Offshore Hydrogen Production, Storage and Transportation: Which Solutions for Short Term Deployment?

Scope of the paper is to present a portfolio of promising design solutions currently available for the hydrogen value chain offshore and identify the most promising architectures for their deployment. Hydrogen value chain is broken down by function and then by single process unit where applicable. Comparison of different design choices (i.e centralised vs. decentralised) is provided based on the application of different Hydrogen production pathways and technologies and use of intermediate or final energy carrying methods (e.g. Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers, ammonia and ammonia carriers). A section is dedicated to pipeline transport offshore analyzing at high level the technology readiness also in terms of in-line subsea equipment. There are technologies or solutions at a lower readiness or in need of testing activity for confirming on a scientific basis the suitability for both Hydrogen and Offshore environment. The tests or initiatives required for gap areas are described. In the analysis of the value chain, the "direct offshore use" for decarbonizing the shipping business is also analyzed considering the strong contribution of the sector in reaching the decarbonization target. The analysis of the data collected through design cases application and market scouting offers a valid compass in the selection of the most suitable solution, even though, momentarily, some scenarios seem to be far from being achieved in the short term. The paper gives a picture of how the energy transition focused on Hydrogen technologies and applied offshore is taking shape through a critical review of the data, the initiatives, the claims available along the supply chain from energy production to energy storage, transport and use. The overall conclusion is that the hydrogen value chain offshore is not only applicable but when based on lean, simple solutions, it promises to be very effective to concur to the net zero objective.