Fig. 1: Cumulative ammonia demand cost-competitively supplied with decentralized ammonia production.
From: Cost-competitive decentralized ammonia fertilizer production can increase food security
a,b, The cost of ammonia for decentralized production is derived from the pixel-level levelized cost of electricity-feeding electric Haber–Bosch (a) and electrocatalysis (b). The global distribution of the cost of ammonia production is calculated at the pixel level, highlighting the global average value (vertical dashed lines). c,d, The local cost of decentralized ammonia production is combined with the local demand for ammonia to derive the global fraction of ammonia demand that can be cost-competitively supplied with electric Haber–Bosch (c) and electrocatalysis (d). For each technology, two systems are considered: connected to the grid with electricity from a mix of conversion technologies and fed with electricity from agrivoltaic solar panels. Reference costs of ammonia production from centralized production are €390 t−1 and €780 t−1 of NH3, chosen from the median and 95th percentile. In addition, the cost of logistics for transporting ammonia is added to the two prices, resulting in a twofold increase in the price of ammonia at the demand point: €780 t−1 and €1,560 t−1 of NH3. The cost-competitiveness of decentralized production varies substantially depending on the cost assumptions for the novel technologies and the reference price of ammonia at the demand point.
