Sustainability Assessment of Innovative Energy Technologies – Hydrogen from Wind Power as a Fuel for Mobility Applications

An approach for life-cycle-based sustainability assessment for innovative energy technologies was developed that includes Life Cycle Assessment, economic assessment and selected social indicators, i.e. acceptance, patents and added value. As a case study for this approach, hydrogen supply by wind powered electrolysis was assessed and different distribution options to its final use in fuel cell vehicles were compared. First results of the Life Cycle Assessment show that lowest environmental impacts are caused by transporting hydrogen in pipelines, which is also the most cost-effective option. The preliminary survey about hydrogen refuelling stations showed that the fear of explosions is most relevant to people. Regarding added value, it could be revealed that a slight shift from domestic to more globalised expenditures is to be expected in the future. It can be concluded that hydrogen supply by pipelines is the most sustainable option. However, for the implementation of this technology, social issues such as acceptance of hydrogen filling stations and decrease of local employment have to be addressed

Weighting factor elicitation for sustainability assessment of energy technologies

In this paper, an approach for sustainability assessment of innovative energy technologies is expanded by multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) methods to aggregate indicator results and support decision-making. One of the most important steps for MCDA is to determine weighting factors for individual indicators. Thus, a workshop was performed to elicit weighting factors for sustainability assessments of energy technologies from developers of such technologies and energy system modellers from academia. These stakeholders expressed their preferences with respect to sustainability criteria using the Simple Multi Attribute Rating Technique (SMART). A triple bottom line approach of sustainable development was used as the basis for the aggregation of indicator results. This approach is based on Life Cycle Costing, Life Cycle Assessment and social indicators. Obtained weighting factors were applied to an integrative sustainability assessment with the aggregation method Preference Ranking Organization METHod for Enrichment of Evaluations (PROMETHEE). Hydrogen-based mobility as an important technology to foster decarbonization in the transport sector is used as a case study for the application of the derived weighting factors. A conventional vehicle, powered by fossil fuel, is compared with a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) for the year 2050. Different options (pipeline, compressed gaseous hydrogen, liquid hydrogen, liquid organic hydrogen carrier) are discussed for the supply of hydrogen. The results for this weighting factor set are compared with an equal weighting scenario of the three sustainability dimensions and indicators within one sustainability dimension. The FCEV, using pipelines for hydrogen supply, came out first in the assessment as well as in all sensitivity analyses

Prospective assessment of energy technologies: a comprehensive approach for sustainability assessment

Background: A further increase in renewable energy supply is needed to substitute fossil fuels and combat climate change. Each energy source and respective technologies have specific techno-economic and environmental characteristics as well as social implications. This paper presents a comprehensive approach for prospective sustainability assessment of energy technologies developed within the Helmholtz Initiative “Energy System 2050” (ES2050).Methods: The “ES2050 approach” comprises environmental, economic, and social assessment. It includes established life cycle based economic and environmental indicators, and social indicators derived from a normative concept of sustainable development. The elaborated social indicators, i.e. patent growth rate, acceptance, and domestic value added, address three different socio-technical areas, i.e. innovation (patents), public perception (acceptance), and public welfare (value added).Results: The implementation of the “ES2050 approach” is presented exemplarily and different sustainability indicators and respective results are discussed based on three emerging technologies and corresponding case studies: (1) synthetic biofuels for mobility; (2) hydrogen from wind power for mobility; and (3) batteries for stationary energy storage. For synthetic biofuel, the environmental advantages over fossil gasoline are most apparent for the impact categories Climate Change and Ionizing Radiation—human health. Domestic value added accounts for 66% for synthetic biofuel compared to 13% for fossil gasoline. All hydrogen supply options can be considered to become near to economic competitiveness with fossil fuels in the long term. Survey participants regard Explosion Hazard as the most pressing concern about hydrogen fuel stations. For Li-ion batteries, the results for patent growth rate indicate that they enter their maturity phase.Conclusions: The “ES2050 approach” enables a consistent prospective sustainability assessment of (emerging) energy technologies, supporting technology developers, decision-makers in politics, industry, and society with knowledge for further evaluation, steering, and governance. The approach presented is considered rather a starting point than a blueprint for the comprehensive assessment of renewable energy technologies though, especially for the suggested social indicators, their significance and their embedding in context scenarios for prospective assessments

