Three Danish energy technology companies have started construction of the world's first green ammonia plant in the Danish town of Ramme.
The plant is said to be capable of producing 5,000 tonnes of green ammonia per year using only solar and wind energy, and Topsoe reports that the initiative will prevent 8,200 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
This production volume takes into account natural fluctuations in the electricity generated by the plant's solar panels and wind turbines, with the aim to optimize the electrolysis and ammonia synthesis loops based on these fluctuations, making the entire process more cost-efficient.
This puts Topsoe, Skovgaard Energy and Vestas ahead of many other projects in large-scale production of green ammonia. The three companies have received 11 million euros (more than $12 million) in support from the Danish Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program.
Fossil-fuel-based grey ammonia production is currently the norm around the world and accounts for around 1.2% of total carbon dioxide emissions, but eliminating it could reduce emissions equivalent to 1.5 times the size of France, according to multinational strategy and management consultancy McKinsey.
As an environmentally friendly initiative, this is a no-brainer. Firstly, green ammonia is a direct replacement for grey ammonia in fertilizer production and industrial applications. McKinsey also points out that replacing grey ammonia with green ammonia is one of the easiest ways to reduce emissions from agriculture. Plus, as countries move towards increasing renewable energy production, production is expected to become even cheaper.
Green ammonia is primarily used to produce fertilizer (around 70% of the world's supply), but it is also used to transport hydrogen safely and cheaply. There is also potential to use ammonia as an energy-efficient fuel.
The Danish plant is an impressive demonstration of Power-to-X technology and is expected to pave the way for many more green ammonia production facilities around the world.
Following suit is Canadian company FuelPositive, which announced in July that it had launched a scalable green ammonia production system in the city of Winnipeg. The company needs to get a few more certifications before it can operate its modular machine, which promises to produce green ammonia at nearly half the cost of gray ammonia production, but on-site at the farm.
There are several more large-scale projects in the pipeline around the world that are due to come online in the next few years. Of course, there is a lot of work to be done before green ammonia becomes the global standard, but the good news is that the technology is ready to be deployed today.
While a 1.2% reduction in global carbon dioxide emissions may sound like a drop in the ocean, it is one of the more achievable greenhouse gas reductions we can realistically expect in the near future.
Source: Topsoe
