# Innovative Strategies for Combining Solar and Wind Energy with Green Hydrogen Systems
## 4 Case Studies and Applications
### Case Study 1: Regional Implementation  
The EU aims to attain carbon neutrality by 2050, as detailed in the 2020 European Green Agreement [56]. Expanding renewable energy sources is crucial for achieving this ambitious goal. The European Union's market is expected to experience an increase in energy demand for hydrogen and electricity [57]. Other sectors are electrifying, which is causing a significant increase in electricity demand. On the other hand, hydrogen is especially important in difficult-to-electrify regions. Hydrogen can be used or converted into methanol, methane, ammonia, or Fischer-Tropsch fuels for shipping and aviation, as well as feedstocks in the chemical sector and steelmaking. The integration of offshore wind farms with green H\({}_{2}\) generation is increasingly centered around the North Sea area, specifically in offshore Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK. This area is perfect for producing wind energy on a large scale due to its high wind speeds. Additional help for the combination of renewable energy and H\({}_{2}\) generation comes from the presence of coastal areas and pre-existing facilities. Hydrogen is produced by electrolyzers powered by excess electricity produced by wind farms in the Northern Germany region, especially in Schleswig-Holstein. Once delivered or stored, this hydrogen can be used for a variety of purposes, such as industrial activities and transportation [57]. Many believe that the European North Sea, with its relatively shallow waters, presents a suitable location for offshore wind energy and has the potential to become an energy hub in order to meet this growing need. Due to this, the governments of the nation's bordering the North Sea have pledged to build offshore wind farms in the region capable of producing at least 300 GW by 2050. For various reasons, including its seasonal synchronization with demand, its abundant supply in Europe, its affordability, its role in energy security and tactical autonomy, and the existence of a competitive EU wind sector, wind energy is crucial in this context. Offshore wind has the potential to be significant, particularly for green H\({}_{2}\) and its derivatives. By 2030, the North Sea's anticipated cost-effective wind capacity of 635 GW could supply a significant amount of Europe's electricity needs. With 200 million people living in high-demand areas and 20% of Europe's GDP, the prospect is not only enormous but also well located [58]. The slow growth of onshore wind energy due to societal acceptance challenges [59] highlights the relevance of offshore wind energy, which has minimal acceptance issues [60]. The projected technological onshore wind capacity in Europe is 13.4 TW [61], while the European wind industry expects to deploy 1 TW by 2050. To effectively exploit the North Sea's wind potential, floating wind turbines must be deployed. Floating wind turbines enable the utilization of wind resources in deep oceans with relatively high capacity factors, constituting the next frontier in the offshore wind sector [62]. Pilot projects in Spain and Scotland have demonstrated the practicality of floating wind. Even though industrial floating wind installations are rare in Europe, the business is rapidly growing, with many projects scheduled to be functional by 2030 [63]. In the United Kingdom, for instance, shallow water seabeds are already totally reserved for fixed-bottom turbines. As a result, floating wind appears to be the only viable alternative for exploiting the rest of the offshore seabed. As a result, the UK has launched auctions for seabed licenses designed specifically for floating wind projects. Integrating North Sea wind energy into the onshore energy grid presents considerable hurdles due to the need for additional long-range transmission facilities. Transmission system operators (TSOs) have shown a desire to develop similar facilities in the North Sea. Offshore transmission lines typically connect wind farms to the shore by radial connections or connections from point to point [64].