Research and development of hydrogen carrier based solutions for hydrogen compression and storage

Industrial and public interest in hydrogen technologies has risen strongly recently, as hydrogen is the ideal means for medium to long term energy storage, transport and usage in combination with renewable and green energy supply. In a future energy system, the production, storage and usage of green hydrogen is a key technology. Hydrogen is and will in future be even more used for industrial production processes as a reduction agent or for the production of synthetic hydrocarbons, especially in the chemical industry and in refineries. Under certain conditions material based systems for hydrogen storage and compression offer advantages over the classical systems based on gaseous or liquid hydrogen. This includes in particular lower maintenance costs, higher reliability and safety. Hydrogen storage is possible at pressures and temperatures much closer to ambient conditions. Hydrogen compression is possible without any moving parts and only by using waste heat. In this paper, we summarize the newest developments of hydrogen carriers for storage and compression and in addition, give an overview of the different research activities in this field

Policy Brief: Spatial Heterogeneity - Challenge and Opportunity for Net-Zero Germany

The energy system transformation in Germany is a challenge for society, economy and politics and has several impacts on multiple scales. This paper investigates the effects of the trajectories towards net zero emissions by 2050 through focusing on the spatial dimension of impacts, benefits, and losses for different stakeholders and technologies. Spatial heterogeneity in the energy transition means that regions enjoying benefits from decarbonization might diverge from regions experiencing losses, and that there are different geographical potentials and challenges. The question arising is one of the need for redistribution between benefits and losses, whilst ensuring that all stakeholders remain willing to act as frontrunners in the transformation of the energy system. Inclusion and participation in the process, together with a carefully targeted mixed set of regional energy policy, combining tax solutions and incentives for acceptance of required measures could facilitate a successful, efficient policy-supported energy transition

Research and development of hydrogen carrier based solutions for hydrogen compression and storage

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Net‐Zero CO 2 Germany - A Retrospect From the Year 2050

Germany 2050: For the first time Germany reached a balance between its sources of anthropogenic CO2 to the atmosphere and newly created anthropogenic sinks. This backcasting study presents a fictional future in which this goal was achieved by avoiding (∼645 Mt CO2), reducing (∼50 Mt CO2) and removing (∼60 Mt CO2) carbon emissions. This meant substantial transformation of the energy system, increasing energy efficiency, sector coupling, and electrification, energy storage solutions including synthetic energy carriers, sector-specific solutions for industry, transport, and agriculture, as well as natural-sink enhancement and technological carbon dioxide options. All of the above was necessary to achieve a net-zero CO2 system for Germany by 2050

Spatial Heterogeneity - Challenge and opportunity for net-zero Germany

The energy system transformation in Germany is a challenge for society, economy and politics and has several impacts on multiple scales. This paper investigates the effects of the trajectories towards net zero emissions by 2050 through focusing on the spatial dimension of impacts, benefits, and losses for different stakeholders and technologies. Spatial heterogeneity in the energy transition means that regions enjoying benefits from decarbonization might diverge from regions experiencing losses, and that there are different geographical potentials and challenges. The question arising is one of the need for redistribution between benefits and losses, whilst ensuring that all stakeholders remain willing to act as frontrunners in the transformation of the energy system. Inclusion and participation in the process, together with a carefully targeted mixed set of regional energy policy, combining tax solutions and incentives for acceptance of required measures could facilitate a successful, efficient policy-supported energy transition

SNG based energy storage systems with subsurface CO2 storage

Large-scale energy storage plants based on power-to-gas-to-power (PtG–GtP) technologies incorporating high temperature electrolysis, catalytic methanation for the provision of synthetic natural gas (SNG) and novel, highly efficient SNG-fired Allam reconversion cycles allow for a confined and circular use of CO2/CH4 and thus an emission-free storage of intermittent renewable energy. This study features a thorough technology assessment for large-scale PtG–GtP storage plants based on highly efficient sCO2 power cycles combined with subsurface CO2 storage. The Allam cycle employs supercritical CO2 as working fluid as well as an oxy-combustion process to reach high efficiencies of up to 66%. The entire PtG–GtP process chain assessed in this study is expected to reach maximum roundtrip efficiencies of 54.2% (with dedicated and sufficient O2 storage) or 49.0% (with a dedicated air separation unit). The implementation of said energy storage systems into existing national energy grids will pose a major challenge, since they will require far-reaching infrastructural changes to the respective systems, such as extensive installations of renewable generation and electrolysis capacities as well as sufficient subsurface storage capacities for both CO2 and CH4. Therefore, this study incorporates an assessment of the present subsurface storage potential for CO2 and CH4 in Germany. Furthermore, a basic forecast study for the German energy system with an assumed mass deployment of the proposed SNG-based PtG–GtP energy storage system for the year 2050 is conducted. In case of a fully circular use of CO2/CH4, when electricity is solely generated by renewable energy sources, 736 GW of renewables, 234 GW of electrolysis and 62 GW of gas-to-power capacities are required in the best case scenario in 2050. The total storage volume on the national scale of Germany for both CO2 and CH4 was determined to be 7.8 billion N m3, respectively, leading to a CH4 storage capacity of 54.5 TW h. The presented investigations illustrate the feasibility of large-scale energy storage systems for renewable electricity based on high temperature electrolysis, catalytic methanation and Allam power cycles paired with large subsurface storages for CO2 and CH4.Petroleum Engineerin