Techno-economic analysis of green aviation fuel production using an integrated electrolyzer and a “biomass-battery” storage system

An increase in renewable energy source penetration is seen across the world. However, these energy sources depend on weather- and seasonal conditions compromising the grid balance and the security of supply. Thus, energy storage is needed and especially long-term energy storage to ensure a reliable energy supply. A promising solution is biomass-based arbitrage system, which acts as a giant battery, large enough for seasonal storage, a “biomass-battery”. To understand the possible gains of this new concept, different agricultural waste-to-energy processing solutions are analysed in the context of the Danish energy infrastructure. The biomass-battery includes a flexible Power-to-X production chain with a green energy storage capability. In the current analysis, the biomass-battery uses biogas or biomethane in a combined heat and power plant to produce electricity, when there is a lack of renewable power. The burned biogas or biomethane releases CO₂ which is captured and intermediately stored before it is used in the last part of the Power-to-X value chain to produce e-kerosene, when surplus electricity is available. The levelized cost of the e-kerosene is used to evaluate the economic performance of the biomass-battery. Overall, it is estimated that in an optimal scenario, 91 million liters of e-kerosene can be produced at a levelized cost of 47 €/MWh, as compared to 95 €/MWh when the flexible operation is not used. Therefore, the biomass-battery concept could very well be a competitive option in a future scenario with sufficient availability of renewable energy and high demand for liquid green fuels.