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The regions with the greatest potential for a continuous and efficient production of renewable energies are far away from the large "consumer states". In Saudi Arabia, for example, electricity can already be generated by means of photovoltaics at ~1ct/kWh [1], while in Germany the costs are between 4.3 and 7.4 ct/kWh [2]. However, significantly more electricity is consumed in Europe than on the Arabian Peninsula. This results in the need to transport the required energy over long distances.
If electricity from renewable sources is used to produce synthetic fuels, e.g. H2, NH3, methanol, Fischer-Tropsch diesel, this energy source can be easily transported over almost any distance with the same effort and infrastructure as fossil oil and gas today. Once the energy is chemically bound, a new conversion into electricity for use in powertrains is uneconomical. A direct use of green fuels in the combustion engine thus makes economic sense.
[1] https://www.pv-magazine.de/2021/04/09/saudi-arabiens-zweite-photovoltaik-ausschreibung-mit-weltrekord-tiefstgebot-von-104-us-dollarcent-pro-kilowattstunde/
[2] Wirth, Harry: „Aktuelle Fakten zur Photovoltaik in Deutschland”, Fraunhofer ISE, Freiburg 2021 (https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/de/veroeffentlichungen/studien/aktuelle-fakten-zur-photovoltaik-in-deutschland.html)
