immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: PowertoGas

  • Energie 360 ° is working on a power-to-gas solution

    Energie 360 ° is working on a power-to-gas solution

    Energie 360 ° and the gas storage company RAG Austria are working on making solar energy available all year round. Both are jointly pursuing the innovative power-to-gas project Underground Sun Conversion – Flexible Storage . It started in December 2020 has a term of two and a half years and is supported by the European Commission promoted . Field tests are already underway at the RAG research site in Pilsbach, Upper Austria.

    In this project, excess renewable energy, such as solar power in summer, is converted into hydrogen, explains Energie 360 ° in a press release . This is then stored together with carbon dioxide in natural underground storage at a depth of over 1000 meters. There, microorganisms combine hydrogen and carbon to form renewable methane gas. This energy can be used in the event of supply gaps, for example in winter. The advantage over pumped storage power plants or batteries lies in the much higher storage capacity and, at the same time, less surface area, according to Energie 360 °.

    In Switzerland, the two companies cooperate with the University of Bern , the University of Applied Sciences in Eastern Switzerland and the Federal Materials Testing and Research Institute ( Empa ). "We are working together on the solution to one of the greatest challenges facing the energy system of the future: How do we advance volatile renewable energy sources such as sun and wind and at the same time offer year-round security of supply?", Says Andreas Kunz, Head of Energy Systems at Energie 360 °.

  • The first industrial power-to-gas plant is built in Dietikon

    The first industrial power-to-gas plant is built in Dietikon

    The showcase project for the use of renewable energies is being developed in collaboration between eight energy suppliers and the Swisspower public utility alliance. The project aims to show how power-to-gas systems can complement renewable electricity production and operate economically, according to a media release . The largest power-to-gas plant in Switzerland to date will have an electrolysis capacity of 2.5 megawatts and will feed synthetic renewable gas into the grid from winter 2021 to 2022.

    The operating principle of the new plant is described in the communication as follows: “The power-to-gas plant uses renewable electricity from the waste incineration plant to produce hydrogen. This is mixed with the CO2 in the sewage gas, creating renewable methane gas. Limeco thus gains a CO2-neutral energy source from waste and wastewater. ”In the existing gas network, the renewable gas replaces fossil energy sources. According to the information, this can save 4,000 to 5,000 tons of CO2 annually.

    At the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction project, Stefano Kunz, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Limeco and City Councilor of Schlieren: "With waste recycling and wastewater treatment at the same location, we have the perfect conditions to produce green gas." Ronny Kaufmann, CEO of the Swisspower public utility alliance, which who co-initiated the project, says: "The project shows: We have to work together for a renewable and climate-neutral energy system, across company boundaries." The Federal Office of Energy ( SFOE ) is supporting the project as part of its pilot and demonstration program.

    Systems like the one being built in Dietikon are important for the implementation of the Energy Strategy 2050. The plan is to replace the electricity from nuclear power with solar, water and wind power. This means that much more electricity will be produced in the summer than consumed. In winter, on the other hand, when the energy demand is greater, Switzerland has to import electricity. Power-to-gas is a key technology for storing excess renewable electricity seasonally.