Techno-economic Study of an Electrolysis-Based Green Ammonia Production Plant

This paper presents an investigation of a storage option of green hydrogen (H2) in the form of ammonia (NH3) based on system simulations considering detailed technical properties. Experimental data from a 1 MW PEM electrolyzer is used to develop an electrolyzer model and downstream a kinetic reactor for NH3 synthesis. Exemplarily, the electricity is supposed to be supplied by a hydropower plant in Norway. An economical evaluation of the plant is performed for optimized process parameters. The costs of H2 and NH3 are calculated based on electrolyzer investment costs published for deployment between 2020 and 2030 and several electricity cost scenarios. From the results, a broad economic optimum of the operating range of the electrolyzer in the entire plant is obtained. This work provides a basis for the future evaluation of complex plants with electrolyzers for the production of green ammonia as well as strategies for the reduction of costs of green NH3 in the future.