2025: Power-to-X Pathways for a Decarbonized Energy Future: An Integrated Analysis and Decision-Making Framework (EDF)
Power-to-X (PtX) pathways convert electricity into e-fuels like hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol. These chemicals and fuels are necessary to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors like industry and heavy transport, and they provide long-duration energy storage for electricity generation. Each PtX technology pathway offers benefits but faces challenges related to technology readiness, infrastructure, and sector-specific suitability. Existing power system planning models, such as GenX, GE Maps, and SWITCH, focus on power system details but often abstract the chemical processes critical to PtX. Conversely, most PtX research abstracts the details of power system operations, creating a gap that hinders accurate technological path comparisons. This collaborative project between Cornell University and Environmental Defense Fund researchers aims to bridge the gap by integrating detailed sectoral and process modelling for the most promising PtX technology pathways within the power system capacity expansion platform, SWITCH. By doing so, researchers will facilitate more accurate cost comparisons among technologies across various scenarios.
Cornell: Lindsay Anderson (Cornell CALS, Biological and Environmental Engineering)
EDF: Thomas Brindle, Luis Fernández Intriago
Collaborator: Jerry Murphy (University College of Cork, Ireland)