Project thesis Rodriguez Larriva (Civil Engineering)
Feasibility study on self-sufficient energy supply for rural structures using renewable energies and the storage media hydrogen and methanol
Machbarkeitsstudie zur autarken Energieversorgung von ländlichen Strukturen unter Einbeziehung regenerativer Energien sowie die Speichermedien Wasserstoff und Methanol
The transformation to a sustainable energy supply is one of the greatest global challenges, especially against the backdrop of advancing climate change, global warming and the increasingly limited availability of natural resources. Fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas continue to play a dominant role in the global energy supply. However, they contribute significantly to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions, which will lead to serious environmental and climate damage in the long term. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA, International Energy Agency, 2022, p. 3-4), energy-related CO₂ emissions are expected to rise to a record 36.3 gigatons in 2021. The increased use of coal is responsible for around 40% of the observed increase, highlighting the urgent need for a sustainable energy supply.
A major problem with self-supply of electricity from renewable energy sources, such as the use of a PV system, is that electricity production is not constant and is significantly influenced by solar radiation. This implies that electricity is only produced when the sun is shining. The volatility of electricity generation requires the implementation of efficient storage options to enable the storage and retrieval of surplus electricity. Without the use of suitable storage technologies, there is a risk of supply bottlenecks, particularly in the winter months when there is little sunshine.
Functional principle of a single alkaline electrolytic cell
The objective of this project is to investigate the feasibility of a self-sufficient energy supply for rural structures using renewable energies. As part of this, the possibilities and challenges of using hydrogen and methanol as seasonal storage media are examined in detail. The present work pursues a holistic approach that covers the entire energy supply chain, from generation and storage to the recycling of energy. The comparison of hydrogen and methanol as storage media serves to derive well-founded recommendations for a sustainable energy supply in rural regions. The focus is on technical, economic and ecological aspects that contribute to achieving a largely self-sufficient energy supply. The studies will also analyse the extent to which the technologies can contribute to reducing dependence on fossil fuels and minimizing CO₂ emissions. The aim of these studies is to show which solutions can enable a sustainable, reliable and scalable energy supply for rural areas in the future.
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The work was supervised by Dipl.-Ing. Dirk Weiß.
© Dirk Weiß
Research assistant
NameDipl.-Ing. Dirk Weiss
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