Russia-India team proposes solar-powered ammonia made from water and air

Researchers from Bauman Moscow State Technical University, the Russian University of Transport and the Vellore Institute of Technology in India propose producing fertilizer ammonia by splitting water with electricity from solar panels mounted above farmland. The method avoids natural gas, which is the usual source of hydrogen for ammonia, and the CO2 emissions that come with it.

The work, supported by a Russian Science Foundation grant, appears in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. In the economic model, plants up to 3 tonnes a year do not pay back, but the economics improve at about 150 tonnes a year.

In Russia, the project would need state or investor support such as subsidies or low-interest loans. India needs less help because its solar output is higher, so ammonia costs less there.

The authors also cite agrivoltaic research showing that panels over crops can reduce evaporation and wind erosion.

The approach is an example of agrivoltaics, which means growing crops and generating solar power on the same land.

Source: InnovaNews