Zero-emission fuels: which one fits your transport needs best?

Today, the list of available zero-emission fuels within the transport sector is long, but which type of energy carrier is the most suitable for your sector? Scientists at SINTEF have years of experience to evaluate all the different aspects, in order to help customers select the right technologies and solutions.

Low- and zero-emission energy carriers, such as batteries, biofuels, hydrogen, methanol and ammonia, are all essential to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sectors, including road, railway, maritime and aviation. The push towards the ambitious national and global climate goals has led to a diverse variety of zero emission fuel options. Each of these options have its own set of advantages and limitations when it comes to production, storage and use. They also have different levels of maturity, availability and suitability.

Not a one-size-fits all solution

Due to the enormous need for low- and zero emission fuels in the green transition, we will most likely need all of them if we are going to reach the emission reduction goals. However, a question remains: Which type of zero emission fuel is most suitable for the different mobility applications?

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, even within each transport sector. For each fuel option, different features need to be taken into account when evaluating its suitability for a certain segment. The optimal fuel choice depends on the specific use of the vehicle, vessel, or aircraft, considering factors such as travel distance, downtime, size, and weight requirements. Additionally, availability and cost are crucial factors in determining the best fuel option.

The landscape is constantly changing, and SINTEF is keeping up

At SINTEF, our scientists have decades of experience working with zero emission solutions across the different transport sectors. Our highly acknowledged specialists cover a wide range of technologies related to the production, distribution and use of low- and zero-emission energy carriers and fuels. Combined with our advanced laboratories and digital tools, we provide our customers critical information needed to make decisions about the best fuel options for their needs.

The technology landscape is constantly changing, as the advancements and knowledge is rapidly increasing. The technologies for production, distribution and use of zero-emission fuels are either close to or already at market implementation in several transport sectors. At SINTEF we have been part of this development, and we are happy to see the various fuel options implemented in the transport sectors. However, the different sectors are at different levels of market implementation. For instance, both road and rail have zero-emission solutions already implemented, while the move towards zero-emission fuels in aviation is still in its early development.

For the maritime sector, there are different fuel options available, such as ammonia, methanol, biofuels, hydrogen and batteries. The choice of fuel depends on the distance covered by the vessel and the propulsion power needs, but cost and available infrastructures will also play an important role in this decision, especially in the early phases of the zero-emission maritime markets.

Ammonia has shown to be a promising zero-emission fuel option due to its relatively high energy content per volume compared to batteries and hydrogen. At SINTEF, we are working with different aspects of the ammonia technology implementation such as production, storage and bunkering solutions, propulsion systems, regulatory and safety aspects.  

The importance of looking at the whole picture

It is important to understand all aspects of the value chains for the various zero-emission fuel solutions, and even more important to see synergies between the various markets and fuel solutions. Many features must be considered and carefully evaluated, and the various alternatives available need to be explored, assessing both advantages and limitations connected to their use. The technology readiness, availability and presence of infrastructures, economical aspects and public acceptance have been identified as key characteristics that must be considered.

One example is production of hydrogen from electrolysis, where both large-scale production and proximity to both cheap electricity and end users will lower the cost of the hydrogen. By combining energy system modelling with both technical and financial understanding of the various hydrogen technologies, as well as synergies in various offtake markets, we at SINTEF are able to see the whole picture when assessing the production and distribution solutions for customers.

At SINTEF, we understand that all these aspects play an important role, and with our broad competence and market understanding, we are able to help our customers in finding the best zero emission mobility solution for each user.