Power-to-X energy storage

Power-to-X, a key technology for flexible storage solutions

What is Power-to-X?

Power-to-X is a key technology for flexible energy storage solutions. Power-to-X refers to all technologies that convert renewable energy sources or surplus electricity into energy storage. The terms P2X and P2Y (PtX/PtY) are also common. P denotes the temporary surplus exceeding demand, and X or Y represents the form of energy or the intended use into which the electrical energy is converted.

To convert the entire energy supply system to 100 percent renewable energies as part of the decarbonization necessary for climate protection, power-to-X technologies are required due to the fluctuations of certain renewable energy sources and to supply the heating and mobility sectors. This is because, with the further increasing share of renewable energies, there will be times in the future when feed-in exceeds demand, while during periods of low wind and solar power production, energy storage systems will have to step in to meet demand.

The goal of decarbonization is to transform the economy towards the continuous reduction of carbon. Carbon occurs in nature both in pure form in diamonds, graphite, and chaoite, and chemically bound in the form of carbides, carbonates, carbon dioxide, petroleum, natural gas, and coal. The long-term ecological goal is the creation of a carbon-free energy-using economy.

Classification of Power-to-X technologies according to energy form

• Power-to-Gas
  (PtG) is a technology that uses water electrolysis and electricity to produce a fuel gas. This fuel gas (hydrogen, ammonia, methane) can be stored for later use. Among other applications, it can be used in the transportation sector as a power-to-fuel (especially as fuel for ships and aircraft), as a chemical feedstock (usually referred to as power-to-chemicals), or stored in the gas infrastructure for later reconversion into electricity in gas-fired power plants.

• Power-to-Heat (PtH)
  refers to the generation of heat using electrical energy. This can be done using electric boilers or heat pumps.

• Power-to-Liquid (PtL)
  refers to the conversion of electricity into liquid fuel. The PtL process is a series of different sub-processes. While not yet used on an industrial scale, this method potentially enables the supply of fuel from renewable electricity for sectors that cannot do without liquid fuel (such as aviation). Besides energy and water, CO2 is the third essential input for the PtL process.

Classification of Power-to-X technologies according to their intended use

• Power-to-Ammonia:
  The power-to-ammonia process aims to make energy from renewable energy sources transportable and storable by chemically storing the energy in the form of ammonia. This energy can then be released again by using ammonia directly as a carbon-free fuel or as a hydrogen supplier.

• Power-
  to-Chemicals refers to a process in which excess electrical energy from renewable energy sources is used to produce chemical raw materials via water electrolysis and further downstream steps.

• Power-to-Fuel
  generally refers to the production of electricity-based synthetic fuels, so-called e-fuels, for the transport sector. The term is a collective term for various power-to-gas and power-to-liquid pathways, in which electrical energy from renewable sources is used to produce either electricity-based fuel gases or liquid fuels.

• Power-to-Power
  refers to a storage power plant in which electrical energy can be temporarily stored during electrical power engineering and electricity generation. Depending on the power plant type, storage power plants convert electrical energy into potential energy (gravitational potential energy), kinetic energy, chemical energy, or thermal energy, which is stored in this form for a specific period and converted back into electrical energy when needed.

• Power-to-Protein:
  Proteins for food can be produced through a combination of biosynthesis and electrochemical processes. This involves the production of proteins from the chemical starting materials carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen.

• Power-to-syngas:
  Synthesis gas from air and electricity. Oxidized carbon (CO2) can be obtained from ambient air or, more concentrated, from flue gas using amine scrubbing, which can then be converted to methane in the Sabatier process.

 

Suitable for:

• Solar carports with electricity storage as solar charging stations for electric cars
• Energy storage
• Renewable energies: Now it's all about energy storage systems

 

Number of Power-to-X plants in Germany

operation in 2020 (as of November 2020). Several plants went into operation in 2019. The term Power-to-X describes the conversion of electricity from renewable energy sources into, for example, hydrogen (“water electrolysis”) and, if necessary, further into methane (“methanization”). The resulting gas can then be fed into the natural gas grid and stored there.

Global primary energy consumption by energy source

Number of Power-to-X plants by plant type in Germany

projects were counted in 2020 (as of November 2020). Of these, 23 plants were in the planning phase. Some projects have already been discontinued, such as a hydrogen filling station in Hamburg. The term power-to-X describes the conversion of electricity from renewable energy sources into hydrogen (water electrolysis) and, if necessary, further into methane (methanization). The resulting gas can then be fed into the natural gas grid and stored there (power-to-gas).

Number of Power-to-X plants by end product in Germany

In Germany, a total of 16 Power-to-X plants were in operation in 2020, hydrogen as their end product (as of November 2020). The term Power-to-X describes the conversion of electricity from renewable energy sources into hydrogen (“water electrolysis”) and, if necessary, further into methane (“methanization”). The resulting gas can then be fed into the natural gas grid and stored there (“Power-to-Gas”).

Power-to-X

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