Utilising excess power: the case of electrofuels for transport

• If the production of electricity at a given moment in time is higher than demandwe may talk about excess electricity.1 It is possible to store excess electricity andstorage solutions might be essential for achieving very high renewable energyshares in the energy system. The most common purpose for storing electricity isof course to convert the stored energy back to electricity when needed. Currentlythere are not many mature alternatives for seasonal energy storage. Pumpedhydro, hydrogen and compressed air are facing challenges with geographicaldistribution and ecological footprint, technical limitations or low density.2 Anotheroption is to convert electricity into an energy carrier that can be used for otherpurposes, and not just as a medium for electricity storage. One possibility is to useperiods of excess electricity for the production of carbon-based synthetic fuels,so called electrofuels,3 that can be used for various purposes, e.g. for heating,as a transportation fuel or in the chemical industry for the production of plastics,textiles, medicine and fertilizers. One challenge, common to all energy storage technologies, is to be economicallyviable in spite of the fact that excess, or low priced, electricity will likely be availableonly a fraction of the time. This chapter aims to explore the challenges andopportunities of using electrofuels to utilise excess electricity. Production processesare described and costs are estimated to underpin a discussion on what isrequired to make electrofuels competitive with gasoline.

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Maskinteknik -- Energiteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Mechanical Engineering -- Energy Engineering (hsv//eng)

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