Report
Teaser, summary, work performed and final results
Periodic Reporting for period 2 - STOREandGO (Innovative large-scale energy STOragE technologies AND Power-to-Gas concepts after Optimisation)
Teaser
The project STORE&GO started in March 2016 and aims at analyzing the key drivers for Power to Gas (PtG) energy storage concepts to get a better understanding of their potential role in a non-disruptive transformation path towards a sustainable energy system. For this purpose...
Summary
The project STORE&GO started in March 2016 and aims at analyzing the key drivers for Power to Gas (PtG) energy storage concepts to get a better understanding of their potential role in a non-disruptive transformation path towards a sustainable energy system. For this purpose, STORE&GO will demonstrate three innovative PtG storage concepts at three different locations in DE, CH and Italy. Using methanation processes as bridging technologies, it will examine in which way these innovative PtG concepts can make a major contribution to solve the main problems of renewable energies: fluctuating production of renewable energies; difficult and expensive integration of renewables in the power grid infrastructure, missing storage solutions for renewable power at the local, national and European level. At the same time, it will show that PtG concepts can make use of the existing huge European natural gas/SNG infrastructure and can promote a continuously improving environmental footprint of gas as an important primary/secondary energy carrier.
Overall project objectives are:
• To erect and operate the three demo plants with three different innovative catalytic and biological methanation concepts within the last 2 years of the project showing at least 4,000 operation hours.
• To reach permanent product gas qualities suitable for injection into the gas grid. The methane content should exceed 90 Vol.-%.
• To evaluate and analyse the role of PtG as a flexibility tool for power generation and supply.
• To develop business models and market entrance measures for PtG in different energy sectors.
• To elaborate suggestions and recommendations how to modify/simplify regulatory and legal issues for further implementation of PtG.
• To assess, based on various 2050 and beyond energy scenarios, to what extent PtG can fulfil future storage needs at the EU level. Furthermore, to elaborate optimal locations for PtG across Europe.
• To present a policy agenda that helps to develop the PtG.
The STORE&GO consortium includes 27 partners from 6 European countries: Deutscher Verein des Gas und Wasserfaches e. V (DE), Uniper Energy Storage GmbH (DE), Regio Energie Solothurn (CH), Engineering – Ingegneria Informatica SPA (Italy), Hochschule für Technik Rapperswill (CH), Politechnico di Torino (Italy), Energieinstitut an der Johannes Kepler Universität Linz Verein (Austria), Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (NL), ATMOSTAT (FR), Commissariat a l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (FR), Climeworks AG (CH), DBI Gas und Umwelttechnik GmbH (DE), Studio Technico BFP Societa a Responsabilita Limitata (Italy), Stichting Energieonderzoek Centrum Nederland (NL), Stichting Energy Delta Institute (NL), Electrochaea GmbH (DE), Eidgenossische Materialprüfungs- und Forschungsanstalt (CH), Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (CH), Stichting Energy Valley (NL), Gaswärme-Institut Essen EV (DE), Hanzehogeschool Groningen Stichting (NL), IREN SPA (Italy), Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (DE), Schweizerischer Verein des Gas- und Wasserfaches (CH), Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions AG, Comune di Troia (Italy), HYSYTECH S.R.L (Italy), and Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek TNO (NL).
Work performed
Major focus of the project in the second 18-month period was to complete the construction of the demo sites and to conduct commissioning in order to identify and resolve any technical issues before the plants are put into constant pilot operation.
Falkenhagen site: On-site constructions were finalized during this period and commissioning tests were performed from April until August 2018 resulting in about 500 h of operational experiences and optimization work. After receiving the required permission to inject into the local gas grid, injection could start in January 2019. The plant is currently under operation.
Solothurn site: The construction of the demo site including full installation of the biological methanation plant was completed in December 2018. Plant commissioning is currently ongoing and expected to be finished in June 2019. Afterwards, the plant will be put into operation with gas injection into the local gas grid.
Troia site. The construction of the demo site in Troia is also completed and commissioning tests are ongoing since November 2018. It is expected that by end of April 2019 the plant will be fully commissioned and operation will be started.
Parallel to the activities at the demo sites, a comprehensive set of tools, databases and studies has been established for overall evaluation of PtG technologies. Some highlights from the cross-cutting activities:
• In order to compare the three demo plants, a robust methodology for data analysis and evaluation has been developed and will be applied as soon as data from the plants’ pilot operation is available.
• A modelling approach has been developed for quantification of the environmental impact of PtG technologies under different scenarios, scales and operating conditions applying the LCA methodology.
• The European and national (DE, Italy, CH) legal framework applicable to power-to-gas has been thoroughly examined.
• Potential locations for large-scale renewable energy storage via PtG in Europe have also been identified, with regard to available renewable energy and CO2 sources.
• Various factors determining the greening of gas across the EU by 2030 have been inventoried and summarised based on four scenarios. The scenarios foresee different degrees to which markets and policies/ measures create incentives for green gases.
Final results
Particularly for the demo sites in Solothurn and Troia, the development and fabrication of the methanation technologies, namely, the biological methanation plant for Solothurn and the methanation unit based on milli-structured catalytic reactors for Troia, continued within the second reporting period. In the case of the site in Falkenhagen, the methanation plant and more specifically the catalytic honeycomb reactors were optimized and fabricated already within the first reporting period. The pilot operation phase of the plants is anticipated as it will reveal valuable information concerning the performance of all three technologies and perspectives for their commercialization.
Progress beyond the state of the art is also expected from the combination of PtG with liquefaction of the produced gas at the Troia demo site. The small-scale decentralized approach leads to technological innovations that will soon be tested. A positive evaluation is expected to generate new prospects for market introduction, not only of the overall plant technology, but also of the LNG unit as stand-alone product.
The outcomes of the STORE&GO cross-cutting activities are generating a unique basis for proper evaluation of the market potential of PtG, and of the impact from its wider implementation. As STORE&GO enters its final phase, all the conducted analysis and evaluation work is used to develop a roadmap, which describes how the considered technologies may evolve throughout Europe by 2050. The roadmap development is accompanied by the elaboration of a set of policy recommendations to support the economic viability of these technologies and to overcome barriers that prevent their future evolvement. The expected outcome can be considered equally important to the technical progress at the demo sites and will provide a major contribution to an otherwise poorly explored field.
Website & more info
More info: https://www.storeandgo.info/.