E-fuels: eco-sustainable investments
E-FUELS ECO-SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENTS - In order to live in a more sustainable world it is necessary to increase our action. When we talk about reduction of emissions, we all think about the most common renewable sources, like wind energy. Although it is necessary to support renewable energies, these need time in order to be realized. People who pay attention to the climate issue observe the developments of e-fuels in the world, hoping fossil fuel will be soon replaced.
E-fuels, low-emission fuels
Electrofuels, shortened as e-fuels, are synthetic fuels that drastically reduce CO₂ emissions. These fuels are created from renewable sources, from whose electric energy is then transformed into chemical energy. They essentially are climate-friendly fuels. To understand the importance of e-fuels it is sufficient to say that their CO₂ emissions are about 70% lower than fossil fuels.
Not only they emit limited carbon dioxide, but they are also capable of absorbing it. In fact, during the e-fuels synthesis, a carbon dioxide capture process occurs. This is because in order to transform hydrogen into other e-fuels, a combination with carbon dioxide is needed. Therefore, the production also helps lowering CO₂. New fuels can revolutionize the fuel market by providing a huge benefit to the environment.
E-fuels’ advantages for companies
Not only e-fuels respect the environment, but they also can be more easily integrated into existing combustion systems. For instance, if an industry wanted to switch to electricity as a single source of energy, it should convert its entire fossil fuel combustion system. On the contrary, needed changes to switch to e-fuels would be faster and cheaper.
E-fuels represent valid eco-sustainable investments that have little to envy to renewable sources. In fact, they can bring to faster results, and are supported by both societies and important institutions. Just think of European Clean Hydrogen Alliance, an alliance promoted by the European Union to sustain the use of hydrogen all over the old continent. The project expects to invest about 430 billions of euro by 2030, in order to expand the use of hydrogen in many fields, such as in the industrial application.
An eco-sustainable investment that could occur in Italy
“One of the biggest step forwards in the last years was the support of institutions for sustainable projects – Oliver Camponovo states – The first protocols from a few years ago never found a strong feedback as in this period”.
The Unem press release sustains Oliver Camponovo’s words. The Unem group says that they have started Innovhub, a feasibility study, which provides for the design of the future construction of an e-fuels demonstration plant. Innovhub aims at recreating the e-fuels chemical and physical characteristics, and use them in experimental road tests.
Innovhub provides for the involvement of the Energy&Strategy team from the Milan Polytechnic’s School of Management. The latter will be responsible for the evaluation of all the economic variables associated with the construction of e-fuels production plants in Italy. It will also conduct an analysis of the Italian energetic situation, in relation to the potential development of an e-fuels market.
