Increased Investment Costs Research Articles

Thermodynamic and Exergoeconomic Analysis of a Novel Compressed Carbon Dioxide Phase-Change Energy Storage System

As an advanced energy storage technology, the compressed CO2 energy storage system (CCES) has been widely studied for its advantages of high efficiency and low investment cost. However, the current literature has been mainly focused on the TC-CCES and SC-CCES, which operate in high-pressure conditions, increasing investment costs and bringing operation risks. Meanwhile, some studies based on the phase-change CO2 energy storage system also have had the disadvantages of low efficiency and the extra necessity of heat or cooling sources. To overcome the above problems, this paper proposes an innovative compressed CO2 phase-change energy storage system. During the energy charge process, molten salt and water are used to store heat with a smaller temperature difference in heat exchangers, and high-pressure CO2 is reserved in liquid form. During the energy discharge process, throttle expansion is applied to realize the evaporation at room temperature, and CO2 absorbs the reserved heat to improve the power capacity in the turbine and the system energy storage efficiency. The thermodynamic and exergoeconomic studies are performed firstly by using MATLAB. Then, the parametric study based on energy storage efficiency, system unit product cost, and exergy destruction is analyzed. The results show that energy storage efficiency can be improved by lifting liquid CO2 pressure as well as compressor and turbine isentropic efficiencies, and CO2 evaporation pressure has the optimal pressure point. The system unit product cost can be reduced by decreasing liquid CO2 pressure and compressor isentropic efficiency, while CO2 evaporation pressure and turbine isentropic efficiency both have optimal points. Finally, the optimization of two performances is performed by NSGA-II, and they can reach 75.30% and 41.17 $/GJ, respectively. Moreover, the optimal energy storage efficiency is obviously higher than that of other energy storage technologies, indicating the great advantage of the proposed system. This study provides an innovative research method for a new type of large-scale energy storage system.

ANALISIS PERENCANAAN SISTEM PEMBANGKIT LISTRIK HYBRIDE (PLTS DAN DIESEL) PADA KAPAL TANKER

The hybrid power generation system (solar cells and diesel generator) is one of the alternative solutions to the negative impacts of conventional energy systems on ships in Indonesia. The use of this hybrid power generation system can support the development of environmentally friendly ship technology as global warming issues become more widespread. The advantages of implementing a hybrid power generation system include a reduction in fuel consumption by the generator and a simultaneous decrease in emissions from the ship. Choosing a hybrid system with solar power is particularly advantageous in Indonesia due to its abundant sunlight. This study employs technical and economic analytical methods to design a hybrid power generation system (solar cells and diesel generator). Technical and economic analyses are conducted using a tanker ship as the research object, comparing the hybrid power generation system with the conventional system widely used on ships in Indonesia. The research results indicate that the implementation of a hybrid power generation system on tanker ships results in a 15.5% annual fuel consumption saving compared to the use of conventional power generation systems. Therefore, due to the increased investment costs and reduced operational costs in the hybrid power generation system compared to the conventional system, the break-even point can be achieved in 3.69 years or equivalent to a total nominal cost of Rp 23,980,000,000.00 or $1,803,007.52.

A holistic sustainability assessment of a zero-emission development in Norway

The decarbonisation of the construction sector is critical to meet national and international climate goals. Literature gives many examples of measures for the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from buildings. However, few studies investigate the trade-offs between potentially conflicting GHG emission reduction measures or the affordability of these measures. Ydalir is a Zero Emission Neighbourhood (ZEN) pilot area in the Norwegian research centre for Zero Emission Neighbourhoods in smart cities. One of the major challenges Ydalir faces is how to reduce GHG emissions from the neighbourhood towards a net zero emission building (nZEB). Additional challenges include retaining social, environmental, and economical sustainability for both the project developer and building owners and avoid suboptimal solutions. This paper investigates the trade-offs between energy efficiency and material use for two scenarios. The scenarios are a Norwegian building code scenario and a passive house scenario. The analysis ascertains total energy demand, whole life cycle GHG emissions, and cost assessment for two housing units within Ydalir Torg. The results show lower total GHG emissions and lower GHG emissions from operational energy use in the passive house scenario, and an increase in GHG emissions from the production phase due to thicker levels of insulation. The cost assessment shows increased investment costs for the project developer in the passive house scenario, despite lower operational costs for the building owner. Total GHG emission payback times for the passive house scenario are at 18 - 19 years. Cost payback time varies between 10 - 37 years. This paper is useful for practitioners that wish to balance GHG emission reduction requirements between operational energy use, material use and affordability.