Comparative patent analysis for the identification of global research trends for the case of battery storage, hydrogen and bioenergy

Patent documents provide knowledge about which countries are investing in certain technologies and make it possible to identify potential innovation trends. The aim of this article is to analyze trends in patenting that might result in innovations for three energy technologies: thermochemical conversion of biomass (Bioenergy), lithium-ion battery storage, and hydrogen production by alkaline water electrolysis. Based on different patent indicators, the most active countries are compared to provide insights into the global market position of a country, particularly Germany which is used as a reference here. In line with this, a freely available patent analysis software tool was developed directly using the European Patent Office database through their Open Patent Services. The results for named technologies show that patenting activity of Germany is low in comparison to other countries such as Japan, China, and the US. Whereas the position of Germany for batteries and hydrogen is comparable, bioenergy shows different results regarding the identified countries and the number of patents found. However, a broader context beyond patenting is suggested for consideration to make robust statements about particular technology trends. The presented tool and methodology in this study can serve as a blueprint for explorative assessments in any technological domain

Ganzheitliche Material- und Energieflussanalye von SOFC Hochtemperaturbrennstoffzellen

The present study deals with the integrated evaluation ofmaterial and energy flows for SOFC high-temperature fuel cells in a 10 MW-plant. In addition to the fuel cell, the different peripheral components necessary to allow power production are included into the investigation. The results obtained are compared to those of a gas turbine plant with similar power capability. For both technologies the results are presented in the form of input unit required per unit of output electrical power. The primary target of the present work is an overall analysis of materials used and energy consumed along the entire life cycle. The analysis will cover the extraction of raw material, followed by the production of components and the plant, operation, and finally dismantling. Until now this method of life cycle assessment has only been used for the evaluation ofproducts at a late stage of their development. Fuel cells on the other hand are at a very early stage of development. Therefore, it has to be proved that the use of life cycle assessment leads to relevant results. The bulk of the work is in realisation of the inventory analysis. A few of the topics which arise in theclassification phase, such as resource consumption and energy related emissions, are investigated. In addition dimensionless ratios are calculated to complete the comparison

Sustainability assessment of innovative energy technologies – Hydrogen from wind power as a fuel for mobility applications

The transformation of the German energy system (also known as “Energiewende”) is of high importance. Innovate energy technologies are able to make an important contribution to this transformation process. This is not limited to the classical energy sector but also includes other sectors, e.g. industry or transport. Electrification of mobility is a promising strategy to reduce emissions. One possibility to use electricity in vehicles and at the same time store fluctuating energy from renewable sources is to produce hydrogen and to use it in fuel cells. In the joint Helmholtz Initiative “Energy System 2050” an interdisciplinary approach for sustainability assessment is being developed and applied across different innovative energy technologies, i.e. production of fuels, electricity and heat from residual lignocellulose biomass, battery energy storage and hydrogen for cross-sectoral applications, are assessed. Backbone of the sustainability assessment is a detailed modelling of material and energy flows and a prospective ecological and economic Life Cycle Assessment (LCA and LCC (Life Cycle Costing)). The chosen economic indicators and ecological impact categories are complemented by selected social indicators.The assessed system for hydrogen mobility is based on hydrogen production by alkaline electrolysis from wind power. For the transport of hydrogen to the end user, different means of transport are assessed and the mobility is represented as a fuel cell electric vehicle for individual transport. These process chains are modelled in total for the LCA and the LCC. The social indicators take the whole chain only partly into consideration, only the most critical part is assessed. For social acceptance of hydrogen transport, based on a literature review, the hydrogen refueling station is most critical because not only the driver, who chose to buy and drive a fuel cell electric vehicle, is affected but also residents near the refueling station. A second social indicator analyses patents to express innovation potential of a technology. This indicator is assessed for alkaline electrolyzers and fuel cells. A third social indicator reflects possible impacts of the new technology regarding local employment. This is assessed by analyzing the cost structure of the technology and classifying the costs in tradable and non-tradable parts. The deployed proxy is that non-tradable costs are very likely to foster local employment. First results of the LCA show that the construction of the fuel cell for the vehicles has the highest environmental impact while from the cost perspective also the infrastructure for hydrogen refueling is of major importance. The preliminary survey about hydrogen refueling stations showed that people are most afraid about explosions. Furthermore, many people have little knowledge about this technology (64% of interviewees claim to have no or little knowledge)