DRIFT Energy hydrofoil flying yacht successfully produces green hydrogen gas
While flying over the coast of Brightlingsea, Essex, the DRIFT Energy hydrofoil flying yacht was able to produce hydrogen gas in its maiden voyage. The British startup made the announcement on Monday as their yacht became the first foiling boat to utilize wind to generate storable hydrogen.
The DRIFT Energy hydrofoil flying yacht completed a two-hour test run in which it filled a 1.5-gallon storage tank with green hydrogen. Within that timespan, it actually generated enough electricity to fill up a 15-gallon tank.
“This is a real breakthrough in the creation of a new renewable energy class, which is both mobile, scalable and anti-fragile,” stated Drift Energy’s CEO Ben Medland. “We are thrilled to have produced the world’s first green hydrogen from a hydrofoil sailboat in the waters off Brightlingsea.”
The 18-foot DRIFT Energy hydrofoil flying yacht has an underwater propeller that spins and drives a turbine to generate electricity, allowing it to achieve up to 25 knots. Water is then split into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity. DRIFT Energy claims that green hydrogen has never been produced in this manner. Now that the concept has been verified, there are now plans for vessels that can produce at least 250,000 liters per hour.
DRIFT Energy is a leader in this field of energy yacht design, but they insist that the key to its success lies in leveraging data to discover the best routes for its ships while they’re out at sea. Their next research will examine offshore dock positioning, energy potential in other oceans, and the effects of climate change on routing behavior.
“I am very proud of what we have achieved,” Medland added. “DRIFT was founded only one year ago and in the last three months we have sourced, retrofitted and successfully trialled the first hydrofoiling hydrogen production yacht.”