We are looking for French partners to build a project consortium about topics related to power-to-x. Industry and academia are welcome. Please let me know if you are interested.

1. Project outline IXES:
Evaluation of Sectoral Integration and Power-to-X in the
Franco-German Energy System with increasing Share of
Renewable Energy Sources considering Cross Border Effects
FRANCO-GERMAN JOINT CALL FOR PROPOSALS ON “SUSTAINABLE ENERGY” within
the framework of the collaboration between the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research
and Innovation (MESRI) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Submission deadline:
9 January 2019, 13:00 CET
http://www.agence-nationale-recherche.fr/fileadmin/aap/2019/aap-susen-2019.pdf
https://www.bmbf.de/foerderungen/bekanntmachung-2043.html
This short manuscript is intended to provide an overview of a planned proposal for the
aforementioned Franco-German call and to motivate potential partners to join the consortium.
It was initiated by the French-German Institute for Environmental Research (DFIU) within
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).
Institute website:
https://www.dfiu.kit.edu/english/index.php
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions:
Contact:
Dr.-Ing. Jérémy Rimbon
Tel.: +49 721 608-44685
jeremy.rimbon@kit edu

2. Problem statement and project purpose:
An increasing share of renewable energy sources in electrical power generation, particularly
wind energy and photovoltaic, leads to high fluctuations in electricity production. This raises
the question how to use energy resources and excess electricity in an efficient manner and
how to define a flexible grid system, which is capable to balance these volatilities in electricity
supply with minimum energy losses.
There is general consensus, that beside grid expansion and higher flexibility in energy demand
(e.g. through smart home systems etc.), there will be an increasing need for energy storage
but also the necessity of a better coordination and an integration of the electricity supply system
with other sectors such as the heating or mobility system (sectoral integration). While sectoral
integration might be capable to balance some temporal overload in electricity production
(excess electricity), and a better coordination of electricity demand will mitigate fluctuations to
a certain extent, additional storage capacity will be inevitable in a system with high shares of
volatile renewable energy sources. In the debate about energy storage, different technologies
are discussed. Beside thermal (e.g. heat storage) or mechanical (e.g. pumped storage plants)
storage systems, electro-chemical storage is a promising approach. This can be realized by
classical battery systems (lead, NiMH, redox-flow, Li-ion) or through electrolysis of water to
produce H2. If, in the long run, sufficient storage capacities are available, the reintroduction of
electrical power into the grid would enable the coverage of residual load from renewable
energies (see Figure 1). In case of the use of excess electricity for H2-electrolysis, further
chemical synthesis (H2 with CO/CO2) could additionally replace petrochemical value chains
(here termed Power-to-X). A further aspect, which needs to be taken into account when
analyzing national power systems are cross-border effects and the development of the entire
European grid.
Figure 1 provides an overview of the storage requirements based on the duration curve of the
renewable energy feed-in and the residual load requirement.
Figure 1 Duration curve of renewable energy feed-in and the resulting excess electricity.
The goal of the planned project IXES is to provide a holistic analysis of cost optimal and secure
energy scenarios to deal with available renewable energy resources (RES), especially with
excess electricity and efficient use of regional renewable energy. This is of particular
importance for a power system with a continuously increasing share of RES. Thereby, the
question rises how to optimally exploit available renewable resources, storage and Power-to-
X technologies considering cross-border transfer capacities and additional demand from
neighboring regions.
The analysis will not be limited to the electricity system, but will take into account interactions
and interdependencies with other infrastructures and industries. Based on different scenarios
renewable base load: hydropower, biomass etc.
electrical
power
(GW)
availability (h/a)
volatile renewables:
wind, photovoltaic
residual load
electricity sales curve
grid capacity
Storage and
reconversion
Sectoral integration,
energy transfer,
power-to-x

