Methanol fuel energy storage

Why is methanol a good energy carrier?

The identified strengths of methanol as an energy carrier include its high volumetric energy density, the mature technology for producing it from hydrogen and carbon dioxide, and its broad applicability.

How much methanol can be stored in a tank?

A single 200,000 m 3 cylindrical tank with diameter 80 m and height 40 m can store 880 GWh of methanol. When combusted with pure oxygen in a transcritical Allam cycle turbine using carbon dioxide as the working fluid, up to 98% of the carbon dioxide from combustion can be captured with minimal effort, producing power at efficiencies of up to 66%.

How is methanol stored?

Methanol is stored as a liquid at ambient temperature and pressure, oxygen is stored as a liquid at - 183 ∘ C, and carbon dioxide is stored as a liquid at 7 bar and - 50 ∘ C; only hydrogen is stored as a gas (at 250 bar) while it is buffered before going into the methanol synthesis. Figure inspired by Baak et al. 8

Can methanol be used as a fuel?

Climate change and the unsustainability of fossil fuels are calling for cleaner energies such as methanol as a fuel. Methanol is one of the simplest molecules for energy storage and is utilized to generate a wide range of products. Since methanol can be produced from biomass, numerous countries could produce and utilize biomethanol.

How efficient is hydrogen storage compared to methanol storage?

The round-trip efficiency for hydrogen storage at 38% is higher than for methanol storage with carbon cycling at 35%. Figure 2. Average electricity costs for systems based on wind and solar

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.