Unlocking potential in renewable energy curtailment for green ammonia production

Renewable energy stands as a cornerstone for a sustainable future, yet it grapples with a significant obstacle: curtailment-deliberate energy generation reduction to avert grid overload. Curtailment not only squanders clean energy but also poses economic and environmental challenges. This study seeks to enhance the value of renewable energy by proposing a comprehensive methodology to evaluate and mitigate curtailment, with a particular focus on repurposing curtailed energy for ammonia production in Jordan, a pioneering nation in renewable energy adoption. The study unfolds several pivotal contributions to the field: (1) Incorporating curtailment in the capacity factor equation for the first time. (2) Exploring green ammonia potential in Jordan for the first time. (3) Investigating, for the first time, the effects of by-products (specifically oxygen and rare gases) on the investment in green hydrogen and ammonia, utilizing system dynamics (4) Outlining hydrogen applications and highlighting the breakthrough hydrogen energy release optimizer for combustion-free hydrogen extraction. In a scenario where curtailment is restrained (514.1 GWh/year), our findings unveil promising prospects: hydrogen and ammonia can be produced at levelized costs of 2.4 USD/kg and 600 USD/ton, respectively. More significantly, the integration of free energy (curtailed energy) and the synergistic utilization of oxygen and rare gases, notably argon, precipitate a remarkable cost reduction to 1.5 USD/kg and 401 USD/ton for hydrogen and ammonia production, respectively. This remarkable cost reduction underscores a substantial improvement, with the cost of ammonia being USD 219 lower than the average market price (USD 620). We advocate for the adoption of the hydrogen energy release optimizer and strategic utilization of by-products as pivotal strategies to significantly mitigate the costs associated with hydrogen and ammonia production, thereby amplifying the value and viability of renewable energy initiatives.