Energy System Integration (ESI) Platform

The Energy System Integration (ESI) Platform, a real life demonstration comprising multiple energy conversion and storage system at PSI, offers research and industry an experimental platform where promising approaches can be tested in all their complex connections and interrelations. Consisting of a 100 kW Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) electrolyzer that converts renewable electricity to H₂, two types of methanation units that take different carbon-containing feedstock, PEM fuel cell, a micro gas turbine, as well as storage of CO₂, O₂ and H₂,  the ESI platform serves as a test-bed, allowing us to get deep know-hows about systems that can address several challenges in the energy transition, by utilizing surplus renewable electricity, reducing the mismatch of energy supply and demand and decarbonizing the energy system by producing low-carbon alternative fuels.

TA group is mainly responsible for assessing the life cycle environmental impacts and costs of power-to-hydrogen and power-to-methane considering different electrolysis technologies (alkaline, PEM), sources of CO₂ (eg. captured from atmosphere, power plants with lignite/natural gas/wood pellets as fuel, cement plant), CO₂ capture technologies (eg. pre-combustion capture, post-combustion capture, oxy-fuel combustion capture), methanation with CO₂ or biogas from different types of biomass, end-use applications of product fuel in mobility and other applications.