Ammonia

Wood Mackenzie has predicted solar equipment cost increases will ease back after last year saw the average cost of solar electricity rise for the first time in the Asia-Pacific region.

Acme Solar said the facility would use 3 GWp of solar and 0.5 GWp of wind energy to produce 2,400 tons of green ammonia daily and approximately 900,000 tons annually. Construction is planned in phases with an investment of $3.5 billion over the next three years.

Plus there is news this week of a green hydrogen tie-up in India, plans for another German production facility, and of new hydrogen transport networks for Switzerland and the U.S.

Long distance, point-to-point transport of green hydrogen for industrial use can harness the cheap solar electricity available in some parts of the world but distributing the energy-storage gas to individual refueling stations, for vehicle fuel cell use, will likely have to depend on production nearby.

According to a new study from the LUT University, hybrid wind-solar plants offer the ideal profile to reduce the costs of green ammonia. Although natural gas will be able to provide lower prices over this and the next decade, beyond 2040 ammonia generated by wind and solar may reach a price of between €300 and €330 per ton.

Trade bodies the Africa Solar Industry Association and the African Hydrogen Partnership hosted a two-day virtual conference to discuss the role green hydrogen can play in economic growth across the continent–and how it could drive desalination in freshwater-starved coastal countries.

Scientists from the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney have made a breakthrough in the development of green ammonia. Their findings could alter the global industry with the help of solar to produce green ammonia for export to countries like Japan and Germany, instead of straight hydrogen.

Engie has published the findings of its long-awaited feasibility study with Yara on the development of renewable hydrogen and ammonia. They plan to build new large-scale facilities in Western Australia, starting with a 10 MW solar farm and electrolyzer.

Compressed hydrogen is “the first viable option” to help meet wintertime electricity demand in a high-renewables grid, says DNV GL.

Japan’s JGC Corporation reports an efficient method of converting hydrogen to ammonia, which can later be combusted to generate carbon-free electricity. Ammonia, according to JGC, has various advantages over hydrogen in terms of safety and cost effectiveness.