon emissions

1.5m

Hydrogen from ERM Dolphyn has the potential to replace 50% of gas by 2065

50%

It is estimated that around 80% of the world's offshore wind resource potential is in waters deeper than 60m

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Why is hydrogen important?

80%

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ERM Dolphyn

Green hydrogen production at scale from floating offshore wind

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ERM has developed a concept design for the production of large scale ‘green’ hydrogen from offshore floating wind. The Dolphyn concept employs a modular design, integrating electrolysis and a wind turbine on a moored floating sub-surface structure to produce hydrogen from seawater using wind power as the energy source.

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Green hydrogen development at scale

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Concept select and FEED

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First commercial offshore hydrogen windfarms

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GW Scale offshore windfarms

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Phase 1 evaluated the technical and economic development status of relevant technologies and selected the overall design concept for Dolphyn. The selected design was taken forward to the FEED stage.

Concept select and FEED

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ERM Dolphyn has developed a concept design for the production of large scale ‘green’ hydrogen from offshore floating wind. The ERM Dolphyn concept employs a modular design, integrating electrolysis and a wind turbine on a moored floating sub-structure to produce hydrogen from seawater using wind power as the energy source.

To meet carbon targets in the UK and more widely around the world, it is now increasingly accepted that hydrogen needs to be a significant component in any viable long-term solution for heat, electricity generation and transport. ERM’s Dolphyn (Deepwater Offshore Local Production of HYdrogeN) project, which is first of a kind, is an innovative integrated system combining all of the technologies required to bring the latest floating wind and hydrogen production technologies together to enable offshore wind resources to contribute toward hydrogen production at scale.

Hydrogen is a unique and versatile fuel perfect for a low carbon economy. When hydrogen combusts it only produces water vapour making it a zero-emission fuel. The lack of carbon emissions makes it a core component of a cleaner energy future worldwide.

Hydrogen Fundamentals

Yes – however it requires care and safe handling. Some properties of hydrogen make it safer than other conventional fuels, for example it does not produce carbon monoxide when burned and its high buoyancy means that it disperses more readily than other flammable gases. This is countered by lower ignition energy. Overall, the risk levels are likely to be comparable to those of natural gas.

Is hydrogen safe?

Hydrogen can be produced by the electrolysis of water i.e. using an electric current to break water (H2O) into its elemental components: hydrogen and oxygen. If the electric current is produced using renewable energy, the hydrogen produced is considered clean and known as ‘green’ hydrogen.

What is green hydrogen?

Hydrogen is well suited to a variety of applications. Hydrogen can replace natural gas in homes and industry. Hydrogen fuel cells power electric motors. Hydrogen fuel can be used for cars, trains, boats, airplanes and even rockets.

What can hydrogen be used for?

Between three to four litres of water is needed to produce the equivalent volume of hydrogen as 1 litre of petrol. The water flowing into a 10MW ERM Dolphyn unit is equivalent to that of a flowing bath tap.

How much water is needed to produce hydrogen?

The cost of hydrogen production is already competitive with fuels for some applications. As technology improves, the cost of hydrogen is coming down all the time. Through the ERM Dolphyn project we expect to eventually produce green hydrogen that is a similar price to natural gas.

What is the cost of hydrogen?

The various technologies that are being combined for the ERM Dolphyn concept, such as offshore floating wind and water electrolysis, are proven and commercially available. Through their combination, ERM Dolphyn is able to access the massive offshore wind resources in deep water far from the coast to deliver economic green hydrogen back to shore via pipeline.

Why offshore wind?

The project is currently at FEED stage and we are looking to get a turbine in the water by the early-mid 2020's. We are also working with stakeholder to identify and progress commercial scale project opportunities.

What stage of development is ERM Dolphyn at?

Early 2020’s

ERM Dolphyn 800

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ERM Dolphyn pre-commercial project

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Early-Mid 2020’s

Mid-late 2020’s

Early 2030’s

Government backs ERM's Dolphyn floating hydrogen production technology

Environment Analyst

Floating wind-to-hydrogen plan to heat millions of UK homes

Recharge

ERM Dolphyn gets go ahead to develop green hydrogen at scale from offshore wind

Case Study

ERM

ERM Dolphyn Project Scoops £3.1M UK Clean Hydrogen Prize

Offshore Energy

ERM’s Dolphyn project awarded Grand Prix winner in the UK Innovation Project of the Year, 2020

Case Study

ERM

ERM Dolphyn hydrogen project receives £427,000

H2-View

In the News

We are grateful to our sub-contractors who are providing the technical engineering support to make ERM Dolphyn a reality. The ERM Dolphyn project would not have been possible without support and funding from the UK Government under its ‘Hydrogen Supply Programme’.

Control Deck

Chemical Storage

Anchoring to sea bed

Hydrogen out to manifold (Medium Pressure)

Seawater in

Electrolyser unit

Hydrogen storage

Desalination unit

Solar panels on upper deck (above control room deck)

Project Schematics

10 MW Turbine (Floating Deepwater)

10 MW Turbine (Floating Deepwater) 20 X 20 Array 4 GW

Schematic - Deck Details

Cross section

Schematic for ERM Dolphyn and Hydrogen End Users

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Phase 2 involves the detailed design, construction and commissioning of ERM Dolphyn 800: the 2MW turbine. This will lead to the operation of ERM Dolphyn 800 off the coast of Aberdeen and the sale of hydrogen to the local market.

ERM Dolphyn 800

Phase 2 involves the accelerated design, construction and commissioning of at least one ERM Dolphyn 10MW unit. This will lead to the operation of ERM Dolphyn off the coast of Aberdeen and the scale of hydrogen to the local market.

10MW pre-commercial unit:

Phase 3 involves the development of multiple commercial scale offshore windfarms in the UK and possibly oversees. These will comprise a minimum of 10 x 10MW units in the North Sea off Scotland, the Celtic Sea off South Wales and other global locations.

First commercial offshore hydrogen windfarms:

Phase 4 involves the development of the first full scale offshore hydrogen windfarms. These will be in the UK and oversees with the Dolphyn being particularly suitable for regions such as UK, Japan, China and Europe, where there are significant offshore wind resources residing in the deep water (<60m).

GW scale offshore windfarms

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Hydrogen Supply Competition Phase 2 successful projects

GOV.UK

‘World first’ floating green hydrogen project coming to Aberdeen

Energy Voice

World's largest floating wind farm to power landmark green hydrogen project

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Early-Mid 2020s

ERM Dolphyn has the potential to supply energy to heat more than 1.5 million homes with no carbon emissions.

ERM website

The global race to produce hydrogen offshore

BBC

ERM’s Dolphyn project awarded Grand Prix winner in the UK Innovation Project of the Year, 2020

Case Study

ERM

Opportunity for the world’s first combined floating wind & green hydrogen project

ERM

ERM Dolphyn and Source Energie announce plans to develop Gigawatt scale “green hydrogen” floating wind sites in the Celtic Sea

ERM

ERM Dolphyn and Source Energie announce plans to develop Gigawatt scale “green hydrogen” floating wind sites in the Celtic Sea

ERM

UK Government Awards ERM £9m to Accelerate Innovation in Low Carbon Hydrogen

ERM

Source Energie welcomes Crown Estate’s floating offshore wind proposals for the Celtic Sea ...

ERM