Seekers of the unknown have faced the vast oceans for centuries. Some have bested it, and some eventually became a part of it. Experts have discovered that the future of mankind lies beneath the North Sea, and that there are trillions to mine. However, the North Sea is no exception, as its strong currents have doomed many men, such as the storm in 1228 that resulted in over 100,000 deceased. Will mankind be able to best the North Sea and secure our future?

The future of mankind was discovered under the North Sea

The world is in a race against time as numerous countries try to reach their global energy goals by their deadlines. Something that could help realize the goals of decarbonising the globe’s energy structure is low-emission hydrogen. European policy-makers have taken the forefront to integrate it into their approaches to meet the global goals. The production of low-emission hydrogen has many environmental advantages, but the production process could be more challenging.

A possible solution is producing hydrogen through electrolysis, and various Northwestern European countries have planned on developing nearly 30 to 40 gigawatts (GW) of electrolyser capacity by 2030. What seems to be too ambitious could be achievable thanks to the “trillions” of liters of unexploited renewable energy and carbon storage capacity of the North Sea.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s Hydrogen Production Projects Database, North Sea projects would result in low-emission hydrogen production of nearly 3 Mt annually by 2030, which would be nearly 40% of Northwest Europe’s power output.

A hydrogen and wind energy gold mine

The North Sea is a hydrogen and wind energy gold mine for the Northwestern European countries. Europe has the chance to boost its industrial enterprise whilst building a European empire of energy elasticity by producing low-emission hydrogen by exploiting the windy waters of the North Sea. The IEA indicated that the North Sea’s offshore wind farms could power nearly 25 GW of electrolyser capacity by 2030, but only if the declared projects of respective countries become a reality.

The plan is to increase the offshore wind capacity from 30 GW to 120 GW by 2030 and then a whopping 300 GW by 2050. The increased capacity will then, in part, be utilized for the production of hydrogen. Per EURACTIV, the North Sea’s offshore wind farms have a 50% capacity factor, which is much higher than land-based wind farms, and thus boosts the consistency of power production to power hydrogen electrolysers.

The future of mankind will be about more than just power

Low-emission hydrogen is needed to decarbonise off-grid sectors. Luckily, there are many advantages to consider when it comes to the North Sea’s hydrogen and wind energy:

  • Offshore hydrogen production does not require expensive power grid expansion, whether onshore or offshore
  • It is more economical to transmit hydrogen through pipelines than to transmit power by cable over long distances
  • Electrolysers’ low-emission hydrogen will integrate offshore renewable energies into bigger power systems
  • Potential to become a hub to capture the emissions for fossil-oriented hydrogen projects
  • Lowers the dependence on fossil fuel imports, supporting energy security

Currently, 90% of fossil-oriented hydrogen projects are undertaking feasibility evaluations or are presently in the conceptualizing step. However, the required infrastructure to make all of this a reality requires a lot of funding, such as traditional state funding, private capital, and public funding. The latter will be essential to lower the risks of hydrogen projects in the initial phases.

To reap the benefits of the North Sea’s wind and hydrogen, European governments will need to integrate and simplify permitting methods and follow typical standards to ensure swift funding. From a global energy market perspective, this will boost the transition to net zero.