Power-to-Fuel

 

Background

Considering the energy transition and the finite nature of fossil resources alternative energy sources achieve an ever-increasing growth. However, the electricity from renewable resources implies a high fluctuation and partly unused energy, so called surplus energy. The use of this energy for fuel production provides a solution to tackle this challenge with the potential to be early economically feasible. The surplus electricity can be used in an electrolysis to generate hydrogen. CO₂ serve as a carbon source, which, for example can be separated from industrial processes or power plants. The reduction of CO₂ can principally produce hydrocarbons or oxygenates as fuels.

 

Goal of this Project

Copyright: © Competence Center Power to Fuel, RWTH Aachen

One of the main goals of the Project House is drafting an overall concept for an optimal integration of all single processes in the process chain, from power generation to fuel production, and the use in the vehicle. Methods of an integrated process analysis will be developed and applied. A continuous process improvement with the fuel as a freedom degree is the main research interest.

Within the Project House the LTT deals with an overall environmental assessment of the considered P2F-routes. For the ecological assessment different environmental impacts are determined via Life Cycle Assessment. The goal is the identification of the routes, which use surplus energy in an environmentally beneficial way.