Speaker: Gunther Glenk from University of Mannheim, Germany
Seminar Abstract:Power-to-Gas technology has recently experienced lower acquisition costs and lower conversion efficiency losses. At the same time wholesale power markets have seen increasing volatility with significant amounts of surplus electricity at select hours of the year. Here we examine the economic potential of reversible Power-to-Gas systems that can convert electricity to hydrogen or operate in the reverse direction to deliver electricity during times of high power prices. Our model framework is applied to the current market environment in both Germany and Texas. We find that the reversibility feature of solid oxide fuel cells makes such systems already competitive at current hydrogen prices provided the fluctuations in electricity prices are as pronounced as currently observed in Texas. We project that the flexibility inherent in reversible fuel cells would leave investments in such systems economically viable in the future even at substantially lower hydrogen prices provided recent technological improvements continue over the coming decade.
Speaker Bio:
Gunther Glenk is an Assistant Professor for sustainable business economics at the University of Mannheim, Germany. His research resides at the intersection of management and sustainable technology and is primarily concerned with the cost and speed of decarbonization. Recent work has focused on the economics of energy storage in particular of hydrogen and Power-to-Gas. He received his doctoral degree in Management Science & Engineering at the Technical University of Munich, Germany, in 2019.
Admission Info
Seminar is open to all Stanford students, faculty and staff. Register via the RSVP link.
