Filed under: Audi, Natural Gas, Germany
Audi is constructing a huge synthetic natural gas plant in Germany that demonstrates its commitment to renewable energy just as it provides some valuable R&D to help prove e-gas is economically and environmentally possible. The 44,000-square-foot plant is in Werlite, a small town in northwestern Germany near the North Sea, 217 miles north of company headquarters in Ingolstadt, near Munich.
The goal is carbon-free fuel, and it sounds far from easy. Wind turbines generate electricity to manufacture hydrogen by electrolysis, which then is used, along with CO2 captured from the air, to produce methane. Audi calls it e-gas.
Audi will be plugging into the power produced by a massive wind farm two miles off the coast of Zingst, a resort town along the North Sea. The synthetic gas would be distributed through existing CNG pipelines to gas stations. The e-gas plant is set to absorb nearly 3,000 metric tons of CO2 from the air annually, and feed 1,000 metric tons of e-gas into Germany's public natural gas network.
The demonstration plant, with what Audi is calling a Methanation reactor, is set to begin a test run in spring 2013. Audi also is marketing an A3 Sportback, designated as a TCNG, to run on the synthetic natural gas. The A3 Sportback TCNG arrives in dealerships in Germany late in 2013.
Generating your own power, or manufacturing your own fuel, seems to be the new thing for automakers. Last week, VW plugged in its huge solar park, which will power its LEED-certified factory in Chattanooga, TN to make the fuel-efficient Passat.
Continue reading Audi to produce e-gas, its own synthetic fuel using wind, solar and captured CO2
Audi to produce e-gas, its own synthetic fuel using wind, solar and captured CO2 originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 31 Jan 2013 07:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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