Hyacint project aims to reduce curtailment

At the end of last year, WaterstofNet launched the Hyacint project, which stands for Hydrogen to Avoid Curtailment in Turbine Farms. The study project receives support from the Energy Transition Fund (ETF) of the FPS Economy and will run for two years. During the kick-off meeting, WaterstofNet welcomed project partners Sirris and Vrije Universiteit Brussel at the Open Manufacturing Campus to exchange their initial expertise.

The study project investigates how curtailment — the shutdown of wind turbines due to factors such as negative electricity prices or grid stability issues — can be avoided. One potential solution is linking offshore electricity production to hydrogen production. The number of hours during which electricity prices drop below zero has been increasing every year. This is one of the reasons wind turbines are shut down, which in the long term can also contribute, for example, to accelerated fatigue and reduced lifetime of wind turbine foundations.

Outlining a future demonstration project

Within Hyacint, the partners are exploring several scenarios, including offshore bunkering possibilities, offshore or onshore hydrogen production, and power-to-power applications. In addition to the technical aspects, the project also analyses the economic feasibility of these concepts.

At the beginning of this year, offshore wind and hydrogen experts will support the project through a first advisory board. Ultimately, Hyacint aims to translate its findings into guidelines for a concrete demonstration project linked to an existing wind farm off the Belgian coast.