Ammonia-fed fuel cells for a locally CO2-free energy supply in the telecommunications industry - A comparative techno-economic analysis

Abstract

In view of the need for accelerated progress in climate protection, the telecommunications industry is increasingly confronted with the requirement to develop and deploy climate-neutral infrastructure. Particularly with regard to off-grid operation and back-up power supply of cell towers, locally CO2 emission-free energy supply concepts that are sustainable and feasible in the short term are required. With the ammonia fuel cell system, a possible concept is currently coming into focus. However, despite its potential importance, ammonia-fed fuel cell systems powered by green ammonia have not yet been investigated in comparative studies. Consequently, its technical and economic characteristics, and its relative position among alternative renewable energy generation options, remain largely unclear. The aim of this study is therefore to describe the techno-economic characteristics of an ammonia-fed fuel cell system and to compare them with other renewable energy generation options.The technology comparison shows that for the ammonia-fed fuel cell system, due to its early applied development stage, further cost degression potentials still need to be exploited in order to be competitive with alternative systems. In particular, the currently short product lifetimes of ammonia crackers and alkaline fuel cell stacks lead to high replacement costs. However, off-grid use under unfavorable solar and wind conditions as well as at sites with limited space for renewable energy systems may be a promising application for the future. Further monitoring of the technical and economic development of the system would be appropriate since significant progress can be expected in the foreseeable future.