Innovations for Power to Gas, Power to Fuel and Power to Chemicals
As a leading research institute, the AIT is committed to developing sustainable solutions for the energy and raw materials supply of the future. The focus is on pioneering technologies that efficiently convert renewable energy sources into usable forms such as gas, fuels and chemical raw materials. By researching and developing power-to-X technologies, the AIT is helping to make sensible use of surplus renewable electricity, create long-term storage solutions and drive forward the decarbonization of sectors such as transport, industry and heat supply. Power-to-gas, power-to-fuel and power-to-chemicals are central building blocks of these efforts, which have the potential to enable a carbon-neutral future and significantly reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
Power to Gas: storage and use of renewable gas
One of the best-known Power to X applications is the conversion of electricity into hydrogen or synthetic methane. Surplus energy from wind and solar power plants can thus be stored for the long term and used in a variety of ways. In Power2Gas technology, water is first split into hydrogen and oxygen by electrolysis. The hydrogen can either be used directly or converted into methane by reacting it with CO₂, which is then fed into the existing gas grid as synthetic natural gas.
Power to Fuel: Synthetic fuels for sustainable mobility
Power-to-fuel offers the possibility of converting renewable electricity into synthetic fuels. These fuels can be used in conventional combustion engines and thus enable more environmentally friendly mobility, especially in aviation and shipping, where electrification is difficult to implement. They offer a CO₂-neutral alternative to fossil fuels and are an important building block on the way to decarbonizing the transport sector.
Power to Heat: Efficient use of electricity to generate heat
Power-to-heat technology uses surplus renewable electricity to generate heat that can be used in buildings or industrial processes. This application is particularly relevant for sector coupling as it makes it possible to efficiently combine electricity and heat and thus optimize overall energy consumption. Heat storage systems also offer the possibility of storing energy over longer periods of time and using it flexibly.
Power to Chemicals: sustainable commodities for the chemical industry
Power-to-Chemicals refers to the conversion of renewable electricity into chemical raw materials such as methanol, ammonia or e-fuels. These substances are essential for the chemical industry and offer a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based products. Through the use of Power2X technologies, the chemical industry can reduce its dependence on fossile raw materials and reduce its carbon footprint significantly.
Transportation costs and transportation routes für Power-to-X-products
Renewable hydrogen and other Power to X products will make an important contribution to the decarbonization of Austrian industry and certain mobility applications in the future.
In addition to the domestic production of hydrogen from renewable sources in Austria, imports from EU and non-EU countries will play a central role in the future. With this in mind, the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology has commissioned the AIT to conduct a study examining various options for the future import of renewable hydrogen to Austria.
The study identifies possible sources of supply, transportation and storage options for the import of renewable hydrogen and its derivatives and presents the cost efficiency and environmental impact of the various options in the form of life cycle GHG emissions. It also identifies possible barriers and makes recommendations for action.
