Decarbonizing an Offshore Microgrid with Green Hydrogen: The PLOCAN case study driven by the H2Verde Project
A. Romero-Filgueira(1,2), M.J. Pérez-Molina(1,2), J.A. Carta(2), P. Cabrera(2) 1. Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN). Telde, Spain 2. Group for the Research on Renewable Energy Systems (GRRES), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Gran Canaria, Spain 2025-07-25

Abstract

This paper presents the method used for designingthe smart grid for PLOCAN’s offshore platform, which aims to fully decarbonize the platform through a baseline renewable energy system, consisting of photovoltaic and wind power generation, along with electrical and chemical energy storage using renewable hydrogen. However, given PLOCAN’s role as a testbed for the validation of marine technologies, the grid design must account for the integration of various marine-based power generation systems, thereby influencing the sizing of the installed equipment.

The electrical system has been modelled using HOMER software, which generated multiple scenarios. The selected scenario ensures the primary function of PLOCAN’s Smart Grid: the integration of prototypes during their testing campaigns, in addition to minimizing pollutant emissions associated with the offshore platform’s activities. The decarbonization and functional requirements impose constraints on decision-making, preventing certain optimizations that are typically applied to conventional self-consumption grids based solely on techno-economic criteria

Key words: Microgrid, green hydrogen, decarbonization.

References

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