Renewables-integrated microgrids for low-carbon ammonia production: Technologies, economic and environmental perspectives

Ammonia is a promising hydrogen carrier but its production must transition toward low-carbon pathways. This review evaluates renewables-integrated microgrid configurations for low-carbon ammonia production focusing on techno-economic, environmental and operational performance. Cross-study analysis shows that reported Levelized Cost of Ammonia (LCOA) varies substantially with production scale, renewable configuration and economic assumptions. Large-scale systems above 1000 t/day can achieve LCOA below 500 USD/tNH 3 under favorable conditions although higher values are reported for some locations. Renewable-generation infrastructure contributes approximately 25–62% of LCOA while electrolyzers account for up to 51% in some systems. Hybrid renewable configurations and flexible operation can reduce hydrogen-storage requirements by 84–96% and LCOA by up to 22–30%. Renewable-microgrid-based ammonia can also reduce global warming potential by approximately 90% compared with conventional production. Overall, competitive LCOA requires integrated optimization of renewable generation, electrolyzer capacity, storage, production scale and microgrid operation.