Theory goes a long way – but practice creates change
A series of key players are ready to make the green transition happen, full throttle. This was made clear by the PtX hearing in the Danish Parliament that GreenLab recently participated in. At the same time, the independent Climate Council says that Power-to-X and other technologies are still too immature to rely on for sufficient reductions. So how do we go from good intentions to great reductions?
Can green technologies meet the expectations?
In their recent report, the independent Climate Council concluded that Denmark still lacks a plan for how to reduce CO2 with 20 million tons by 2030. The council also says that technologies like CCS and Power-to-X are still only theoretical solutions, and that it is risky to rely too heavily on them to live up to the high expectations.
It is happening right outside our windows
Here at GreenLab, the steel and steam of a green industrial park is right outside our windows, and it doesn’t feel like theory at all. In fact, we are doing the green transition as we speak. We have had a head start – we are putting together the pieces of a puzzle that it will take years for others to complete – and we are ready to hit the start button:
- We have an established industrial park with a unique location between the national 150 kV electricity grid and a 40-bar natural gas grid – ideal for exploring large-scale energy storage and conversion
- GreenLab’s unique SymbiosisNet™ exchanges energy, in all forms, between entities in the 60 hectares industrial park
- We are building Europe’s first commercial scale hydrogen production PtX facility. The entire cluster will be connected to the regional district heating and electrical grids to provide the most positive socioeconomic effect
- The land development, physical infrastructure, and funding needed for a project like GreenLab’s can take years to complete, but we have everything, including consortia and value chains, lined up and will be ready for production in 2022
Facility as a Service
Moreover, GreenLab is constructing a state-of-the-art PtX plug-and-play platform with a “Facility as a Service” (FaaS) concept that manages everything from building foundations with relevant plumbing, technical infrastructure and system integration, to tank facilities and filling areas, and the acquisition of relevant permits.
This unique hosting environment will be a first of its kind, and will solve some of the largest practical obstacles, while offering competitive conditions to the consortium that participates.
Ready by the end of 2022
The first PtX modules will be commissioned this year, and by Q4 2022, at least 12 MW electrolysis by Green Hydrogen Systems and a 10 mio/l/year methanol synthesis by REintegrate will be in full operation, with the support of the Danish Energy Authority.
Biogenic CO2 will be sourced from next door neighbour, GreenLab Skive Biogas which is run by E.On. And an offtake agreement is in place with Circle K. At this time, it is expected to be the largest PtX site in operation in Europe, and a significant upscale of the site capacity is planned with several hundred MW by 2026.
The technologies we are implementing may be new, but they are not figments of our imagination. We are making a proof of concept for an integrated energy system that has the potential to create a market pull.
And if investments are made to create the best possible legal framework and a commercial upscale, Denmark will be well on its way towards the 70% target – not to mention an export adventure.