3. regarding the development of electricity supply and demand, alternative uses of excess and
low price electricity will be systematically evaluated.
The analysis will include sectoral integration with a special emphasis on
• the heating and the mobility system as well as
• energy storage and reconversion in order to provide “flexible infeed” from volatile
renewable sources and
• the chemical conversion of excess electricity through H2 electrolysis and potential
subsequent synthesis (power-to-x).
Figure 2 provides an overview of the entire energy system and the allocation of the respective
work packages of the project. The graph represents the different options to integrate excess
(and/or) low cost renewables in a coupled cross-sectoral energy system. WP3 addresses the
topic of modelling the power system as part of the overall techno-economic optimization task,
to identify the cost-minimal integration pathway including the impacts from an European
perspective. This perspective is analyzed in more detail in WP4, which provides insights about
the grid perspective. A focus of WP2 is to identify and evaluate the various use opportunities
of low price electricity in times of high feed from renewable energy sources. As can be seen in
the Figure 2, these opportunities are interdependent and techno-economic optimization is
required to identify the optimal combination. A special focus of WP1 is the analysis of options
that either convert H2 and CO/CO2 to chemicals and fuels or use cases that replace hydrogen
in various processes in chemical industries, for which today mainly natural gas is used as
feedstock for production of H2 in steam reformers.
Figure 2 Overview of the energy system to be analyzed and allocation of different work packages
Sustainable
H2
Excess
electricity
~0 €
Electrical power system
Electrical /
mechanical
storage
Mobility system /
storage for
mobility
regenerative
residual load
Heating
system
Natural gas
infrastructure
Electro-
lysis
Fuelcell
Other uses of
excess
electricity
Conventional
fossil H2
Chemical and
process industries
Power system
other countries
Cross-border
exchange
Conventional H2 chemistry
Byproduct
refineries /
conversion plants
Power-to-x synthesis
• ammonia synthesis
• petrochemical refinery
• methanol synthesis
• other hydration proc.
• methanation
• methanol synthesis
• FTS synthesis
• ….
CO / CO2
source platform
chemicals
fuels
general value chains
WP 3
WP 4
WP 0
WP 1
WP 2
WP 2

4. Project structure and work flow:
An overview of the planned work packages including their interactions and interdependencies
is shown in Figure 3.
WP 1: Techno-economic evaluation of different
power-to-x technologies
Focus on H2 electrolysis and subsequent chemical conversion of
snythesis gas (H2,CO, CO2) to fuels and chemicals at different plant
scales
WP 4: Effects and
implications for the
power gird
• Analysis of optimum
solutions for the
utilization of excess
electricity regarding both
power-to-x and sector
integration
• Identification and
definition of useful
integration of power-to-x
with regard to alternative
uses of excess electricity
or H2
• Implications for the grid
development with
additional electricity
demand for power-to-x
technologies
WP 2: Sectoral integration and coupling potential
• Heating system as a sink for excess electricity,
• H2 addition to convetional natural gas supply sytem
• Energy storage and refeeding to the grid
WP 3: Cross-border effects
Effect of different scenarios regarding sectoral integration (WP 2)
and power-to-x (WP1) on cross-border electricity
WP 0: Status quo of
regulatory
frameworks and
definition of scenarios
• Development of
scenarios based on
previous studies and
academic literature as
well as suitable
assumptions for the
project at hand
• Supply and demand
development regarding
the electrical power
system but also energy
provision and demand in
general
• Political framework,
subsidies and regulation,
structural change etc.
Frameworkconditions
Cost factors Excess capacity
Resisual energy flows
Evaluation
WP 5: Recommendations for actions at policy and industry level regarding regulation and investments
• Evaluation of the implications for the power system and further infrastructure (heat, gas, fuels etc.)
• Business opportunities regarding power-to-x technologies including investment appraisal of different technologies at different industrial scales
• Business model development
• Policy recommendations
Evaluation
Project overview and work packages
Figure 3 Work packages
We will develop a detailed description of the work flow including different tasks and procedures
in the respective work packages in cooperation with the project partners. This short document
is intended to provide a first brief overview of the planned research project in order to inform
and motivate potential partners.