Methane energy storage development

How is methane produced?

Process flexible operation achieved by a bidirectional connection with the grid. Energy- and cost-efficient production of methane in a continuous manner. Costs of methane in different scenarios range from 60 to 161.6 €/MWh. Power-to-methane (PtM) coupled with renewables requires an energy buffer to ensure a steady and flexible operation.

What is the penetration of renewables in methane production?

A renewables penetration of 92.4% was achieved for methane production with an LCOCH 4 of 181.12 €/MWh at L c a p = 3,000. As L c a p increases to more than 3,000 tonnes, the penetration of renewables and the ratio of renewable energy to the grid do not change noticeably.

How many synthetic methane production projects are there?

The other project is the ‘Thüga PtG plant’ from Frankfurt, Germany. In this case, too, according to a press release by ITM Power , which supplies water electrolyzer equipment, the project's purpose was to produce hydrogen, not synthetic methane. Thus, after verifying the data, a total of 44 synthetic methane production projects were analyzed.

Which methane production projects are included in the IEA Database?

Of the methane production projects included in the IEA database, those were included in the study's P2M dataset that identified synthetic methane production for transport or feeding into the natural gas network as the area of use.

How is synthetic methane used?

In a total of 4 cases, the synthetic methane produced was used for electricity generation, and in 1 case of these it was utilized in a methane fuel cell, while thermal utilization took place in the rest of the 4 projects. In a further 3 projects, there was no specific use of the generated gas.

How does power-to-methane work?

Power-to-Methane coupled with renewables via liquid CO 2 energy storage. Process flexible operation achieved by a bidirectional connection with the grid. Energy- and cost-efficient production of methane in a continuous manner. Costs of methane in different scenarios range from 60 to 161.6 €/MWh.