Power-to-gas: fueling one million cars with renewable gas
At the "Symposium for Sustainable Mobility" in the Umwelt Arena in Spreitenbach, the focus was on power-to-gas, a technology whose potential is grossly underestimated. According to a new study, up to one million cars in Switzerland could run on renewable gas.
What dimension could a so-called power-to-gas conversion bring? Around 110,000 or 2.5 percent of all passenger cars in Switzerland today use alternative drive systems - including 18,000 electric and 11,000 CNG (natural gas and biogas) vehicles. Electromobility has an important role to play on the road to an ecological future. According to its "SwissEnergy Program Strategy 2021 to 2030," the Swiss Federal Office of Energy aims to increase the share of electric vehicles (including plug-in hybrids) in new vehicles to 38 percent by 2030.
Conversely, this means that in eleven years' time, 62 percent of new cars will still be powered by internal combustion engines. They, too, can and must make their contribution to achieving the goals of the Paris climate agreement.
With Power-to-gas (PtG) technology is available that can make a significant contribution to reducing CO2-emissions in private motorized transport. In Switzerland, there is the potential to run up to one million passenger cars on synthetically produced methane very CO2-low. This is the conclusion of a new study by the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (Empa) and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), commissioned by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (Bafu). As CNG (Compressed Natural Gas), methane is a proven, safe and clean fuel for internal combustion engines.
The study investigated the potential in Switzerland to use electricity surpluses in the summer months to convert electrical energy into chemical energy carriers such as hydrogen, methane or liquid hydrocarbons.
"Reduction of CO2-emissions by 70 to 90 percent compared to gasoline."
Christian Bach, Head of Department Vehicle Propulsion Systems at Empa and co-author of the study, presented the results to about 150 participants at the "Symposium for Sustainable Mobility" at the Umwelt Arena Schweiz in Spreitenbach AG. "The CO2-emissions of this million cars would be reduced by 70 to 90 percent compared to gasoline vehicles."noted Christian Bach. This is because in the power-to-gas process, the same amount of CO2 as is released again during combustion.
A CNG vehicle running on renewable fuel is on a par with an electric vehicle charged with renewable electricity in terms of its environmental footprint. Under these conditions, Christian Bach concluded that for short distances, the electric vehicle is the ideal solution, while for long distances, vehicles with synthetic fuels such as CNG and biodiesel are the ideal solution.
"Power-to-gas can become a key technology for mobility"
Professor Dr. Markus Friedl from the University of Applied Sciences Rapperswil (HSR) addressed the challenges facing the Swiss energy system in a future without fossil fuels and without nuclear power in his presentation, calling power-to-gas "a key technology of tomorrow." Friedl said, "It is possible to supply Switzerland with renewable energy at a reasonable cost." PtG from renewable electricity not only reduces CO2-emissions, but also dependence on energy imports from abroad.
Technology-neutral and fair framework conditions are crucial, he said. In June, Federal Councillor Simonetta Sommaruga visited the HSR's power-to-gas plant and confirmed her interest in the technology (see report in the August issue of Environmental Perspectives, No. 5).
Coca-Cola Switzerland already relies on natural gas and biogas as fuel. The beverage manufacturer will commission the largest CNG corporate fleet in Switzerland by November. A total of 180 Audi, Skoda and VW commercial vehicles will be made available to employees at all job levels. Coca-Cola will put the first 70 cars into operation at the end of August, with a further 110 vehicles in November of this year. "It's not enough just to sell beverages," said Patrick Wittweiler, who is responsible for sustainability as Country Sustainability Manager at Coca-Cola Switzerland.
Various drive technologies and energy sources with CO2- and climate effect
In addition to Christian Bach, Prof. Dr. Markus Friedl, Walter Schmid and Patrick Wittweiler, exponents such as FDP National Councilor Thierry Burkart, Andreas Burgener (Director of Auto-Schweiz) and Christoph Schreyer (Head of Mobility at the Swiss Federal Office of Energy) attended the symposium in the Umwelt Arena. They all agreed: It is not a question of whether electric, gas or hydrogen is better for the environment, but rather how the combined use of different technologies and energy sources helps to reduce CO2- and climate targets in Switzerland. (Source: www.cng-mobility.ch)
