Design and Assessment of a Large-Scale Integrated Power-to-Gas Plant for Renewable SNG Production in Remote Areas

The ongoing transition involves a radical shift in energy generation and use. For many applications, the reliance on easily storable fuels remains a critical operational aspect. Synthetic natural gas (SNG) production from renewable sources is a promising solution, adopting large-scale plants in remote areas with high resource availability and good access to transport infrastructures. This work investigates a SNG plant composed of a photovoltaic field, an electrolyser, and a methanation system. As CO2 source, industrial flue gas capture is compared to direct air capture. Three design schemes are proposed, combining electrical and hydrogen storage, while adopting different balance-of-plant options. Simulations assume a constant output of 100 MWSNG. Results show that using CO2 from industrial carbon capture is economically favourable. At current cost assumptions, the levelized cost of SNG is not competitive, strongly impacted by investment costs. However, scenarios of PV cost reduction and carbon tax increase predict a viable development.