Decarbonizing the World: The Role of Green Ammonia in Energy Transition
Key Ideas
  • Ammonia, produced primarily from natural gas and air, contributes significantly to energy-related CO2 emissions, but green ammonia offers a zero-carbon alternative.
  • Green ammonia has the potential to serve as a clean fuel for maritime shipping and energy storage due to its higher energy density compared to hydrogen.
  • While near-zero-emission production methods like electrolysis are emerging, they are currently more expensive than conventional methods, with challenges in technical readiness and cost competitiveness.
  • The EU is focusing on hydrogen-based fuels like green ammonia, with strategies to promote renewable electricity production and calculate life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions for these fuels.
Ammonia, a widely used compound in fertilizers and various industries, is a significant contributor to energy-related CO2 emissions globally. Traditional production methods, such as the Haber-Bosch process, lead to substantial CO2 emissions. However, the rise of green ammonia, produced using green hydrogen and nitrogen from the air, presents a promising solution for decarbonization efforts. Green ammonia, a carbon-free fuel, holds potential as a clean energy carrier and storage medium. It is being explored for its role in maritime shipping and power storage due to its higher volumetric energy density compared to hydrogen. Despite its many advantages, the production of green ammonia currently faces challenges. Existing near-zero-emission production methods like electrolysis and methane pyrolysis are more costly than conventional methods, with lower technical readiness levels. The integration of variable renewable energy poses a challenge for large-scale green ammonia production. While various emerging technologies, including biomass gasification, show promise for near-zero-emission ammonia, they are still in the early stages of development. The EU is actively promoting hydrogen-based fuels like green ammonia as part of its energy transition strategy. Recent policies focus on connecting electrolysers to new renewable electricity production and calculating life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions. Despite the current higher costs and challenges, the outlook for green ammonia production is optimistic, with expectations that it will become cost-competitive by 2030 and play a significant role in decarbonizing industries.
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