The project, which involves a broad international partnership including the Frederican Department of Social Sciences.
The OCEAN-H2 (Offshore Clean Hydrogen Production for Multi-use Purposes) project has gained important international recognition by officially entering the United Nations’ Decade of Marine Sciences Actions for Sustainable Development 2021-2030. This is a landmark achievement, confirming the scientific, technological and strategic value of an initiative designed to make a concrete contribution to the energy transition and the protection of marine ecosystems.
Developed under the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership and led by the University of Malta, the project involves a broad international partnership, including the Department of Social Sciences of the University of Naples Federico II. It is precisely the recognition as a UN Ocean Decade Action that represents not only a certification of quality, but also an additional impetus for collaboration between academic institutions, research organizations and actors in the marine and energy sectors.
At the heart of OCEAN-H2 is the goal of assessing the long-term feasibility of large-scale sustainable production of green hydrogen by harnessing offshore renewable energy. In a global context increasingly focused on decarbonization, the project aims to identify advanced technological solutions that can make this form of clean energy a key component of the energy system of the future.
The research path is articulated starting from the analysis of three European sea basins – the Mediterranean Sea, the North Sea and the Baltic Sea – chosen as case studies to test innovative models of energy production. In these contexts, the project explores the implementation of offshore microgrids powered by medium-voltage direct current, evaluating their configurations, performance and scalability possibilities. In parallel, the crucial issue of integrating offshore plants with existing EU power grids is addressed, with the aim of developing efficient connection models adaptable to different infrastructure realities.
Alongside technological aspects, OCEAN-H2 also devotes great attention to the economic and social dimensions of the energy transition. Indeed, the project aims to define realistic cost scenarios and identify investment opportunities in the different marine contexts analyzed, without neglecting the possible critical issues related to the social acceptability of infrastructure. In this sense, thesocio-technical approach adopted by the partners, oriented toward conflict management, stakeholder involvement and shared consensus building, assumes a key role.
The contribution of the Department of Social Sciences of the Federico II University, engaged in social research and scientific communication activities, fits into this framework. Coordination is entrusted to Rosanna De Rosa, while scientific responsibility lies with Ivano Scotti, testifying to the importance of integrating humanistic and scientific expertise in a project of such complexity.
Welcomed with great satisfaction by the consortium, this recognition reinforces OCEAN-H2’s commitment to building a more sustainable future, in which technological innovation, environmental protection and socio-economic development go hand in hand. Co-funded by the Ministry of Universities and Research, the project thus stands as a concrete example of how European research can help respond to major global challenges, starting with ocean protection and the transition to clean energy.
This article was originally published on the OCEAN-H2 website.