STORY

The lead project MethQuest

Posted on May 15, 2019 by Silke Rockenstein, Images by mtu

Federal Government to provide funding to industry and science for the use of gas from renewable energy sources in transport and energy supply
Friedrichshafen, Germany

In the MethQuest lead project, which is being funded by the German Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), technologies will be developed that will support Germany’s energy transition using methane-based fuels from renewables. The focus will also be on sector coupling, i.e. connecting up the en-ergy and transport sectors. A total of 27 scientific, industrial and business partners are to collaborate on research and development work over a period of three years (2018 – 2021) in six joint projects. Responsibility for the joint lead project coordination has been assigned to Rolls-Royce Power Systems and the DVGW Research Centre at Eng-ler-Bunte-Institute (EBI) of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The project has a total value of 32 million euros, with financing provided by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) amounting to a total of 19 million euros.

In the MethQuest lead project, technologies are to be developed and analysed that will enable methane-based fuels from renewables to be used in mobile and stationary applications and subsequently launched on the market. While the use of gas is widespread, particularly for heating purposes, its potential for passenger, freight and maritime transport has hardly been developed to date. Its use in cogeneration plants to provide a flexible means of generating heat and power has also been stagnating for many years, in spite of the fact that cogeneration plants in power-operated mode are seen as a key element of the energy transition. 

Taking the Port of Karlsruhe as a case study, the interfaces and synergies of sector coupling will be examined and simulated. Specifically, the purpose of the study is to determine how electricity, gas and heat can be produced locally as required and supplied to the end users. These will include the local port infrastructure, in addition to the city’s bus fleet and barges. Storage possibilities will also be considered that would enable the local grid to be operated independently.   


Norbert Brackmann, the Federal Government’s coordinator for the maritime industry, ex-plained: “For a successful energy transition, it is absolutely essential that the energy and transport sectors are coupled and looked at as a whole. At the same time, methane-based fuels produced using electric power that is generated from renewable energy sources (”pow-er-to-gas“) will be an important factor. They will enable greenhouse gas emissions to be signif-icantly reduced, which will help is to achieve our climate protection goals. The further devel-opment of technologies that will make possible the energy-efficient use of these fuels is an integral part of the MethQuest lead project.“

Dr. Frank Graf, Director, Gas Technology at the DVGW Research Centre at Engler-Bunte-Institute of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), regards the cross-sectoral research ap-proach as significant: “Through these six joint projects we will achieve an innovation boost in numerous areas, from the development of innovative ways of obtaining gas from renewables to new kinds of engine concepts for cars, stationary applications and ship propulsion systems, in addition to the design of microgrids for inland and seaports.“ 

Andreas Schell, CEO of Rolls-Royce Power Systems, welcomes the commitment of all pro-ject participants as making an important contribution to Germany‘s energy transition: “As a solutions provider, we have been pushing ahead with the use of alternative fuels, the devel-opment of new mtu gas engines and the further electrification of both propulsion systems and energy systems with our Green and High-Tech initiative for a long time. We have been successful in doing this only as a result of our close collaboration with strong partners, such as those involved in this project.

Further information about the lead project MethQuest 

Point of contact

Dr Manuel Boog
Phone:
+49 7541 90 7546
E-mail:

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