As a renewable green liquid fuel, the development of "liquid sunshine" has attracted increasing attention from various countries and is regarded as an ideal way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and even achieve carbon neutrality.

The so-called "liquid sunlight" uses electricity generated from renewable energy sources such as solar energy to electrolyze water to produce hydrogen, and synthesize carbon dioxide and hydrogen into methanol and other green liquid fuels that are easy to store and transport.

"'Liquid Sunshine' is a path to truly utilize renewable energy resources to utilize carbon dioxide and achieve large-scale low-carbon or even carbon-free energy." On December 14, 2020, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, Chinese Academy of Sciences Li Can, a researcher at the Institute of Chemical Physics, said at the 9th Global Energy Security Think Tank Forum.

It is worth noting that the world’s first large-scale solar fuel synthesis demonstration project has been officially put into operation in Lanzhou in January 2020, marking my country’s first step towards large-scale production of green methanol using renewable energy. This step also means that my country has opened the "big curtain" of its economic transformation to "liquid sunshine" methanol.

Carbon neutrality in the energy system

"Liquid sunlight" has high hopes

"my country has proposed to achieve carbon peak before 2030, and before 2060 But at the same time, my country is the world's largest energy producer and consumer. It is crucial for such a large energy system based on carbon-based energy to achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality. This is an arduous and systematic project," Liao Fan, director of the Scientific Research and Foreign Affairs Office of the Institute of International Law, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, pointed out at the forum.

In Li Can’s view, my country’s energy resource endowment characteristics are rich in coal, poor in oil, and short of gas. In my country’s consumption structure, fossil energy accounts for more than 84%, and more than 70% of oil resources are still Relying on imports, if we want to achieve carbon peak within 10 years and achieve carbon neutrality within 30 years, in addition to natural photosynthesis of plants, ocean absorption, energy conservation and consumption reduction, we must develop renewable energy and increase the proportion of non-fossil energy use. is a more important way.

"Particular attention should be paid to the development of 'liquid sunlight' technology. This is an important path to develop renewable energy, achieve large-scale low-carbon or even carbon-free energy, and return to the earth's ecological balance. It provides a way to achieve carbon neutrality. Feasible technical solutions." Li Can believes.

Relevant calculations show that 1 ton of methanol can convert 1.375 tons of carbon dioxide. Based on my country's annual methanol production capacity of 93.58 million tons in 2020, the annual methanol production capacity is expected to convert hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide; if "liquid sunshine" methanol synthesized from renewable energy is used to replace gasoline on a large scale, carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by more than 1,000 tons every year. 1 billion tons, which is equivalent to the maximum value of carbon dioxide emissions reduction through afforestation in my country.

Killing multiple birds with one stone

Helping solve the problem of intermittency of renewable energy

my country’s energy demand potential is huge, making the task of reducing carbon dioxide emissions arduous. Using renewable energy to replace fossil fuels, ensuring liquid fuel supply, and realizing a low-carbon economy are important issues related to my country's energy security and sustainable economic development.

"Liquid sunlight" is not only a key technology and development direction for large-scale economic utilization of solar energy, but also a new form of chemical energy storage that can help solve the problem of intermittency of renewable energy.

"'Liquid Sunshine' is a breakthrough in high-efficiency, low-cost, and long-life large-scale electrocatalytic water splitting hydrogen production technology to produce methanol. Both hydrogen energy and methanol are stable and long-term storage energy sources. "In Li Can's view, methanol is an ideal chemical hydrogen storage molecule and can help solve the storage, transportation and filling constraints faced by the current large-scale development of the hydrogen energy industry. At the same time, the application of "liquid sunlight" technology has another important meaning, which is to solve the problem of renewable energy and power abandonment in remote areas. It will be another way to transmit energy on a large scale in addition to (ultra) high-voltage power transmission.

Judging from my country’s first kiloton liquid solar fuel synthesis demonstration project completed and put into operation in Lanzhou New District, this technical path is already feasible.

The scale of application is beginning to take shape

Call for policies to encourage the development of green methanol

"Liquid Sunshine" methanol is not only a green liquid fuel, but also an important green Chemical raw materials.

Li Can believes that the large-scale use of "liquid sunlight" will help establish a new green, low-carbon, and efficient energy system and promote my country's transformation and development towards a green methanol economy. Especially at a time when my country is strengthening carbon emission reductions, "liquid sunlight" is expected to usher in explosive development.

my country has the world's largest methanol market. In terms of energy applications, currently, as a new fuel, methanol has begun to gradually form application markets in catering, boilers, heating, transportation and other fields.

"Liquid Sunshine" methanol, as a carrier of green hydrogen energy, can solve the storage and transportation problems of hydrogen energy. At the same time, it can also green the entire chain of fuel cells and automobiles, helping to achieve deep decarbonization in the transportation field.

Talking about the future development of methanol, He Guangyuan, the former Minister of the Ministry of Machinery Industry, suggested that my country should incorporate methanol fuel into the national energy system as an emerging energy source, coordinate various relevant functional departments, and issue policy promotion and application documents.

“First, we must clarify the responsibilities of the management departments involved in the whole process of methanol fuel promotion and application, use policy support as the starting point, clarify responsibilities, and guide the market mechanism; second, we must encourage persistence in innovative scientific and technological research; third, we must coordinate and standardize guidance, give full play to the enthusiasm of the industry, and promote our country’s Methanol fuel applications.

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