Electrofuels: a review of pathways and production costs

Electrofuels are produced from carbon dioxide (CO2) and water using electricity as the primary source of energy. Production costs for the fuel options methane, methanol, dimethyl ether, Fischer-Tropsch (FT) diesel are estimated based on different assumptions. The production costs of these electrofuels, for a best, average and worst case, was found to be in the range of 120-135, 200-230 and 650-770 €2015/MWh fuel respectively where methane had the lowest and FT diesel the highest costs within each range

Review of electrofuel feasibility—cost and environmental impact

Electrofuels, fuels produced from electricity, water, and carbon or nitrogen, are of interest as substitutes for fossil fuels in all energy and chemical sectors. This paper focuses on electrofuels for transportation, where some can be used in existing vehicle/vessel/aircraft fleets and fueling infrastructure. The aim of this study is to review publications on electrofuels and summarize costs and environmental performance. A special case, denoted as bio-electrofuels, involves hydrogen supplementing existing biomethane production (e.g. anaerobic digestion) to generate additional or different fuels. We use costs, identified in the literature, to calculate harmonized production costs for a range of electrofuels and bio-electrofuels. Results from the harmonized calculations show that bio-electrofuels generally have lower costs than electrofuels produced using captured carbon. Lowest costs are found for liquefied bio-electro-methane, bio-electro-methanol, and bio-electro-dimethyl ether. The highest cost is for electro-jet fuel. All analyzed fuels have the potential for long-term production costs in the range 90-160 € MWh-1. Dominant factors impacting production costs are electrolyzer and electricity costs, the latter connected to capacity factors (CFs) and cost for hydrogen storage. Electrofuel production costs also depend on regional conditions for renewable electricity generation, which are analyzed in sensitivity analyses using corresponding CFs in four European regions. Results show a production cost range for electro-methanol of 76-118 € MWh-1 depending on scenario and region assuming an electrolyzer CAPEX of 300-450 € kWelec-1 and CFs of 45%-65%. Lowest production costs are found in regions with good conditions for renewable electricity, such as Ireland and western Spain. The choice of system boundary has a large impact on the environmental assessments. The literature is not consistent regarding the environmental impact from different CO2 sources. The literature, however, points to the fact that renewable energy sources are required to achieve low global warming impact over the electrofuel life cycle

Review of electrofuel feasibility - Prospects for road, ocean, and air transport

To meet climate targets the emissions of greenhouse gases from transport need to be reduced considerably. Electrofuels (e-fuels) produced from low-CO2 electricity, water, and carbon (or nitrogen) are potential low-climate-impact transportation fuels. The purpose of this review is to provide a technoeconomic assessment of the feasibility and potential of e-fuels for road, ocean, and air transport. The assessment is based on a review of publications discussing e-fuels for one or more transport modes. For each transport mode, (a) e-fuel options are mapped, (b) cost per transport unit (e.g. vehicle km) and carbon abatement costs are estimated and compared to conventional options, (c) prospects and challenges are highlighted, and (d) policy context is described. Carbon abatement costs for e-fuels (considering vehicle cost, fuel production and distribution cost) are estimated to be in the range 110-1250 € tonne-1 CO2 with e-gasoline and e-diesel at the high end of the range. The investigated combined biofuel and e-fuels production pathways (based on forest residues and waste) are more cost-competitive than the stand-alone e-fuel production pathways, but the global availability of sustainable biomass is limited making these pathways more constrained. While the potential for e-fuels to decarbonize the transport sector has been discussed extensively in the literature, many uncertainties in terms of production costs, vehicle costs and environmental performance remain. It is too early to rule out or strongly promote particular e-fuels for different transport modes. For e-fuels to play a significant role in transportation, their attractiveness relative to other transport options needs to be improved. Incentives will be needed for e-fuels to be cost-effective and increased clarity on how e-fuels are linked to existing policies is needed

Cost-Effective Choices of Marine Fuels in a Carbon-Constrained World: Results from a Global Energy Model

