Using power-to-heat technologies, electricity is converted into heat and used to supply heat. This technological solution is applied in conventional electrical heat and in heat pumps. Many everyday household appliances such as electric kettles and hot water boilers are also based on the technological concept of power-to-heat. In addition, power-to-heat technologies are also used in commercial supplies of negative control energy, process heat and local and district heating for water heating and the operation of heating systems.

Conversely, the power-to-heat technological process can also take the form of conversion of heat to electricity, such as the use of waste heat in gas-steam power plants. In these cases, the waste heat from the gas power plant process is used to operate the steam power plant and thereby converted into electricity.

With power-to-gas technology, electricity is converted to hydrogen or, in an additional step, to a synthetic gas.

The two gases can be used either in the energy or mobility sector. Hydrogen may be used as an alternative fuel to generate electricity and heat within a fuel cell and thus drive, for example, an electric motor in a fuel cell vehicle or a hydrogen heater. Synthetic methane, on the other hand, can be used as an alternative fuel for the propulsion of natural gas vehicles in the mobility sector and to operate CHP plants or block-type thermal power stations and gas heating systems.

Power-to-gas technology also enables hydrogen and synthetic methane to be used as a power storage medium and stored in gas storage tanks. At the end of the desired storage period, the hydrogen or synthetic methane is, for example, converted back into electricity by a block-type thermal power station.

The production of liquid fuel from electricity is also known as power-to-liquid. The power-to-liquid process is based on the power-to-gas process, but with the addition of another conversion process. Power-to-liquid technology is used to liquefy the gases generated from the power-to-gas process, making them easier to transport far away from piping systems.

Various methods are available for the liquefaction of hydrogen or synthetic methane. Both gases can be liquefied by means of compression and cooling to extremely low temperatures.

Alternatively, the recovered hydrogen can be mixed with carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide and converted in a synthesis process to liquid hydrocarbons. Synthetic gasoline can be obtained, for example, from the hydrocarbons in another processing step.