Invited Paper TL+MS+VT-TuM3
The Energy Transition: Science and Technology Development Aspects

Tuesday, October 22, 2019, 8:40 am, Room A212

The Paris climate agreement requires a decarbonization of our energy infrastructure leading to a CO₂ neutrality by 2050. Therefore renewable energy generation by means of wind or from solar radiation through photovoltaics or concentrated solar power will continue to increase its share in the energy mix. Intermittency (due to e.g. day/night cycle), the regional variation of these energy sources, and penetration of renewable energy into other sectors than electricity (e.g. the chemical industry) requires means to store, transport and convert energy on a large scale. A promising option is the synthesis of chemicals and synthetic fuels (easily deployable within the present fossil fuels infrastructure) from raw feedstock using renewable energy. A truly circular economy requires that the raw materials are the thermodynamically most stable molecules such as water (H₂O), carbondioxide (CO₂) and nitrogen (N₂) to produce base chemical feedstock, such as e.g. hydrogen, hydrocarbons and ammonia. In this talk I will discuss the opportunities this transformation of the chemical industry provides. Furthermore, I will highlight the science and technology challenges, the catalytic materials, processes and systems developments needed that can provide compatibility of renewable energy driven chemistry with e.g. intermittency and localized production.