Simulation and modeling of a combined biomass gasification-solar photovoltaic hydrogen production system for methanol synthesis via carbon dioxide hydrogenation

One solution to achieving a large scale distribution, transportation and storage of renewable energy is methanol production from renewable-based power plants integrated with hydrogenation. In this study, a novel non-combustion heat-carrier biomass gasifier system is proposed, coupled with a large-scale solar power plant and alkaline water electrolysis system, for methanol production from syngas, water and carbon dioxide. Aspen Plus, MATLAB and TRNSYS are used to simulate and assess the performance of each component of the proposed system, under different climatic conditions of Toronto, Canada, and Crotone, Italy. In both localities, the best energy performance that minimizes the grid energy interaction factor is obtained with a photovoltaic station of 50.4 MW coupled to biomass gasification, which leads to 0.60 kWh and 0.57 kWh, respectively, in Toronto and Crotone, of electricity sent to or drawn from the grid for each kWh required by the electrolyser. However, higher profitability may be achieved in both localities with a single biomass gasification system which brings an enhanced benefit of 0.56 M€ in Toronto and 0.44 M€ in Crotone for each kW installed. It is expected that the developed modelling approach and these four newly formulated dimensionless indicators, i.e., the satisfied load fraction, utilization factor, grid energy interaction factor, and grid economic interaction value can be used to evaluate large-scale integrated renewable-based power systems.