The regionalized Global Energy Transition model has been modified to include a more detailed shipping sector in order to assess what marine fuels and propulsion technologies might be cost-effective by 2050 when achieving an atmospheric CO2 concentration of 400 or 500 ppm by the year 2100. The robustness of the results was examined in a Monte Carlo analysis, varying uncertain parameters and technology options, including the amount of primary energy resources, the availability of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies, and costs of different technologies and fuels. The four main findings are (i) it is cost-effective to start the phase out of fuel oil from the shipping sector in the next decade; (ii) natural gas-based fuels (liquefied natural gas and methanol) are the most probable substitutes during the study period; (iii) availability of CCS, the CO2 target, the liquefied natural gas tank cost and potential oil resources affect marine fuel choices significantly; and (iv) biofuels rarely play a major role in the shipping sector, due to limited supply and competition for bioenergy from other energy sectors

Electricity supply to electric road systems : Impacts on the energy system and environment

This study analyses how an electrification of the transport sector, including static charging and electric road systems (ERS), could impact the Swedish and German electricity system. The integration of ERS in the electricity system is analysed using: (i) a model-package consisting of an electricity system investment model (ELIN) and electricity system dispatch model (EPOD) and (ii) an energy system investment and dispatch model (SCOPE). The models are run for the same sets of scenarios and methodological differences and results are compared. The modelling results from the CollERS project show that the additional electricity demand from a large-scale implementation of ERS (i.e., a German-Swedish ERS corridor and connecting main road network) is mainly met by investments in wind power in Sweden and both wind and solar power in Germany. Since ERS will take some time to scale up, the modelling shows that there should be enough time for the electricity system to be transformed to meet demand for ERS while also meeting the goals on greenhouse gas reduction. It can be concluded that ERS are increasing the peak power demand (i.e., the net load) in the electricity system. Therefore, there is a need for more investments in peak power units and storage technologies when using ERS. A smart integration of other electricity demand, such as optimisation of the static charging at the home location of passenger cars, can facilitate an efficient use of renewable electricity also with ERS. Thus, it is important that ERS are evaluated and assessed in connection to corresponding assessment of electrification technologies of passenger cars and other sectors, including the industry sector where there are already plans for electrification (e.g. iron and steel, cement and petrochemical industry). The model comparison shows that different assumptions and methodological choices impact what kind of investments are taken, such as in wind, solar and thermal power plants to cover an additional demand from the use of ERS. However, an increase in investments in solar power (Germany) and wind power (Sweden) can be seen in all scenarios to cover the new demand for ERS.Swedish-German research collaboration on Electric Road Systems.Additional information and resources can be found on the web: www.electricroads.orgSwedish-German Research Collaboration on Electric Road Systems (CollERS

Key Messages on Electric Roads : Executive Summary from the CollERS Project

Electric road systems (ERS) can reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector. The market-ready ERS drive systems are characterised by high energy efficiency and low operational costs compared to fossil fuels and biofuels for combustion engines. The introduction of ERS will depend on governmental support, balancing the overall need for GHG-reduction with the business perspectives of the transport market and the energy market. There is an urgent need to establish standards for core components and important interfaces in order to build confidence among potential ERS users. Since ERS will take time to scale up, we should begin to transform the electricity system to meet the demand for ERS while also meeting GHG reduction goals aligned with strong climate policies. There is a need to clarify whether an ERS system is part of the road infrastructure market or the energy market, and to define the role of the public sector in ERS deployment. Since a significant part of long-haul road freight transport is international, ERS deployment will benefit from cross-country cooperation.Swedish-German Research Collaboration on Electric Road Systems (CollERS

Research & Innovation Platform for Electric Road Systems

The Swedish government has prioritized achieving a fossil fuel-independent vehicle fleet by 2030 which will require radical transformation of the transport industry. Electrifying the vehicle fleet forms an important part of this transformation. For light vehicles, electrification using batteries and charging during parking is already well advanced. For city buses, charging at bus stops and bus depots is being developed, but for heavy, long-distance road transport, batteries with enough capacity to provide sufficient range would be too cumbersome and too much time would have to be spent stationary for charging. One solution might be the introduction of electric roads, supplying the moving vehicle with electricity both to power running and for charging. In the longer term, this approach could also be used for light vehicles and buses. The objective of the Research and Innovation Platform for Electric Roads was to enhance Swedish and Nordic research and innovation in this field, this has been done by developing a joint knowledge base through collaboration with research institutions, universities, public authorities, regions, and industries. The work of the Research and Innovation Platform was intended to create clarity concerning the socioeconomic conditions, benefits, and other effects associated with electric roads. We have investigated the benefits from the perspectives of various actors, implementation strategies, operation and maintenance standards, proposed regulatory systems, and factors conducive of the acceptance and development of international collaborative activities. The project commenced in the autumn of 2016 and the main research continued until December 2019, the work during year 2020 has been focused on knowledge spread and coordination with the Swedish-Germany research collaboration on ERS (CollERS). The results of the Research and Innovation Platform have been disseminated through information meetings, seminars, and four annual international conferences. Reports have been published in the participating partners’ ordinary publication series and on www.electricroads.org. The project was funded by Strategic Vehicle Research and Innovation (FFI) and the Swedish Transport Administration.FoI plattform för elväga

