Japanese shipping firm Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) recently achieved a first in the world of clean energy production: manufacturing seawater offshore into hydrogen fuel for use on land.
Interesting Engineering reported that MOL used its demonstration yacht, the Winz Maru, for the feat. The yacht houses an onboard plant, which uses electrolysis to generate green hydrogen, which is hydrogen derived from water rather than a chemical reaction.
The company then converted the hydrogen to a liquid organic hydrogen carrier, methylcyclohexane (MCH), making it safer and more efficient to transport for land use.
The boat is just one part of the Wind Hunter Project, which will aim to deliver green hydrogen for use on land in a stable supply chain. The Winz Maru is set to produce approximately 200 liters of hydrogen in 2025, Interesting Engineering reported.
Hydrogen is a growing power source in the renewable energy space. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, it holds potential as an energy source with "near-zero" planet-warming pollution, emitting only water vapor and warm air as it provides an ample power supply.
Hydrogen power has many valuable applications, and they are constantly expanding. The U.S. Energy Information Administration explains that its applications include industrial and manufacturing processes; fuel for rockets, trains, and ships; and fuel cells for electricity and power generation.
Hydrogen fuel cells can vary in size and use, from small cells for powering electric vehicles to larger ones that support microgrids and industrial facilities.
One challenge facing wider-scale hydrogen power is the cost of producing and distributing it. This is why Japan and other countries are working hard to develop affordable, efficient means of hydrogen production.
For example, a team at Australia's University of Adelaide developed a more cost-effective method for deriving green hydrogen from seawater in 2023. Similarly, a tech company in California recently invented a way to generate and distribute hydrogen power that could cut costs in half.
In addition to generating this clean energy, the Winz Maru is powered by wind and hydroelectric turbines.
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MOL hopes to continue developing the Winz Maru's operations and possibly deploy a larger vessel as well for the Wind Hunter Project within the coming years. These efforts all align with Japan's national goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050.
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