To reach the challenging CO₂ targets of a maximum global temperature increases of two degrees (Paris COP21, 2015), a holistic approach is required.

In the future, battery electric and hydrogen electric vehicle propulsion systems will become the key technologies alongside continuously optimized internal combustion engines with max. efficiency and zero-impact emissions. All three technologies will be used in parallel for the next decades.

For a maximum contribution to the Paris two-degree target, the usage of synthetic fuels, based on renewable electric energy is essential.

With the combination of a solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC) and a Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis, a highly efficient process is possible.

By using the Power-to-Liquid process (PtL), sustainable diesel can be produced, and it can immediately be used on large scale in existing fleets with the biggest lever arm on CO₂ emissions.

To achieve a maximum CO₂ reduction, a holistic approach over all sectors is required. In this context, sector integration is one step towards a closed-loop economy by coupling power generation, industry and other sectors such as mobility. CO₂ can be partly captured and recycled.

Sector integration is a sustainable way to store large amounts of fluctuating renewable electricity into energy carriers such as synthetic fuels.

In this lecture, PtL based on a combination of SOEC and FT is discussed.

The SOEC’s key performance indicators and its total costs of ownership, based on today’s AVL technology know-how, are presented.

The environmental and economic potential of this approach is shown, based on a highly modular and decentralized plant concept.