Renewable electricity-based energy carriers and feedstocks beyond green hydrogen under-represented in countries’ climate strategies and commitments, and underexplored in research, say Global Alliance Powerfuels, research institutions and industry.
On the occasion of the conclusion of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26), the Global Alliance Powerfuels calls for research institutions and industry to co-sign a joint declaration calling for policymakers to take action to accelerate the ramp-up of production capacities of electricity-based energy carriers and feedstocks. The declaration, which has already been signed by seven leading researchers in the field, further calls for the research community to integrate these renewable energy sources beyond hydrogen in energy system models.
At COP26, much emphasis was rightly placed on accelerating the deployment of renewable energy carriers and encouraging investment in renewables. The role of green hydrogen produced from renewable electricity in the transition away from fossil-based energy sources is increasingly recognised by countries around the world.
However, the contribution of renewable electricity-based energy carriers and feedstocks beyond hydrogen (also referred to as e-fuels or powerfuels) to reach climate neutrality remains under-addressed in countries’ climate strategies and commitments, and underexplored in research, say the Global Alliance Powerfuels, research institutions and industry in a joint declaration published today on the occasion of the conclusion of the COP26 in Glasgow.
They therefore call for policymakers to make the establishment of powerfuels beyond hydrogen as cost-competitive alternatives to fossil energy carriers a political priority, and to take measures to close the gap between planned and realised powerfuels projects. Specifically, they urge policymakers to work towards multilateral cooperation to expand CO2 pricing schemes across sectors and regions, demand-side incentives and/or mandates for the use of renewable hydrogen and other powerfuels, and transparent, standardised and globally recognised certification.
In addition, they call for the research community to integrate renewable electricity-based energy carriers and feedstocks beyond hydrogen in energy system models, on a global but also regional and national level. Given that Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies find a dominant presence across several energy system modelling scenarios, while Carbon Capture and Utilization technologies such as DAC and synthesis technologies are underexplored, the role of CCU technologies should also feature more prominently in future research.
The signatories of the declaration hope to increase awareness of the central role of powerfuels beyond green hydrogen to reach climate neutrality. They invite others to join their initiative and co-sign the declaration, which is available in full length on the website of the Global Alliance Powerfuels (www.powerfuels.org/declaration).
About the Global Alliance Powerfuels
The Global Alliance Powerfuels was founded in 2018 as an alliance of leading global companies and scientific institutions at the initiative of the German Energy Agency and aims to drive the market readiness and development of powerfuels worldwide. Together with 15 members and 20 partners, it is working to integrate powerfuels into the global energy market.