Ammonia for Energy Storage and Delivery

KEYNOTE SPEECH 2016

Grigorii L. Soloveichik
U.S. Department of Energy, ARPA-E, Washington, DC

13th Annual NH3 Fuel Conference, September 19, 2016

ABSTRACT

The Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E) funds high risk, high reward transformational research to reduce energy related emissions, reduce imports of energy from foreign sources, improve energy efficiency across all economic sectors, and ensure US technological lead in advanced energy technologies, including electrochemical energy storage and transformation for grid scale and automotive applications.

Storing energy in the form of liquid fuels has numerous advantages compared to conventional methods of energy storage (ES) such as batteries (high cost, short cycle life), pumped hydro and compressed air (low energy density). Low costs of storage and transportation of liquid fuels enables long-time ES and effective energy transportation using existing infrastructure technologies. The Renewable Electricity to Fuels through Utilization of Energy-dense Liquids (REFUEL) program seeks to fund the development of transformational technologies to reduce the barriers to widespread adoption of intermittent renewable energy sources by enabling the conversion of energy from these sources, water and air to energy-dense carbon-neutral liquid fuels (CNLF). ARPA-E also funds several projects targeting small to medium scale synthesis of liquid fuels via OPEN program. Ammonia, which has high energy content and can be easily liquefied, is one of the best CNLFs. Different methods for modular production of ammonia will be discussed. One of the most promising, electrochemical synthesis of NH3, allows for direct conversion of renewable electricity to chemical energy, which simplifies the process and increases the process efficiency.

This presentation will also highlight the use of ammonia for energy generation and as a hydrogen carrier to enable the infrastructure of hydrogen fueling stations for public fuel cell transportation. A comparison of thermal and electrochemical methods for hydrogen generation from ammonia will be presented.

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BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Grigorii Soloveichik graduated from Moscow State University (MSU) in Russia in 1972. He obtained his PhD in chemistry in 1976 and Doctor of Sciences degree in 1992 (both from MSU). He started his career in Institute of New Chemical Problems of USSR Academy of Sciences working on development of metal hydrides and one-component Ziegler-Natta catalysts. In 1984 he moved to Institute of Chemical Physics RAS to study catalysis of C-H bond activation and hydrogenation.

In 1993 Dr. Soloveichik moved to the US where he worked as a visiting scientist in Boston College on the C-H bond functionalization and in Moltech Corporation on lithium metal sulfur rechargeable battery. He joined GE Global Research in 1998 where he developed novel rechargeable liquid fuel cells and high energy density sodium and flow batteries, designed catalytic and electrochemical processes for functionalization of arenes and phenols, and developed hydrogen storage materials, novel electrolytes and electrocatalysts. He served as a director of a DOE funded, GE led Energy Frontier Research Center for Electrocatalysis, Transport Phenomena, and Materials. Dr. Soloveichik currently serves as a Program Director at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) focusing on developing electrochemical processes, zero-carbon fuels and advanced materials for energy storage and conversion.

Dr. Soloveichik is author of 71 US and 13 USSR/Russian patents and 130 papers in peer reviewed journals.

LINKS

ARPA-E – Grigorii L. Soloveichik
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