Energy sustainability assessment of offshore wind-powered ammonia
Hydrogen and renewable ammonia are energy vectors that complement each other and will support the decarbonization of economic sectors where electricity is not a feasible solution. Ammonia is considered one of the hydrogen carriers that will facilitate connections between low-cost production areas fa...
| Autores: | , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2023 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/451027 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/451027 https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.138419 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Sustainable energy Green ammonia production Offshore wind energy Power-to-Ammonia Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria elèctrica |
| Sumario: | Hydrogen and renewable ammonia are energy vectors that complement each other and will support the decarbonization of economic sectors where electricity is not a feasible solution. Ammonia is considered one of the hydrogen carriers that will facilitate connections between low-cost production areas far from centers of high demand. In recent years, one of the large-scale production routes for renewable ammonia that has gained attention is the production of ammonia from offshore wind energy and the conventional Haber-Bosch synthesis. However, there have been few published articles to date that address the long-term sustainable development of renewable ammonia from offshore wind energy. This study presents a literature review based on Scopus and Web of Science databases related to the production process of offshore wind energy ammonia. The main objective is to identify its strengths and challenges with the aim of achieving competitiveness. The review examines the state-of-the-art technologies involved, production costs, potential environmental effects, and social acceptance of ammonia as an energy vector. The production process is completely examined, and the advantages and disadvantages of the process and production technologies are identified. In addition, a quantitative analysis is presented to highlight the improvements and challenges of offshore wind-powered ammonia in terms of production costs, energy consumption, efficiency, and CO2 emissions compared to fossil-based ammonia (SMR) and low-emission ammonia (SMR-CCS). Solid oxide electrolysis (SOEL) is recognized as the most promising technology for producing offshore wind energy ammonia, primarily due to its lower electricity consumption (higher efficiency), potential flexibility capabilities, and its ability to integrate 2.7 GJ/t NH3 of thermal energy from the Haber-Bosch synthesis. A comparative analysis in terms of energy consumption and efficiency, conducted in production plants with capacities ranging from 1 Mt/year to 10 Mt/year, reveals the potential for improvement that SOEL electrolysis has over low-temperature technologies. The high production cost of offshore wind energy ammonia, ranging from 600 USD/t NH3 to 1500 USD/t NH3 is identified as the main barrier to its deployment. However, a significant reduction in the capital cost of offshore wind energy and electrolyzers in the long term as well as enhancements in the operational flexibility of the Haber-Bosch synthesis could make it affordable. The question that arises is whether offshore wind-powered ammonia can be competitive in the future, given the estimated production cost of conventional low-emission ammonia (SMR-CCS) of 300 USD/t NH3 to 400 USD/t NH3. |
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