Technology Awareness Deep Dive

Power-to-X: The Future of Renewable Energy Storage and Conversion

Policymakers and industrial stakeholders globally are striving to transition to a low-carbon economy to achieve net-zero targets in the long term. However, sectors such as aviation, shipping, long-distance transport, and heavy industries have difficulty decarbonizing using direct electrification. These hard-to-abate sectors need large-scale, high-energy-density feedstocks to decarbonize. Hydrogen is the ideal energy carrier, enabling energy diversification when produced through renewable energy, significantly reducing emissions while aiding policymakers to meet long-term pledges. Additionally, renewable energy sources are highly intermittent, leading to fluctuations in renewable energy storage. Power-to-X (PtX) technology advances help convert surplus renewable energy into stable energy carriers, such as hydrogen and its derivatives, including Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), methanol, ammonia, and synthetic methane, for aviation, maritime, agriculture, and chemicals industries.

PtX efficiently harnesses renewable energy by producing synthetic fuels, chemicals, and other specialty compounds. It also reduces carbon emissions and minimizes dependency on fossil fuels. In this report, we analyze the growing PtX technology adoption across industries and how it aids decarbonization.