European Demonstration Plants for Chemical Production Using Renewable Energy

In my previous blog, I identified eight European-funded projects for producing chemicals using carbon dioxide as a raw material and renewable energy to drive the production.  (Click here to read the previous blog.)  Most of those projects seem to be ground-based, exploratory research and development focused on understanding and solving fundamental problems.

At another level of understanding, European-related demonstration plants are being used to evaluate chemical production using renewable energy without the need for fossil fuels.  This blog identifies six such demonstration plants.

Thyssenkrupp is collaborating on a demonstration plant in Australia that will produce ammonia from electrolysis-produced hydrogen using renewable energy.  Click here for details.

Siemens is collaborating on a demonstration plant in the United Kingdom that will produce ammonia from electrolysis-produced hydrogen using renewable energy.  Click here for details.

Haldor Topsoe is collaborating on a demonstration plant in Denmark that will produce ammonia from electrolysis-produced hydrogen using renewable energy.  Click here for details.

Yara and Engie are collaborating on a demonstration plant in Australia that will produce ammonia from electrolysis-produced hydrogen using renewable energy.  Click here for details.

The Austrian steel company voestalpine has a demonstration plant at its site in Linz, Austria producing electrolysis-produced hydrogen using renewable energy.  Hydrogen is required in steel making.  Several collaborators are involved in the project.  Click here for details.

Uniper and collaborators plan to build in Germany an electrolysis plant to explore efficient production, transportation, storage, and use of hydrogen.  Click here for details.

The demonstration plants identified above support the conclusion I made in my previous blog (click here) that the European Union greatly supports renewable energy and its use in producing chemicals rather than relying on fossil fuels for chemicals and the energy to produce them.

That major European companies are building demonstration plants indicate continued hopeful expectations for the potential payoffs of renewable energy.   Demonstration plants would be a logicalt step in evaluating chemical production using renewable energy.  Such plants provide better understanding of the need for scale and integration.