ANALISA KINERJA KEUANGAN DAERAH KABUPATEN PASER

The recent outbreak of the Covid-19 virus presents new challenges for government agencies to manage their financial performance and financial reporting responsibly. Financial analysis is needed to analyze how the position and financial performance, and evaluate the operational performance of an agency in the future. The impact of this pandemic was also felt by Paser district with a decrease in regional economic growth. The purpose of this study is to understand how operational and financial performance in the Paser district local government in the period 2020 to 2021. This study uses a descriptive-quantitative approach by examining the calculation of the level of financial independence, efficiency and effectiveness, and also regional operations including the allocation of operating and capital expenditure costs. The results of the study show that Paser district is generally in a good financial position, but there are still some financial aspects that need to be improved in the coming financial year. Paser Regency needs to be more specific in setting revenue targets during the Covid-19 pandemic by observing trends in regional economic development and the possibility of enacting and implementing policies that maximize Local Original revenues so that they do not always depend on the contribution of the central government. Then, Paser Regency will be able to reduce operational costs and increase investment costs for

Animal board invited review: The need to consider emissions, economics and pig welfare in the transition from farrowing crates to pens with loose lactating sows.

In the development and implementation of housing systems for pigs, there has been a significant focus on pig welfare including loose housing of lactating sows either indoors or outdoors. However, it is equally important to consider the environmental and economic aspects of housing systems to ensure sustainability in livestock production. The aim of this work was to review the sustainability (societal and animal welfare, environmental and economic impact) of different approaches for housing farrowing and lactating sows in indoor environments. The review illustrates that like outdoor systems, indoor housing systems are challenged in meeting the three pillars of sustainability when changing the housing of lactating sows from conventional crates with permanent confinement to systems with temporary or zero-confinement. Increased space allowance increases sow welfare, but in addition, pen designs with increased space increase ammonia emission, investment and running costs. Furthermore, indoor loose lactation systems come with an increased risk for piglet mortality, which unless effectively managed, reduces animal welfare and the economic sustainability of the system. If farms retrofit existing buildings, the larger space per loose farrowing pen leads to a reduction in pen numbers and therefore herd size, reducing the farm profitability. If farmers choose to reduce herd size to meet requirements, welfare will be reduced while emissions will be increased as more sows are brought into production again in other countries, often in conventional systems with fully slatted flooring, to meet the demand for animal protein to feed the growing global population. The review indicates there are ways to house lactating sows loose indoors with increased opportunity to perform highly motivated species-specific behaviours compared to the conventional crates with continuous confinement. These systems can offer a lower risk for environmental impact and economic risk through reducing piglet mortality. Nevertheless, a trade-off for continual freedom of sow movement may be required as zero-confinement increases the risk of piglet mortality and increased emissions. It is important to raise awareness among citizens and policy makers that loose farrowing and lactating systems if applied today, come with a higher production cost and the risk of increased environmental impact. More research and development is needed in relation to the environmental and economic impact of these systems in order to give farmers the best information to invest in new and more sustainable production systems.

Process simulation on the planning of wind-PV storage for near-zero carbon emission

The proposal of the dual carbon policy has put forward new requirements for the planning of wind power photovoltaic energy storage, which should not only meet economic requirements but also consider the timeliness of carbon reduction. Particularly, in recent years, there has been a contradiction between energy waste and power shortage in some regions of China, which needs to be resolved through reasonable planning of the capacity of multi energy systems. Based on the aforementioned background, this paper uses system dynamics simulation to analyze the efforts that should be made to maintain a stable energy balance between wind–solar power generation output and energy storage capacity when considering the cost of the power side and the demand response level of the load side. We assume a development plan for wind and solar energy, and optimize the allocation of energy storage capacity under these conditions to meet the balance requirements of carbon reduction and investment cost reduction. We use system dynamics simulation to simulate the energy storage demand under the demand response. In order to achieve the near-zero carbon goal, this paper discusses the reasonable state of a power energy structure based on different carbon emission reduction goals. Finally, we discovered the relationship between investment costs and carbon reduction targets as increasing carbon reduction targets will greatly increase investment costs and provide some suggestions for planning.

Comprehensive evaluation of sewage sludge anaerobic digestion process with different digestate treatments.

