Strategic energy storage in methanol

Does methanol storage reduce the cost of electricity?

The annualized cost of methanol was minimized for a grid-connected and a stand-alone case study considering current and future (2030) unit cost scenarios. The optimization results confirm that storage, especially hydrogen storage, is particularly beneficial when the electricity price is high and highly fluctuating.

Can methanol be used as a cyclic energy source?

Upcycling carbon dioxide (CO 2) and intermittently generated renewable hydrogen to stored products such as methanol (MeOH) allows the cyclic use of carbon and addresses the challenges of storage energy density, size and transportability as well as responsiveness to energy production and demand better than most storage alternatives.

Does methanol synthesis require large-scale hydrogen storage?

In production facilities using fossil fuels, methanol synthesis is run with high-capacity factors. Maintaining these high load levels with fluctuating hydrogen supply from variable electricity would require large-scale hydrogen storage to buffer the hydrogen, which may not be available as discussed above.

Why is methanol a promising liquid energy carrier?

1. Introduction Methanol is a promising liquid energy carrier due to its relatively high volumetric and gravimetric energy density and simple handling, but it has a significantly lower roundtrip efficiency when compared with other energy storage technologies, e.g., batteries .

Should hydrogen storage be present in a methanol plant?

Interestingly, more electricity can be sold to the grid during expensive electricity hours if hydrogen storage is present since the hydrogen demand of the methanol plant can still be met while the electricity stored in the battery can be sold instead of supplying it to the electrolyzer.

Can storage technologies reduce the production cost of methanol?

Storage technologies, e.g., batteries and tanks for intermediates, in support of Power-to-Methanol plants could therefore contribute to reducing the production cost of methanol.