Profit-driven power dispatch and profitability assessment of offshore hydrogen-producing wind turbines with low-grade waste-heat utilization

This paper proposes a profit-driven power allocation strategy and provides a comprehensive profitability assessment for offshore hydrogen-producing wind turbines (OHP-WTs) that integrate low-grade waste heat recovery. Given the lack of high-grade thermal energy in remote offshore settings, this study uniquely integrates solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) directly onto individual turbine platforms, leveraging converter and turbine-generated low-grade thermal losses. A particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is utilized to optimize the nonlinear electrical and thermal power allocation, explicitly considering electricity-hydrogen price differentials and converter efficiency variations. The proposed model evaluates operational economics across various wind speed regimes, revealing key thresholds for profitable hydrogen production. Results from a case study using real offshore wind distribution data demonstrate significant profitability improvements, with annual profits outperforming baseline grid-only strategies by 653,022 EUR. Further analysis delineates critical wind speed thresholds at different hydrogen-electricity price points, providing valuable operational insights. Overall, the research underscores the economic viability and enhanced profitability achievable by coupling offshore wind turbines with decentralized hydrogen production and waste heat recovery systems.