Connecting Countries by Electric Roads: Methodology for Feasibility Analysis of a Transnational ERS Corridor

The present study aims at discussing relevant aspects for a potential roll-out of Electric Road Systems (ERS) on transnational corridors, as well as generally for ERS introduction in Europe. Feasibility criteria have thus been developed in order to assess the following topics for specific potential ERS corridor projects: Technical aspects: Which technical prerequisites exist for ERS corridors and to which extent can they expected to be met? Environmental aspects: Which effects can be expected on key environmental indicators? Economic aspects: Can an ERS corridor pose a business case? Could it contribute to the improvement of ERS economy in general? Political aspects: Would an ERS corridor implementation make sense from a political point of view? The developed criteria may serve as a toolbox for scrutinizing future transnational ERS corridor projects. In order to illustrate their application, we used them to analyse a potential roll-out of an Electric Road System on a selected highway corridor (424 km) connecting Sweden and Germany, but mainly located on Danish territory. Based on traffic flows and patterns along the corridor route, it was found: A considerable part of the total truck mileage on the corridor is done by vehicles with a rather limited driving distance for pre- and post-haul, assuming the corridor is realized as a stand-alone project, and the CO2 emissions (well-to-wheel) of truck traffic along the corridor route can be significantly reduced if electric trucks are powered by the national electricity mixes expected for the year 2030, and even more if it would be powered purely renewable. Although a continuous ERS on the complete corridor route would not be economically feasible under current conditions, the analysis pinpoints sections along the route where the traffic volumes with a sufficient share of operation on a potential ERS are significantly higher. These sections are located in the metropolitan areas of Malmö, Copenhagen and Hamburg. For implementation, peculiarities of the local markets and regulation should be considered, as well as country-specific priorities on decarbonizing road freight transport. Additionally, the identified ERS potential for medium distances will depend on the technical and cost development of battery trucks. Our analysis also sheds some light on the role of first transnational corridors within a European roll-out strategy for ERS. Such corridor projects could help to proof the principal strengths of ERS, trigger strategic coordination between the participating countries, foster national ERS roll-out due to synergy effects with the corridor and pave the way for integration of ERS into EU legislation (e.g. AFID, TEN-T planning)Swedish-German Research Collaboration on Electric Road Systems (CollERS

Research & Innovation Platform for Electric Road Systems

The Swedish government has prioritized achieving a fossil fuel-independent vehicle fleet by 2030 which will require radical transformation of the transport industry. Electrifying the vehicle fleet forms an important part of this transformation. For light vehicles, electrification using batteries and charging during parking is already well advanced. For city buses, charging at bus stops and bus depots is being developed, but for heavy, long-distance road transport, batteries with enough capacity to provide sufficient range would be too cumbersome and too much time would have to be spent stationary for charging. One solution might be the introduction of electric roads, supplying the moving vehicle with electricity both to power running and for charging. In the longer term, this approach could also be used for light vehicles and buses. The objective of the Research and Innovation Platform for Electric Roads was to enhance Swedish and Nordic research and innovation in this field, this has been done by developing a joint knowledge base through collaboration with research institutions, universities, public authorities, regions, and industries. The work of the Research and Innovation Platform was intended to create clarity concerning the socioeconomic conditions, benefits, and other effects associated with electric roads. We have investigated the benefits from the perspectives of various actors, implementation strategies, operation and maintenance standards, proposed regulatory systems, and factors conducive of the acceptance and development of international collaborative activities. The project commenced in the autumn of 2016 and the main research continued until December 2019, the work during year 2020 has been focused on knowledge spread and coordination with the Swedish-Germany research collaboration on ERS (CollERS). The results of the Research and Innovation Platform have been disseminated through information meetings, seminars, and four annual international conferences. Reports have been published in the participating partners’ ordinary publication series and on www.electricroads.org. The project was funded by Strategic Vehicle Research and Innovation (FFI) and the Swedish Transport Administration