Paper Technology International 2020 - Journal - Page 31

PAPERTECHNOLOGYINTERNATIONAL
Figure 1: FlagshipONE Visualisation, Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
eMethanol, a green alternative for marine propulsion and
industry
eMethanol is a sustainable fuel option, especially for
ship propulsion systems, that are predominantly operated using
so-called ‘marine diesel’ (heavy fuel oil). Due to marine diesel’s
poor ecological assessment, its use cannot be reconciled with
international climate targets.
Of the approximately 98 million metric tons of methanol
produced worldwide each year, around 85% is used as a feedstock
in the chemical industry, for synthesis, or as a solvent. Several
countries, for example Taiwan, import large quantities of methanol
for their chemical industry. At the same time, it is those countries
with few raw materials that are investing heavily in renewable
energy, such as photovoltaics and wind power. The synthesis of
methanol, based on hydrogen and CO2, offers these markets the
opportunity to substitute the demand for their own industry.
Fair competition needs fair conditions
The integration of eMethanol production can already be
made economically profitable in many industrial areas. Furthermore,
all technologies are available at the required scale and have
been proven over many years, as the Siemens Energy portfolio
proves, from technical applications to the complete digital toolset.
Research and development costs are therefore limited to optimizing
existing technologies, achieving an even higher level of integrated
operations, and maximizing the use of Digitalization tools.
Fossil fuels are subsidized to a large extent, and
have historically been offered tax breaks. For example, the
environmentally harmful marine diesel is not subject to CO2 tax and
can be used tax-free, in accordance with Section 27 of the German
Energy Tax Act (EnergieStG).tax breaks.
To make lower-carbon and zero-carbon alternatives
attractive, and help the corresponding technologies achieve a
breakthrough, economic incentives and tax relief are needed, as the
example of successful wind power subsidies shows.
Solutions to climate policy challenges
In the short and medium term, the production of eMethanol
from renewable energy offers the opportunity to establish new,
largely carbon-neutral economic cycles.
In the long term, the conversion of renewable energy
reserves into eMethanol, hand in hand with other applicationspecific technologies, such as hydrogen, and an expansion of
power grids, raises the prospect of an energy economy that is no
longer dependent on fossil fuels. Not only will this avoid greenhouse
gas emissions, it will in fact also absorb CO2 as a raw material for
applications in industry, mobility, and energy.
A methanol economy, based on renewable energies,
therefore creates the solutions for many environmental challenges
which, although already addressed in some way today, require a
better conceived and far more integrated approach.
The widespread success of eMethanol as a raw material and
energy carrier essentially depends on whether it can be offered at
competitive market conditions. Above all, this requires appropriate
legal and fiscal framework conditions for carbon-neutral methanol.
To date, synthetic fuels have generally been more expensive for the
consumer than fossil or oil-based energy sources and fuels.
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