One reason for renewable synthetic fuels: Storage and transport

Synthetic fuels are produced with renewable energy. This process yields a gas or liquid. And that makes renewable synthetic fuels a good medium for storing large amounts of renewable energy and even transporting it across the globe cost-effectively. They can serve as a buffer for fluctuating solar or wind energy or to circumvent regional restrictions on the expansion of renewable energy production. This also affects efficiency ratings. A compact electric car charged in Germany with renewable electricity from Germany converts around 60 to 70 percent of that grid power into road performance. If the electricity comes from further afield and the energy has first to be stored in a chemical medium before being converted back into electricity, efficiency drops to 20–25 percent. This is the same efficiency as a vehicle run on renewable synthetic fuels.

Reproduction for press purposes free of charge with credit “Picture: Bosch”