Following changes in the OYSTER consortium and a re-evaluation of the project’s scope, the OYSTER consortium members agreed to take the decision to terminate the OYSTER project. This decision was taken in the context of significant shifts in the offshore sector and technical challenges associated with innovative projects of this nature.
The project nonetheless made important steps towards the goal of a marinized electrolyser, while advancing the overall sector’s expansion into the offshore space.
• Progress towards the design of a marinized electrolyser was achieved. The requirements of marinizing an electrolyser, and thus the componentry with the highest risk of failure, were identified to inform the future design of such a system.
• Developed system modelling for connection to a wind turbine. Timeseries analyses were undertaken to simulate the electrolyser’s connection to an offshore wind turbine across a range of power generation scenarios. This data
• A range of deliverables were produced, covering topics including potential arrangements of offshore wind turbines integrated with an offshore electrolyser, power electronics for the pilot plant, information pertaining to the location of deployment sites, and a techno-economic assessment for offshore hydrogen production.
• A range of factors related to the operating procedure for an offshore electrolyser were explored, covering health and safety, technical, and economic aspects.
• The project formed partnerships with stakeholders in both the offshore and hydrogen sectors, helping to bring together these two sides to realize progress on the deployment of offshore hydrogen platforms and utilize existing offshore wind infrastructure.
• The geographic focus on the North Sea region brought greater attention to this area’s unique contributions to the clean energy transition and the further development of hydrogen infrastructure.
