CAMPFIRE Symposium: new ammonia technologies spur climate-friendly energy transition and create security of supply

On 21 October 2022, around 100 national and international stakeholders from business, politics and research met for the CAMPFIRE Symposium 2022 at the Ozeaneum Stralsund. Under the motto "Green ammonia technologies for energy security, climate protection and economic growth", companies presented their plans for new applications and implementation concepts. Ammonia is an ideal storage medium for hydrogen and can also serve as a fuel for ships and trains.

The current gas crisis proves the urgent need for the energy turnaround, away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energies. Ammonia will play a central role in this. Known from the fertiliser industry, ammonia (NH3) is increasingly used worldwide as an energy source for green electricity and hydrogen. It enables the use of hydrogen in many areas, as ammonia can be stored and transported much more easily, efficiently and cheaply. As the second most produced chemical in the world, ammonia is already shipped in large quantities around the world's oceans and transported on land to customers by pipeline, rail and truck. Green ammonia produced from renewable energy is therefore increasingly seen as a game changer for the energy transition and key to security of supply.

CAMPFIRE symposium on the commercialisation of ammonia energy technologies

This year's symposium of the CAMPFIRE alliance focused on the global entrepreneurial implementation of ammonia technologies and emerging hydrogen value chains. CAMPFIRE is coordinated by the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology in Greifswald. Together with more than 70 partners, the alliance is developing new technologies for the production and import of green ammonia and its use as energy storage and fuel. In Stralsund, regional, national and international partners met on the initiative of CAMPFIRE to exchange information on global developments in the new energy sector of ammonia. The focus was on presentations by well-known, market-leading companies such as Thyssenkrupp, Solarlite, Maersk Zero Carbon Shipping, Hereaus Deutschland, YARA Clean Ammonia and the Ammonia Energy Association. The presentations and discussions revolved around technologies for the production and transport of ammonia, its conversion back to hydrogen and its use as a fuel for ships. Special highlights were the presentation of the Finnish Green Ammonnia project "Green NortH2 Energy" and the "Daure Geen Hydrogen" project in Erongo, Namibia. An important input for the market ramp-up of hydrogen from an investor's perspective was given to the participants by Senco Hydrogen Capital.

Green ammonia as an economic driver for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

The technology ramp-up of green ammonia technologies from the German state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was explained to the participants by Jens Wartmann, Head of Strategy and Technology in the CAMFIRE alliance. The first spin-offs from the alliance are planned with the start-ups Green Ammonia Power, AmmoPro and CAMPFIRE AG. Jens Wartmann explains: "With the current rapid market ramp-up of ammonia, we expect that technology leadership for our regional companies and their business partners can be achieved within a short period of time. Sustainable business models for ammonia technologies should be possible as early as 2025."

Spokesperson and coordinator of the CAMPFIRE alliance Dr Angela Kruth adds: "After a very dynamic research and development phase of our technological solutions for the future ammonia energy system, we are now looking forward to the entrepreneurial realisation of our goals and the commercialisation of high technology from the region. In the future, our new start-ups will manufacture and export technologies for power-to-ammonia and ammonia-to-power worldwide in association with regional companies and through partnerships with large-scale industry and investors. The economic potential for the region is high and includes the sectors of plant construction, energy technology, energy trading, special machine construction, shipbuilding and automation technology."

Visitors to the CAMPFIRE symposium were able to find out about fuel cell systems, ammonia crackers and key components of electrolysers and ammonia production reactors at an on-site exhibition. Further solutions were presented by the regionally producing companies Sunfire Fuel Cells GmbH and Gesmex Exchangers GmbH as well as the planned spin-off 'Plasmafilm' from the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology.

About CAMPFIRE

The federally funded CAMPFIRE alliance was founded in 2018 as part of the BMBF programme "WIR! - Change through Innovation in the Region". It provides an initial spark for sustainable structural change in the North-East region of Germany by building innovative pathways and unlocking economic benefits for small and medium-sized enterprises based here. The now more than 70 partners are implementing technologies for the production and import of green ammonia and its use as fuel for shipping and energy storage. CAMPFIRE technology development is currently being funded with around 55 million euros as part of the BMBF WIR! programme, in the TransHyDE lead project of the BMBF's "Green Hydrogen" ideas competition, in the Horizon2020 FETProActiv and in the BMWK IGF AiF. Through CAMPFIRE, strong partnerships of regional small and medium-sized enterprises with a financially strong large-scale industry and scientific institutions as well as an international visibility of the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the Uckermark in the thematic field of ammonia and hydrogen have been created in recent years.

Contact:
Dr. Angela Kruth
Coordinator & Spokesperson CAMPFIRE
Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP)
Phone: +49 3834 554 3860
Fax: +49 3834 554 301
Mail: angela.kruthinp-greifswaldde
https://wir-campfire.de/

Jens Wartmann
Head of Strategy Development and Technology CAMPFIRE
Zentrum für BrennstoffzellenTechnik GmbH (ZBT)
Phone: +49 203 7598 3336 Fax: +49 203 7598 2002
Mail: j.wartmannzbtde
https://wir-campfire.de/

Stefan Gerhardt
Press Spokesman
Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP)
Phone: +49 3834 554 3903
Mail: stefan.gerhardtinp-greifswaldde
https://www.leibniz-inp.de

Greifswald, 24.10.2022