Interconnections between Solar-Driven Ammonia Production and the Water and Distribution Infrastructures at a Global Scale

Abstract

Ammonia plays a crucial role in the modern agriculture industry, as synthetic nitrogenous fertilizers supply over half of the nitrogen input into croplands. However, ammonia production through the Haber-Bosch process contributes to 1.2% of the global anthropogenic CO2 emissions and 2% of the global energy consumption. Thus, momentum has been building to transition Ammonia production towards renewable and electrified approaches. There are inherent risks and opportunities associated with the adoption of new technologies, and electrifying ammonia production will likely result in a new decentralized market for green ammonia. This work opens the dialogue to consciously create a system that is resilient, sustainable, and globally available.This talk presents a detailed geospatial study on solar-driven ammonia production. First, we identify the spatial distribution of solar-driven ammonia production while considering key economic and performance parameters such as capital cost and energy efficiency. We study how the ammonia production cost distribution changes with the implementation of different technologies (i.e., low-temperature electrochemical ammonia production, lithium-mediated electrochemical ammonia production, and the electrified Haber-Bosch process). Then, we identify key considerations and performance targets (Energy Efficiency, Capital Costs, and Distribution Costs) for solar-driven ammonia production to reach economic feasibility. Finally, we optimize solar-driven ammonia production and distribution networks to decrease production and transportation costs while increasing resiliency towards changes in distribution costs and water scarcity through multi-objective network optimization. Figure 1