Anaerobic digestion is one of the most promising methods for reducing sewage sludge and recovering energy. In the present study, a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of sewage sludge anaerobic digestion processes with different digestate treatments, including mesophilic anaerobic digestion with digestate landfilling (CAD-1) and digestate incineration (CAD-2), thermophilic anaerobic digestion combined with thermal hydrolysis pre-treatment with digestate land use (THPAD-1), and digestate incineration (THPAD-2), was performed to evaluate their environmental, resource, economic, and comprehensive performances using the SimaPro software. Environmental impact analysis revealed marine ecotoxicity, freshwater ecotoxicity, and human carcinogenic toxicity as the most obvious impacts, resulting in the most significant damage to human health. Resource analysis indicated that anaerobic digestion combined with cogeneration and digestate incineration is advantageous to high energy recovery, but digestate incineration is disadvantageous to economic performance because of increased investment costs. Comparison of the four processes revealed that THPAD-2 results in the largest environmental damage, whereas CAD-1 has the smallest load. Meanwhile, THPAD-2 and THPAD-1 exhibit the best resource performance and net economic benefit, respectively. The comprehensive evaluation indices revealed that THPAD-1 and CAD-2 show better comprehensive performance. And the deep drying incineration process exhibited better comprehensive performance than sewage sludge anaerobic digestion processes.

Adaptive capacity of high- and low dyke farmers to hydrological changes in the Vietnamese Mekong delta

This research assesses the adaptive capacity of farmers in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta's floodplains (VMD) with respect to hydrological changes. Currently, climate change and socio-economic developments induce extreme- and diminishing floods, which in turn increase farmers' vulnerability. This research assesses farmers' adaptive capacity to hydrological changes using two prevalent farming systems: high dykes featuring triple-crop rice farming and low dykes where fields are left fallow during the flood season. We examine (1) farmers' perceptions on a changing flood regime and their current vulnerabilities and (2) farmers' adaptive capacity through five sustainability capitals. Methods include a literature review and qualitative interviews with farmers. Results show that extreme floods are becoming less frequent and damaging, depending on arrival time, depth, residence time, and flow velocity. In extreme floods, farmers' adaptive capacity is generally strong, and only low dyke farmers experience damage. As for diminishing floods, which is an emerging phenomenon, the overall adaptive capacity of farmers is remarkably weaker and varies between high- and low dyke farmers. Financial capital is lower for low dyke farmers due to their double-crop rice system, and natural capital is low for both farmer groups due to a decrease in soil- and water quality, affecting yields and increasing investment costs. Farmers also struggle with an unstable rice market due to strong fluctuating prices for seeds, fertilizers, and other inputs. We conclude that both high- and low dyke farmers have to cope with new challenges, including fluctuating flood patterns and the depletion of natural resources. Increasing farmers resilience should focus on exploring better crop varieties, adjusting crop calendars, and shifting to less water-intensive crops.

The Business Analysis of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations to Power Environmentally Friendly Tourism: A Case Study of the Khao Kho Route in Thailand

The growing demand for electric vehicle charging stations is due to the increasing number of electric vehicles due to the rapid development of electric vehicle production and people buying more. This has also increased the demand for electric vehicle charging stations to travel between cities. This is because most combustion cars nowadays use fossil fuels. It harms clean air, producing carbon dioxide (CO2), PM2.5, and greenhouse gas emissions, resulting in climate changes and natural environmental impacts. Directly affect people in terms of health, living, and present life. By emphasizing the participation of business and government sectors, Thailand has encouraged investment in producing and importing electric vehicles to replace fossil fuel combustion. They also promoted the development of electric cars to be more efficient and run longer distances. The cumulative number of electric vehicles from 2017 to the present is increasing, making business opportunities for EV charging stations available in Thailand. From business model analysis was designed in 3 scenarios, resulting in Scenario1 Normal charger 6 outlets, in which the cost is low, the cost recovery time is the most, and it has a low net profit margin installed in shopping malls, restaurants, and residential condominiums. Scenario2 Quick charger 6 outlets take less time to charge. A high charging and increased investment cost have a short payback period installed in front of convenience stores and the current gas station. Scenario3 is a combination of an electric vehicle charging station with a normal charger and quick charger total of 2 outlets, installed in large areas such as current gas stations, logistics centers, and department stores with souvenir shops and convenience stores. This information can help analyze costs and plan investment decisions on the ownership of electric vehicle charging stations. In addition, electric vehicle charging station scenarios can be compared to predict the net profit margin of the business model.

