Power to Gas is the transformation of electrical current into gas through electrolysis of water. Such a process can enable a form of storing of the excess renewable energy, that currently gets wasted, through its use to produce hydrogen and injecting the latter to the gas network.
The Jupiter 1000 project is the first industrial demonstrator of Power to Gas with a power rating of 1 MWe for electrolysis and a methanation process with carbon capture. The 30 million euro demonstrator will be implemented on a selected industrial site of the port of Marseille Fos. Green hydrogen will be produced using two electrolysers involving different technologies, from 100% renewable energy. The produced hydrogen will then be feeding the gas network. As an alternative or even in parallel, the hydrogen will be reacting with CO2 captured from a nearby industrial site to produce methane through an innovative methanation technology. The methane can then be injected to the gas network, closing a circular economy loop as CO2 will be used to produce energy.
Coordinated by GRTgaz and carried out in collaboration with the Grand Port Maritime of Marseille, Jupiter 1000 mobilizes various French partners with complementary skills such as: McPhy Energy for electrolysis, Atmostat and CEA for methane, Leroux and Lotz Technologies for CO2 capture, and the CEA for R & D. In addition, Jupiter 1000 benefits from the support of CNR which provides renewable electricity and ensures future remote operation of the facility. Lastly, GRTgaz and TIGF will be in charge of the injection in the gas networks.
After evaluating the performance levels of the demonstrator project, GRTgaz and its partners will work on future technical and economic standards for deploying full-sized installations of this type. On the longer term, the idea is to broadly implement the Power to Gas concept in the whole of France. More than 15 TWh of gas could be produced each year using the Power to Gas system by 2050. There is a high international interest in Jupiter 1000 with more than 1000 visitors and 20 delegations from all over the world having visited the site to date.