Page 21 - European Energy Innovation - spring 2018 publication

Spring 2018 European Energy Innovation 21

COMMUNICATION

novel methanation technologies, © Uniper Energy Storage states Graf. ‘It thus helps to free the
and each has been adapted for the heating and transport sector from
respective demonstration site. These The team hopes to accelerate market fossil CO2 emissions.’ The team is
PtG plants will be integrated into the uptake by identifying business pleased with the progress STORE&GO
power, heat and gas grids for further models; creating a European PtG has made to date and is confident it is
transport and integration. The idea is map displaying the most promising on target to achieve project objectives
that this will enable the researchers locations to install facilities; and and, ultimately, enhance the future
to feed renewable methane into the developing a European PtG roadmap of energy storage and provision,
existing natural gas grid in a climate- that contains recommendations benefitting humankind. l
neutral way without any restrictions, regarding which applications PtG may
which means it can be made available serve in the short-, mid- and long- Contact details:
for a wide range of customer term. ‘This European PtG roadmap will Frank Graf
applications. ‘The demo sites provide be a central outcome of the project,’ DVGW Research Center at the
highly diverse testbeds: different reveals Graf. The team hopes that Engler-Bunte Institute, Karlsruhe
climates; grid types and topologies, the STORE&GO project will benefit Institute of Technology (KIT)
like transmission or distribution; end users across Europe by ensuring Engler-Bunte-Ring 3
different combination of solar, wind a sustainable supply of energy and 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
and hydro energy; and different CO2 therefore guaranteeing security. www.dvgw-ebi.de
sources, including bioethanol, waste ‘Furthermore, the gas generated
water and directly from air,’ Graf by PtG can replace fossil gas in any
elaborates. ‘This way, we can analyse application, like heating and transport,’
and compare the advantages of PtG in
various environments.’

Two of the sites use thermo-catalytic
methanation, with reactors designed
specifically to improve the heat
management of the exothermic
methanation reaction that is needed
to ensure high conversion rates of
hydrogen and CO2 to methane. In
addition, the researchers expect that
these reactors will have constructive
advantages that will result in cost
reductions. At the third site, a
biological methanation reactor is
used. This involves microorganisms
called Archaea breathing in hydrogen
and exhaling methane. ‘This concept
seems to be feasible, especially in
context with biogas plants in rural
areas,’ underlines Graf.

In addition, the team is analysing the © Uniper Energy Storage
existing regulatory and legislative
framework, in order to identify where
PtG fits in. As such, the researchers are
involved in the BRIDGE initiative – a
cooperation group involving to date
32 low carbon energy (LCE) smart-grid
and energy storage projects funded
under Horizon 2020. The researchers
are also conducting a multi-country
survey in order to identify acceptance
or resistance in relation to PtG.

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