Project R-7413

CO2 for energy storage (Research)

The project objective of ENOP is the development and demonstration of embryonic CO2 conversion technologies for the storage of renewable energy. The ultimate goal is a set of demonstrators and working pilots that convert sunlight or renewable electricity into chemical energy carriers and / or specialty chemicals. CO2 is the first choice as a starting material. CO2 is increasingly seen as a valuable alternative source of carbon for the production of chemicals. CO2 is the ultimate renewable resource. It is everywhere and always available in unlimited quantities. It allows no problems of direct or indirect changes in land use. It has no or minimal impact on food security, land use, water and biodiversity. And the environmental and CO2 footprint is lower than for petroleum or biomass-based alternatives (Carus, 2014). Nature has already a lot of experience with the direct and indirect conversion of CO2. Nature is in fact able to store energy by storing CO2 and energy (Sunlight) in the form of sugars. This energy storage has a much higher efficiency than those of conventional techniques (storage battery or hydrogen storage). The challenge is to translate this insight from nature to an industrial chemical process. The final yield of this route can thus be 35% higher than those of hydrogen storage. These insights have recently been confirmed in the laboratory and recorded in different Low Carbon Roadmaps of the European Commission.

01 September 2016 - 31 August 2019