The Potential Role of Ammonia as Marine Fuel—Based on Energy Systems Modeling and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis

Julia Hansson, Selma Brynolf, Erik Fridell and Mariliis Lehtveer
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Julia Hansson: Department of Mechanics and Maritime Sciences, Maritime Environmental Sciences, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
Selma Brynolf: Department of Mechanics and Maritime Sciences, Maritime Environmental Sciences, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
Erik Fridell: Sustainable Society, IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, Box 530 21, SE-400 14 Gothenburg, Sweden
Mariliis Lehtveer: Department of Space, Earth and Environment, Energy Technology, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 8, 1-20

Abstract: To reduce the climate impact of shipping, the introduction of alternative fuels is required. There is a range of different marine fuel options but ammonia, a potential zero carbon fuel, has recently received a lot of attention. The purpose of this paper is to assess the prospects for ammonia as a future fuel for the shipping sector in relation to other marine fuels. The assessment is based on a synthesis of knowledge in combination with: (i) energy systems modeling including the cost-effectiveness of ammonia as marine fuel in relation to other fuels for reaching global climate targets; and (ii) a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approach ranking marine fuel options while considering estimated fuel performance and the importance of criteria based on maritime stakeholder preferences. In the long-term and to reach global GHG reduction, the energy systems modeled indicate that the use of hydrogen represents a more cost-effective marine fuel option than ammonia. However, in the MCDA covering more aspects, we find that ammonia may be almost as interesting for shipping related stakeholders as hydrogen and various biomass-based fuels. Ammonia may to some extent be an interesting future marine fuel option, but many issues remain to be solved before large-scale introduction.

Keywords: shipping; alternative fuels; ammonia; decarbonization; biofuels; greenhouse gas emission targets; scenarios; multi-criteria decision making (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

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