Page 12 - European Energy Innovation - spring 2019 publication
P. 12
12 Spring 2019 European Energy Innovation
COMMUNICATION
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By Dr. Alexander Gusev, former IASS Employee
KIT / IASS won the GERMAN GAS INDUSTRY INNOVATION AWARD for innovative technology to
help achieve a low-carbon energy future after 2050.
The associations of the German gas industry, under the be used as an industrial raw material for the production
auspices of the German Federal Minister of Education of steel, batteries, carbon fibres as well as numerous
and Research, Ms Anja Karliczek, awarded the 20th carbon-based structures and materials. In that way this
GERMAN GAS INDUSTRY INNOVATION AWARD to honour process could potentially also contribute to reducing
innovative developments and concepts from industry, emissions in other sectors.
skilled crafts, trade, and science. The award in the
category “Research and Development” went to the Two cracking products can be fully utilized
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Institute If you compare the entire life cycle of both technologies,
for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam methane pyrolysis within a liquid metal reactor releases
for their joint work on the technological innovation of significantly fewer emissions compared to water
methane pyrolysis. This innovation was also the subject electrolysis with renewable electricity, says Dr Alberto
of a professional workshop in which participants Abánades from the Polytechnic University of Madrid.
discussed several issues, including how the technology
can be used on an industrial scale in the future. With regard to the economic viability and market potential
of the technology, Dr Abánades states that it is currently
What role can natural gas play in a low-carbon energy possible only to estimate the full costs and revenues to be
future? And how can it contribute to the achievement of expected. What is however clear is that in this new clean
the global climate goals? More and more experts from hydrogen production technology all outputs are valuable
politics, science and the energy industry have come to the commodities (e.g. hydrogen, heat, and solid carbon/
realization that a fully electrified energy transition based graphite). In general, however, hydrogen and carbon can
solely on renewable energies is neither technologically be produced at competitive production costs compared
nor economically feasible. The focus will therefore be on with other procedures if the carbon price is €50 per ton.
technology-open approaches that concentrate on gradual
carbon avoidance through energy efficiency, replacement Dr Abánades says, though, that a more accurate cost-
of the particularly carbon-intensive energy sources coal benefit analysis also depends on how the markets for
and oil, and the gradual transition to low-carbon energy carbon and hydrogen as raw materials evolve in the
sources within the existing infrastructure. future, but that significant market potential exists for
both products. With regard to applications for hydrogen,
Hydrogen production from natural gas to accompany he says the possibilities include use in fuel cells, for
renewable energies power generation, in hydrogen-powered vehicles and as
In addition to hydrogen from wind energy, another a raw material for the production of ammonia. Carbon
low-carbon energy carrier is CO2-free hydrogen from could be used in a number of applications, including the
methane. Corresponding technologies are currently under production of steel, as a conductor for batteries, carbon
development, and the next step will be to build the fibres and even enhanced building material. Although the
systems that will make it possible to use them efficiently market for high-grade elemental carbon is currently still
and economically on an industrial scale. Currently small, there is great potential for the material, especially
many experts favour methane pyrolysis. Prof Dr Thomas in Europe, according to Dr Abánades. While 70 per cent of
Wetzel from KIT Karlsruhe explained this procedure in the currently produced carbon comes from China, Europe
a professional workshop. The procedure, which involves contributes just one per cent, although it consumes ten
splitting natural gas into hydrogen and solid carbon per cent of the total produced.
(graphite / black carbon), does not generate any harmful
emissions. While hydrogen can be used as a clean energy Long-term integration into the energy systems to
source in a low-carbon energy system, the by-product of achieve the climate goals
the pyrolysis, solid black elemental carbon (graphite), can Gazprom also pointed out possible business models
www.europeanenergyinnovation.eu
