Power to ammonia: Problem, progress and prospect

Due to its high volumetric energy density and mature global supply chain, green ammonia has emerged as a logistically superior and strategic zero-carbon fuel. However, the practical deployment of power-to-ammonia (P2A) systems on high-altitude plateaus faces a fundamental technological limitation in that current architectures are vulnerable to extreme stressors, including low pressures and wide thermal fluctuations. This review provides a comprehensive assessment of the technical, economic, and strategic adaptations required for P2A deployment in plateau environments. Key findings indicate that, while water electrolysis-based P2A routes demonstrate high technical readiness, they suffer critical operational inefficiencies under plateau conditions, including impaired electrochemical kinetics, greater thermal delay during cold starts, and dynamic instability under fluctuating renewable energy (RE) loads. However, techno-economic analysis reveals that, while environmental stressors increase capital expenditure, valorizing byproducts such as oxygen and waste heat can reduce the levelized cost of ammonia, potentially achieving market parity in RE-abundant regions. Therefore, ammonia is potentially a scalable platform for regional industrial integration and long-distance energy transport. Nevertheless, the realization of an advanced sustainable ammonia economy will require innovative altitude-resilient technologies and downstream applications such as low-NOx combustion and ammonia cracking. Ultimately, tailoring P2A systems specifically to plateau environments can transform environmental constraints into strategic assets, allowing these regions to lead the transition toward a carbon-neutral energy future.