Abstract
A Power-to-Methane system based on a Biological Hydrogen Methanation (BHM) process using the CO2 produced by a biogas upgrading process and the H2 produced by an alkaline electrolyser was analysed in this work. The electrolyser can be fed by the electrical energy produced by a dedicated PV plant or supplied by the electrical grid. The analysis of the energy production from the PV plant and the consumption of the electrolyser was carried out on an hourly basis considering different sizes for the PV plant and four different scenarios for the operating time of the electrolyser. Also, a preliminary economic analysis was carried out to estimate the levelized cost of biomethane (LCOBM) and the costs of biomethane transport with a dedicate pipeline and in form of LNG by trucks. Finally, the paper investigated the availability of biomass and biogas in Sardinia that can be converted into biomethane, and the contribution of BHM plants to supply the forecast demand of CH4. The availability of biogas in Sardinia, together with the production of biomethane through BHM systems, can supply up to 44% of the forecast demand of CH4.
Highlights
Energy conversion technologies based on Renewable Energy Sources (RES), such as solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind turbines (WT), are characterised by intermittent and fluctuating electricity production, due to variable weather conditions
The calculation code is based on the performance of the ex-situ reactor of the experimental configuration [22], the inlet mass flow (CO2,in+H2,in), manually imported in MATLAB, is the first input data and all the process results have been calculated through the Sabatier equation, Retention Time (RT), Methane Formation Rate (MFR), and the volumetric composition percentages of the outgoing gas
A biological hydrogen methanation (BHM) system was analysed in this work
Summary
Energy conversion technologies based on Renewable Energy Sources (RES), such as solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind turbines (WT), are characterised by intermittent and fluctuating electricity production, due to variable weather conditions. Power-to-Gas (PtG) technologies are currently proposed to produce “green” fuels from RES and reduce the carbon footprint of the so-called hard-to-abate sectors (mainly industry and transport) by the gradual substitution of conventional fossil fuels. Power-to-Hydrogen (PtH2) and Power-toMethane (PtM), two specific applications of PtG, use electricity generated by RES systems to produce hydrogen and methane, respectively. The latter is synthesised from hydrogen, previously produced by electrolysis, and carbon dioxide [1]. The resulting methane can be injected into an existing natural gas distribution grid to substitute the fossil fuel or directly used in all the well-established natural gas applications
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