Fraunhofer flagship project »AmmonVektor«

AmmonVektor

Green ammonia as a decentralized, cross-sector energy vector for the German energy transition

The industrial demand for electricity and process heat in Germany, for example in Germany as an industrial location, is immense and will not be able to be met without imports of sustainably produced energy sources. One such energy source of the future is hydrogen. However, its transportation over long distances, under high pressure or cryogenically liquefied, is very costly compared to the transportation of oil and is not yet feasible due to the lack of suitable ships. Solutions to these logistical challenges are being developed as part of AmmonVektor. The Fraunhofer flagship project is focusing on ammonia as an energy vector, which in its liquid form can be transported easily and without great energy expenditure. Another advantage is that ammonia already has a global transport infrastructure due to fertilizer production.

Over the next three years, Fraunhofer researchers will be looking at the entire value chain: reactors and catalysts for flexible, energy-efficient ammonia synthesis as well as technologies for splitting ammonia and using it to generate electricity, heat and motion. Storage and logistics concepts are also being created and business models developed. All with the aim of making hydrogen available on a decentralized basis and as cheaply as possible in the future.