Off-grid vs. grid-based: Techno-economic assessment of a power-to-liquid plant combining solid-oxide electrolysis and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

Abstract

The economic performance of Power-to-Liquid processes depends substantially on the power source’s features, i. e., electricity costs and full load hours. Off-grid solutions can ensure cheap, green electricity without being exposed to fluctuating electricity markets. A techno-economic assessment of a Power-to-Liquid plant combining solid-oxide electrolysis and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis has been conducted. Off-grid and grid-based scenarios of three process configurations at plant scales from 1 to 1000 MWel. rated electrolyzer power were evaluated. Net production costs of Fischer-Tropsch products ranging from 2.42 to 4.56 €2022/kg were obtained for the grid-based scenarios. In contrast, values of 1.28 to 2.40 €2022/kg were determined for the evaluated off-grid scenarios. Scaling up the plant showed a weakened decrease in net production costs after surpassing a threshold of 100 MWel. due to substantial relative electricity costs of up to 88 %. Thus, future Power-to-Liquid projects should be designed at a scale of 100 MWel. rated electrolyzer power. In addition, an availability exceeding 4000 h/a is recommended for off-grid plants, e.g., by implementing hybrid renewable power plants as well as electricity and syngas storage technologies.