Work

Life Cycle Assessment and Uncertainty Analysis of German Import Strategies for Hydrogen and Ammonia

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Green hydrogen, produced via renewable electricity and water electrolysis, is a cornerstone in Germany’s net zero strategy. Since renewable electricity is not always available where needed, Germany plans to import hydrogen from regions with high renewable resources. However, hydrogen’s low volumetric density makes transport difficult, thus, importing ammonia instead is a promising alternative. We present a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment of hydrogen and ammonia imports to Germany from 13 exporting countries. We evaluate 16 environmental impact categories across multiple scenarios and uncertain input parameters. For ammonia, we evaluate both its role as fuel for direct utilization and as hydrogen carrier. The domestic renewable and fossil production of hydrogen and ammonia in Germany serve as benchmarks. We quantify uncertainties using Monte Carlo Analysis and conduct a Global Sensitivity Analysis to identify the most sensitive input parameters. Our comprehensive assessment including uncertainties enables robust recommendations: Ammonia imports via ship and hydrogen imports via pipeline are environmentally favorable strategies across all scenarios. Ammonia imports should be prioritized to meet the domestic ammonia demand in Germany before using ammonia as hydrogen carrier. Shipping hydrogen can achieve low environmental impacts if hydrogen is used as shipping fuel. Compared to the domestic fossil production in Germany, a diversified import portfolio can achieve greenhouse gas emission reductions of 74 % and 85 % in a 2030 and 2045 scenario, respectively. However, increased material demands due to high electricity demands cause environmental burden-shift in at least six categories, for which we propose mitigation strategies for future work.

Source: Energy Conversion and Management

DOI: 10.1016/j.enconman.2025.120923

Authors: Karan Anand, Fabian Welker, Hagen Seele, Hendrik Pötting, Niklas von der Assen

Institution: RWTH Aachen University

Language: English

Topic: Environmental Impact and Sustainability

Subfield: Environmental Engineering

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Climate action, Affordable and clean energy, Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,600