The HyFloat1 Project will develop a novel floating offshore wind foundation system coupled with hydrogen storage. The project has been funded by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.
The potential energy that can be generated from deep water floating offshore wind (FOW) in many countries including Ireland is very large but cannot be fully absorbed by the domestic electricity markets alone. Hydrogen storage systems that are directly coupled to FOW will reduce costs and increase revenues. Storing hydrogen locally at FOW turbines or farms is a promising future technology.
Several existing FOW foundations will be numerically assessed and modified for storing hydrogen. FOW foundations with hydrogen storage and subject to wind turbine and hydrodynamic loads will be analysed. Hydrogen production, pumping and storage in FOW foundations will then be optimised. The Hyfloat1 project will be aligned to the UCC MaREI Centre’s H-Wind project that broadly looks at hydrogen production from OWFs, customer value chain, hydrogen safety, and Irish offshore wind – hydrogen regional hubs.
The appointee will be expected to:
- Contribute to the development of concepts of hydrogen storage by using floating foundations and necessary improvements.
- Develop finite element structural models of floating foundations storing hydrogen under operating wind turbine, electrolysers and environmental loads.
- Optimise design of hybrid floating wind and hydrogen storage systems based on structural analysis
- Contribute to the project communication and dissemination activities.
The Leahy research group addresses critical problems in eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from energy systems and land use. The successful candidate will join a team of ten international researchers from diverse backgrounds in Engineering and Land Use science. The HyFloat1 project is closely linked to the H-Wind project and the candidate will work alongside the H-Wind team. The group communicates its research in international conferences and in leading journals such as the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, and participates in international initiatives such as the International Energy Agency.
The successful applicant will be based in UCC’s Ellen Hutchins Building in the Environmental Research Institute (ERI) (https://www.ucc.ie/en/eri/), which is an internationally-recognised institute for environmental research dedicated to the understanding and protection of our natural environment and to developing innovative technologies, tools and services to facilitate a transformation to a zero-carbon and resource-efficient society. Overlooking a protected natural reserve and the River Lee, the ERI is a welcoming, diverse and modern workplace.
The MaREI Centre of Energy, Climate and Marine (www.marei.ie) is the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) centre of excellence in Energy, Climate and Marine research in Ireland. The MaREI Centre includes 13 Universities, Third Level Institutes and Research Organisations, has 103 industrial partners and has research funding of approximately €60m. It combines the expertise of a wide range of research groups and industry partners, with the shared mission of solving the main scientific, technical and socio-economic challenges across the energy, climate and marine domains. Researchers in the MaREI Centre have over 30 years of experience in conducting fundamental and applied research supported by competitively won national and international funding, and commercial contracts with government agencies and industry. MaREI’s strengths lie in the multi-disciplinary nature of its research teams, allowing it to combine insights across areas such as Marine Renewable Energy Technologies, Materials & Structures, Observations & Operations, Coastal & Marine Systems, Bioenergy, Circular Economy, Energy Policy & Modelling, and Renewable Energy Management.
