ECO-POWER


A DYNAMIC SOLUTION FOR GREEN POWER


The construction of the world’s first dynamic green ammonia


(PtA) plant connected directly to renewable energy is underway in Denmark, providing a boost to the green transition


P


ower-to-X plants are designed to convert green electricity to another form of energy,


such as green fuels. Such plants are intended to give a boost to the green transition, allowing wind or solar energy to be stored in other more durable forms. In fact, storage has been one of the biggest technical challenges to its success. As such, a pioneering Power-to-X plant is under construction in West Jutland, Denmark.


A DYNAMIC COLLABORATION Electrolysis can be used to produce green hydrogen from electricity and water, which can be used by the transport sector, for example. However if, using electrolysis, hydrogen is processed one step further by adding nitrogen, ammonia is created. Ammonia can contain a lot more energy than hydrogen, making it ideal for heavy transport such as shipping. With the infrastructure already in place, it’s also a lot easier to distribute ammonia than hydrogen. The Power-to-Ammonia technology is now


being refined for specific purposes. Near the village of Ramme in West Jutland, an EUDP project is building the world’s first dynamic PtA plant. Skovgaard Energy, Topsoe and Vestas are partners in a collaboration with ABB. Commenting on this, ABB segment manager


Jeppe Skovgaard Bentzen, said: “ABB is supplying full electrical integration for the PtA plant, with control and management of the process as a whole. We have the skills needed within automation (control and management) of integrated electrical solutions, preferably incorporating our own products and others specially customised to customer requirements. In this instance, we’re dealing with full automation and electrical distribution from the electrolysis


www.essmag.co.uk


process for further processing of hydrogen to ammonia – and everything in between.”


A KEY ROLE The plant will run on energy from its own wind turbines, avoiding using electricity from the existing grid. The type of plant is ‘dynamic’. “What makes dynamic plants unique is that


excessive. And that’s where dynamic plants will play a key role,” Bentzen continued. In addition to fuel for heavy transport, green ammonia can also be used as an


agricultural fertilizer. Around 1% of global CO2 emissions are believed to come from traditional ammonia production.


THE GREEN TRANSITION The developer and plant owner is Skovgaard Energy, an innovative and visionary investor in the green transition. Skovgaard Energy owns wind turbines and solar farms throughout Denmark.


“What makes dynamic plants unique is that they can produce green fuels when the sun shines and the wind blows, but can gear


production down when neither energy source is present. This makes them different from other types of PtX plant, which are directly


connected to the grid, making them not quite as agile in terms of being able to adapt to fluctuations in renewable energy”


they can produce green fuels when the sun shines and the wind blows, but can gear production down when neither energy source is present. That makes them different from other types of PtX plants, which are directly connected to the grid, making them not quite as agile in terms of being able to adapt to fluctuations in renewable energy,” explained Bentzen. “Getting the various types of PtX plants to run


optimally will be a complex job within green electrification. We need enough energy constantly available at the times when we cannot produce sufficient renewable energy from the sun and wind, for example. Running PtX plants also has to be adapted to capacity on the electricity grid, to avoid it breaking down when fluctuations in energy production and consumption become


Pat A. Han, technical director, explained that


because this is a demonstration and development project, it was important to partner with a collaborator able to understand that nothing was set in stone from the beginning, and willing to make changes along the way from lessons learned. ABB has turned out to be such a partner, playing


an active role right from the early phases of the project and making a positive contribution to the choices of equipment and solutions. In fact the experience ABB has with the processes involved in ammonia production has been a massive advantage during the design and construction phases of the new plant.


ABB www.abb.com


ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY SOLUTIONS - Summer 2023 23


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