Be nice to have cheap on farm solar powered Nitrogen plant.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Once we progress from thinking that intermittent energy sources are going to power modern civilizations, and move onto practical technologies, I still see intermittents being used for creating energy intensive storable products such as fertilizers.

But, as for fuels, the efficiency is so awful, that is seems like an unlikely avenue.

Currently, the round-trip efficiency of liquid ammonia is 11-19%, which is similar to the values of liquid hydrogen of 9-22%

https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/features/h2-and-nh3-the-perfect-marriage-in-a-carbon-free-society/#:~:text=Currently%2C%20the%20round%2Dtrip%20effic iency,of%209%2D22%10. https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/features/h2-and-nh3-the-perfect-marriage-in-a-carbon-free-society/#:~:text=Currently%2C%20the%20round%2Dtrip%20effic iency,of%209%2D22%10.

There is such a thing as EROEI. Wind and solar have such low EROEI's to start with that they can't compete as is, now cut that back by 5 to 10 times when trying to store and transport using ammonia or liquid hydrogen.

[chuckChuck]

A5 we are just beginning the exploration of options and your assumptions are that the technology for hydrogen and ammonia as energy carriers will not improve.

https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/features/h2-and-nh3-the-perfect-marriage-in-a-carbon-free-society/#!#:~:text=Currently,%20the%20round-trip%20efficiency,of%209-22%10. https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/features/h2-and-nh3-the-perfect-marriage-in-a-carbon-free-society/#!#:~:text=Currently,%20the%20round-trip%20efficiency,of%209-22%10.

TRANSITIONING our energy economy away from fossil fuel dependence towards one based on renewable and alternative forms of energy requires novel solutions for energy storage, in which the role of hydrogen has promising potential. The intermittency and seasonal variation of solar and wind power leads to a mismatch between energy supply and demand, which will intensify as we decrease our dependence on traditional gas and coal-powered generators. This challenge has driven extensive research into battery, capacitor and chemical energy storage as buffer systems to balance the variation of renewable energy supply on the grid.

As detailed in a previous article of this series1, a significant obstacle to the wider implementation of hydrogen in energy trade is its costly and energy-intensive storage coupled with safety concerns associated with its high flammability. In this article, we focus on the chemical storage of hydrogen in the form of ammonia to alleviate hydrogen’s storage and safety issues. Ammonia is explored as a complementary future energy vector with applications in specific cases.

"Round-trip efficiency

In the future implementation of ammonia in energy trade and storage, a key aspect is the round-trip energy efficiency - taking into consideration the energy required to synthesise ammonia from excess renewable energy and its delivery on demand. Currently, the round-trip efficiency of liquid ammonia is 11-19%, which is similar to the values of liquid hydrogen of 9-22%10. Technological advancements in electrolysis and hydrogen fuel cells will have an impact on both the viability of hydrogen and ammonia as renewable energy storage mediums and vectors, whereas improvements to ammonia synthesis and decomposition, combustion and/or fuel cells will make the use of ammonia more competitive."

[AlbertaFarmer5]

And as usual, Chuck solves all problems with some mythical yet to be concieved of technology that will defy all the laws of physics( especially those pesky first and second laws of thermodynamics).
Why do all of your answers involve something in the future tense? Models, projections etc.

[WiltonRanch]

I hear ya AB. Baby steps first. Small scale ammonia plants on farms which can afford them, or coops building them. Heck FNA there’s your chance! In all seriousness though, nitrogen production consumes lots of energy as it stands. The Hauber-Bosch process is what 25% first run through the catalyst? You would imagine the fertilizer producers would want to get their costs down if there was a better alternative.