Energies 2023 , 16 , 280
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cost-effectively store them. The lack of sectorial coupling is another issue that curtails the upscale of carbon-neutral fuels. Currently, the fuels are most applied in the industrial sector, and to rapidly achieve the 1.5 °C goal, they should also be widely used in sectors where their application is currently limited such as transport, heating, and power generation. The coupling of the various energy sectors creates additional demand for these fuels and maximizes the technical penetration of solar and wind energy without causing challenges to the grid network. In other words, the Power-to-X through the interactions of the different sectors will create the needed balance in the grid network at high shares of solar and wind electricity generation. At the moment, it is also difficult to tell the difference between fossil- based fuels and their carbon-neutral counterparts—for instance, grey and green hydrogen will look the same to consumers after production. Immediate regulation, standardization, and certification could help resolve this challenge. Figure 11 summarizes some critical challenges facing the development of carbon-neutral fuels.
Figure11. Critical challenges facing the development of carbon-neutral fuels.
In summary, the current paper presents a brief perspective on three different carbon- neutral fuels i.e., green hydrogen, green ammonia, and renewable (green) methanol which are the ‘hot’ fuels for tomorrow’s energy system in light of climate goals. We have shown that these fuels have a critical role to play if net zero carbon emissions are to be possible by mid 21st century. Their most important contributions will be witnessed in hard-to-decarbonize sectors like long-range transport, energy-intensive industry, and part of residential heating where it is difficult to directly electrify. The realization of carbon neutrality via carbon-neutral fuels is possible but only after some critical challenges are resolved, especially in making the entire process cost-effective and competitive against existing processes that are dominated by fossil fuels. Author Contributions: Conceptualization, H.L.; writing—original draft preparation, J.D.A.; writing—review and editing, Y.Z. and X.S.; visualization, J.D.A.; supervision, H.L.; validation, S.W.; project administration, L.X. and X.J.; funding acquisition, H.L. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. Funding: This research was funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China, grant numbers 52176125 and 51921004. Data Availability Statement: Not applicable. Acknowledgments: The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support to the research provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China through the Projects 52176125 and 51921004. Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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