Ammonia as carbon-free energy vector - from green ammonia production to technoeconomic analysis

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The energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies is an important step in the progression towards a moresustainable future but one that is hindered by the mismatch between energy demand and supply. This problem isexacerbated by the intermittent nature of renewable energies which introduce an element of inflexibility to the electric gridthat can only be overcome with energy storage methods. Whilst battery storage displays high round trip efficiency, itsapplicability diminishes over longer storage times in comparison to chemical energy storage. Hydrogen is one suchpopular energy vector with many countries transitioning towards a hydrogen economy with hydrogen as the 'fuel of thefuture'. However, one of the largest challenges for the introduction of a hydrogen economy are the high costs required forhydrogen storage as well as the flammable nature of hydrogen gas. Hence, it may be more advantageous to utilise ahydrogen-enriched compound for transportation and storage purposes instead of hydrogen gas. The only carbon-freehydrogen carrier that can be sustainably produced for this purpose is ammonia. It possesses a greater volumetric energydensity than hydrogen and can be stored as a liquid under milder conditions than hydrogen which make it extremelyviable for long-term energy storage over several months. This research project will investigate the entire sustainableammonia energy cycle from the initial synthesis stages to the final energy delivery stages.