Ammonia Production Today
Global Ammonia Uses
Ammonia as a Fuel
An ammonia-powered car or truck would need a tank 2.5× (= 34/13.6) as big or 2.0× (= 46/23) as heavy to go the same range as a gasoline-powered vehicle. Hydrogen is the most energy-dense fuel by weight but can never achieve the volumetric densities of ammonia and fossil fuels.
Ammonia is a gas at room temperature and pressure, but liquifies at -33 C at atmospheric pressure, or around 5 atmospheres at room temperature. In practice, ammonia is stored in cylinders, like propane, at 10 – 20 atmospheres. It costs 30× less to store than hydrogen, which has to be compressed to 700 atmospheres or refrigerated to -253 C. Hydrogen leaks through most metallic containers, and has prohibitively low volumetric energy density—a hydrogen-fueled Airbus A330-300 with the same range as the conventional version, would have no room for payload.
FA Plants will Stimulate Renewable Buildout
Flexible demand capacity results in increased market revenues for intermittent renewables. In Germany, the effect will be particularly pronounced for solar PV.
Demand Profiles (Exemplary for 2030, 400MW)
Exhaust When Ammonia is Burned