Three energy companies have opened the doors of the world’s first green ammonia plant in the Danish town of Ramme. They claim it can produce 5,000 tonnes of green ammonia a year using solar and wind energy, thereby avoiding 8,200 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year.
This production figure takes into account the natural fluctuation of energy generated by the plant’s solar panels and wind turbines. The idea is to optimize the ammonia electrolysis and synthesis cycle based on these fluctuations and improve profitability throughout the process.
Thus, the trio formed by Topsoe, Skovgaard Energy and Vestas has moved ahead of many other projects in producing green ammonia on a large scale. It received support in the form of 11 million euros (more than 12 million dollars) from Denmark’s Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Programme.
The production of grey ammonia, which uses fossil fuels, is currently the norm throughout the world and represents around 1.2% of global emissions of carbon dioxide. According to the consultancy McKinsey, eliminating that amount would reduce emissions equivalent to 1.5 times those of France as a whole.
Green ammonia is a direct substitute for its grey counterpart for fertilizer manufacturing and industrial uses. Switching from green to grey ammonia is one of the easiest ways to reduce emissions from agriculture. Plus, as countries move towards producing more renewable energy, production is projected to become even cheaper.
Why are we talking about green ammonia here? It is mainly used to make fertilizers (about 70% of the world’s supply), but another use is hydrogen transport safely and economically… and there is also the potential to use ammonia as energy efficient fuel.
The Danish plant could pave the way for more green ammonia production facilities around the world. In fact, Canadian firm FuelPositive announced in July that it has launched a scalable green ammonia production system in Winnipeg. You still need certifications to get your machines up and running, though, before you can make green ammonia at nearly half the cost of grey ammonia (and right on site for farmers). And there are other projects in other parts of the globe.
Reducing global CO2 emissions by 1.2% may not seem like much, but it is one of the most feasible and least painful reductions that can be expected in the immediate future… since the technology is already available for implementation.
