Power-to-gas: Climbing the technology readiness ladder

Power-to-gas as a technology to provide flexibility to the energy system or to generate low carbon or carbon free gas is currently heavily debated in relation to the energy transition and is considered to be a new and innovative technology. New technology in general introduces uncertainties that imply risks for developers, manufacturers, vendors, operators and end-users. This article discusses the state of power-to-gas in terms of technology readiness and provides insight in recent developments and proposed near-future activities. The current technology readiness level of power-to-gas equipment varies between the technology readiness level (TRL) 5 and 8, depending on the specific processes considered. In order to abate investors’ and policy-makers’ risks and uncertainties in adopting power-to-gas as an energy transition enabler, qualification and verification of integrated power-to-gas systems in operational, real life environments is required to improve on the technology readiness ladder and is crucial for facilitating possible further market penetration.