The European Union’s strategy for achieving net zero emissions heavily depends on the development of hydrogen and e-/bio-fuel infrastructure and economy. These fuels are poised to play a critical role, functioning both as energy carriers and balancing agents for the inherent variability of renewable energy sources. Large-scale production will necessitate additional renewable capacity, and various Power-to-X (PtX) concepts are emerging in countries with significant renewable potential. However, sourcing renewable carbon presents a significant challenge in scaling the production of carbon-based e-fuels, and this is anticipated to become a limiting factor in the future. This investigation examines the concept of a PtX hub that sources renewable CO2 from modern biogas plants, integrating renewable energy, hydrogen production, and methanol synthesis at a single site. This concept facilitates an internal, behind-the-meter market for energy and material flows, balanced by an interface with the external energy system. The size and operation of all plants comprising the PtX hub were co-optimized, considering various levels of integration with surrounding energy systems, including the potential establishment of a local hydrogen grid. The levelized costs of hydrogen and e-methanol were estimated for a site commencing operation in 2030, taking into consideration the recent legislation about renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBOs). Our findings indicate that, in its optimal configuration, the PtX hub relies almost exclusively on on-site renewable energy, selling excess electricity to the grid for balancing purposes. The connection to a local hydrogen grid facilitates smoother PtX process operations, while the behind-the-meter market reduces energy prices, providing a buffer against external market variability. The results demonstrate the feasibility of achieving a levelized cost of methanol below 650 € /t and hydrogen production costs below 3 €/kg in 2030. In comparison, a standalone e-methanol plant would incur a 23% higher cost. The ratio of CO2 recovered to methanol produced was identified as a critical technical parameter, with recovery rates exceeding 90% necessitating substantial investments in CO2 and H2 storage. Overall, our findings support the planning of PtX infrastructures that consider integration with the agricultural sector as a cost-effective pathway to access renewable carbon resources.

中文翻译：

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通过在沼气厂集成 Power-to-X 来优化氢气和乙醇的生产


欧盟实现净零排放的战略在很大程度上取决于氢能和电子/生物燃料基础设施和经济的发展。这些燃料将发挥关键作用，既可以作为能源载体，也可以作为可再生能源固有变化的平衡剂。大规模生产将需要额外的可再生能源容量，并且在具有巨大可再生能源潜力的国家/地区正在出现各种 Power-to-X （PtX） 概念。然而，采购可再生碳对扩大碳基 e-fuel 的生产提出了重大挑战，预计这将成为未来的限制因素。该调查研究了 PtX 中心的概念，该中心从现代沼气厂获取可再生 CO2，将可再生能源、制氢和甲醇合成整合到一个站点。这一概念促进了能源和物料流的内部电表后市场，通过与外部能源系统的接口进行平衡。考虑到与周围能源系统的不同程度的集成，包括建立当地氢网的可能性，组成 PtX 中心的所有工厂的规模和运营都进行了协同优化。考虑到最近关于非生物来源可再生燃料 （RFNBO） 的立法，对 2030 年开始运营的工厂的氢气和乙醇的平准化成本进行了估计。我们的研究结果表明，在其最佳配置中，PtX 中心几乎完全依赖现场可再生能源，将多余的电力出售给电网以实现平衡。 与当地氢网的连接有助于更顺畅的 PtX 工艺操作，而电表后市场降低了能源价格，为外部市场变化提供了缓冲。结果表明，到 2030 年，实现甲醇平准化成本低于 650 欧元/吨、制氢成本低于 3 欧元/千克是可行的。相比之下，独立的无甲醇装置的成本将高出 23%。回收的 CO2 与生产的甲醇的比率被确定为一个关键技术参数，回收率超过 90%，需要对 CO2 和 H2 封存进行大量投资。总体而言，我们的研究结果支持 PtX 基础设施的规划，这些基础设施将与农业部门整合作为获取可再生碳资源的经济高效的途径。