The urgent need to take action to decarbonise and reduce the global carbon footprint is seen globally. Countries, regions, significant industrial players and companies are setting renewable energy or decarbonisation targets.
To fully overcome renewable intermittency, energy systems must employ all available flexibility solutions, from energy storage which discharges over a period of hours – to thermal balancing using sustainable fuels, which can be transported and stored over many months.
The influx of renewables entering power systems is creating the right conditions for excess clean electricity to be used as a raw material for new types of hydrogen-based, carbon neutral sustainable fuels.
Together with flexible power plants, sustainable fuels can meet the critical demand for long-term storage solutions that balance grids in an affordable and sustainable way.
Wärtsilä's continuous research on future fuels and engine technology will ensure reliable power generation with a wide range of sustainable fuels. To meet decarbonisation goals and limit the impacts of climate change, explore the various options to reach 100% renewable power generation in future.
P2X fuels will play a key role in the decarbonisation of the energy sector. In the power sector these fuels will prove essential to meet the seasonal and balancing requirements of the grid. Read more about our analysis how the complete value chain of the P2X fuels impacts the choice of the optimal fuel.
Power-to-X is a process which allows the creation of carbon neutral, renewable future fuels. By capturing CO₂ from the air and combining it with green hydrogen, multiple different carbon-neutral future fuels can be created.
In the future, fossil fuels will be replaced by these future fuels as they lower the impact on the climate. Power-to-X can accelerate decarbonisation in industries, transportation and the energy sector.
Today, the extraction of fossil fuels used in various applications is accompanied by continuous increase in release of CO₂ into the atmosphere.
When existing CO₂ in the air is reused as a raw material for synthetic fuel production and other processes – there are no new CO₂ emissions. Circular carbon economy ensures CO₂ balance by recycling CO₂ emissions and utilisation non-fossil alternatives with a support of e.g. forests acting as carbon sinks.
Click the image above to view the full infograph.
Hydrogen will play a major role in developing sustainable fuels and provides a variety of possibilities. Pure hydrogen can be used as a fuel in the future to help mitigate climate change, however, it requires investment in new infrastructure. Green hydrogen can also act as raw material for producing other renewable synthetic fuels, such as methane or methanol, while utilising existing infrastructure.
Wärtsilä is researching various sustainable fuels in order to provide customers with future-proof solutions to support the transition towards a 100% renewable energy future and helping decarbonise the planet.
Wärtsilä engines are already capable of combusting 100% synthetic carbon-neutral methane and methanol. Tests with blends of up to 60% hydrogen and 40% natural gas have also already been made with Wärtsilä engines and the development continues towards the use of a higher share of hydrogen. Up to 25% hydrogen blended with natural gas can already today be used in our engines.
"This class of engines can maintain higher efficiency compared to simple-cycle gas turbines while co-firing hydrogen." - The EPRI case report
Read more here: Case WEC Energy Group
Wärtsilä study examines the potential of Power-to-X fuels for power generation
Commercially operated Wärtsilä engine runs on 25 vol% hydrogen blend, a world first
