Many climate experts predict that the next ten years are crucial, thus our actions within this decade will decide whether we are able to reach the ambitious goals of the Paris agreement limiting the global temperature increase to 1.5°C until 2050. Yet, recent studies show that G20 nations are currently failing to reach their climate goals.
It is said that in order to get back on track by 2050, a carbon-neutral electricity supply has to be strengthened by a transition to sustainable heat and mobility. Marc Grünewald, head of business development and new energies at the Power Unit of MAN Energy Solutions, advises that there is already a technology to achieve successful decarbonization in all such sectors, ensuring that the company’s power technologies are future proof.
More specifically, Power-to-X refers to the many possibilities such as converting renewable energy into methane gas (Power-to-Gas) or liquid methanol (Power-to-Liquid). In fact, the resulting carbon-neutral synthetic gas can easily be transported through existing pipelines and used in gas-powered engines.
It is said that each year some of the offshore; solar as well as wind power potential get lost as the grids can’t absorb it all. Thus, renewable energy can be stored for times when it is not generated.
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What is more, next to prevailing pumped hydro storage, a currently vastly expanding energy storage solution is battery. Yet, a lot of CO2 is created in its overall life cycle and its weight makes it unsuitable for many applications including the maritime transport sector.
Power-to-X, and more specifically Power-to-Gas can thus be used with the aim to make the fuel for propulsion engines carbon-neutral. Namely, instead of storing sustainable energy in batteries, synthetic natural gas (SNG) can be produced and consequently be used as fuel.
By using carbon-neutral fuels to power internal combustion engines, there can be an immediate sustainable contribution to decarbonization, using existing infrastructure. What is more, the Power-to-Gas reactor, which has been successfully operating since 2013 in a German Audi plant and has been supplying Audi customers’ gas-powered cars.
The main goal for MAN is to take the concept, which has proven successful at the Audi reactor, to an industrial scale. In fact, it is said that there is already a 50-MW comprehensive plant solution ready to offer and aiming to sell within the year.
Further to this, the World Energy Council has estimated a global demand for carbon-neutral synthetic fuels of 10,000-20,000 terawatt hours by 2050, equivalent to 50% of current fossil fuel consumption. To meet that demand, facilities need to be built on a larger scale in countries that have high potential for solar and wind power.
It is stressed that right now, Power-to-X is where wind energy was 20 years ago. It is carbon-neutral, but also more expensive. In addition, this technology needs political support to make it economically attractive for the energy market, considering the emission-reducing effect of the resulting fuel and making it more cost-effective by factoring in the carbon price.
Marc Grünewald, head of business developement and new energies, MAN Energy Solutions
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The efficiency of electrolysis is currently rated 60-65%, but since the technology is gaining in importance, there is a great improvement potential. In future, values of up to 80% are conceivable here.
Recently, a video issued by German manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions, explains an alternative, cleaner way to power generation, named ‘LNG-to-power‘, as a key element in MAN’s efforts to achieve a carbon-neutral future. LNG-to-power offers a single source solution, wherever energy is needed.