A Model for Finding a Suitable Location for a Micro Biogas Plant Using Gis Tools

The article presents a model for finding the most suitable locations for setting up micro-biogas plants (<50 kW), which represent an efficient way of processing organic waste in small local communities. The input parameters of the model, which was made with GIS tools, were the number of farms and heads of large livestock with their locations, the number of food establishments and their collected food waste and waste fat. We tested the case study model in the Gorenjska region in Slovenia. The result of processing the input data in the model are four locations in three municipalities Naklo 1, Naklo 2, Kranj and Cerklje. We evaluated the locations with economic indicators net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR) and discounted payback period (DPP). With sensitivity analysis, we investigated the impact of increasing investment costs, decreasing energy prices and different scenarios with adding corn silage to the anaerobic process. Location Naklo 1 has NPV 31,410.26 €, IRR 10.53% and DPP 22 years, Naklo 2 has NPV −58,808.91 € and DPP of more than 25 years, location Kranj has NPV 140,313.00 €, IRR 13.07% and DPP 16 years, location Cerklje has NPV −43,026.82 € and DPP of more than 25 years.

Impact of an energy dissipator on mooring conditions in ultra-high head locks with a comprehensive uniform-strength evaluation

In high head locks, the energy dissipator directly affects the safety and stability of the ships moored in locks. However, most existing studies used physical model tests to determine mooring conditions. This inevitably lengthened the construction period and increased investment costs for the pre-construction of high head locks. In this study, a comprehensive uniform-strength Cs criterion was established and used to quantify critical water depth of ship impact and judge the mooring conditions. We used the mooring force of 60 m class ultra-high head single-stage locks as a study case and conducted a comparative analysis by the physical model ship. Results showed that this method effectively responded to the influence of different energy dissipators (ditch, ditch + grille, and ditch + cover plate) and configuration types within the mooring conditions of the lock chamber. Additionally, this study investigated the hydraulic factors affecting regional forces and wave forces, and found that energy dissipators types mainly affect regional force for mooring conditions in ultra-high head decentralized water transfer systems. Considering comprehensive efficiency and energy-dissipation effects, we recommend ditch + grille dissipator for ultra-high head locks. This study provides an effective discriminative technique for optimizing the arrangement of high head locks and saving project investment.

Heat exchanger network optimisation considering different shell-side flow arrangements

Heat exchanger network synthesis (HENS) is an effective tool for heat recovery in chemical and petrochemical industries. This study aims to show a method for HENS with the consideration of different shell-side flow arrangements in shell-and-tube heat exchangers. The proposed MINLP model is modified from the stage-wise superstructure model, incorporating newly developed correlations for shell-side pressure drop calculation for the helical baffle. The objective is to minimise the total annual cost (TAC) with a trade-off between the cost of different shell-side heat exchangers, utility cost, and pumping cost. The selection of baffle design is decided by the saved pumping cost and the increased area cost. The proposed model is tested from different points of view: with/without utility constraints and different statuses of the streams. Three case studies are presented and compared with the results from the literature. The proposed method with different shell-side baffles can reduce the heat transfer area and pressure drop. For fixed utility consumptions, the TAC in a case study is decreased by 8.9% with mixed baffle types. Although the unit per area cost of the helical baffle is higher than the segmental baffle, the increased investment cost could be compensated by the reduced operation cost, especially for plants with high viscosity streams and long-term cost-saving.

Evaluation of low-carbon multi-energy options for the future UAE energy system

Sustainable energy transitions in hot climate and fossil energy-rich regions face specific challenges including socio-economic and geopolitical uncertainties in a carbon-constrained future, accompanied by significant vulnerability to climate change. Low-carbon multi-energy conversion, storage and use options for the future United Arab Emirates energy system (power, water, buildings, transportation, industry) are investigated technically and economically using EnergyPLAN energy planning tool. Emphasis is placed on solar energy with variable shares in conjunction with thermal, battery and hydrogen storage in the power sector, reverse osmosis desalination, district cooling with a mix of compression and absorption cooling, electric transportation, and industrial electrification. The effects of these measures on annual primary fuel consumption (PFC), greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and cost are evaluated in incremental steps, with reference to a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario. The most favorable combination of low-carbon measures is found to reduce annual PFC and GHG emissions by 37% and 48%, respectively, relative to the BAU case. In parallel, total annual costs would reduce by 25% compared to the BAU scenario, primarily due to reductions in fuel and carbon costs, that offset increased investment costs. In addition, the levelized costs of electricity, water and cooling could reduce by 42%, 63%, and 20%, respectively, relative to the BAU case. The analyzes presented contribute directions towards sustainable energy transitions in fossil energy-rich and hot climate regions.

Electric buses in England and Sweden – Overcoming barriers to introduction

Electric buses can improve the environmental performance of public transport. Yet, introducing electric buses brings novel challenges, such as requirements for operational changes, new forms of institutional collaboration, increased investment costs and technological concerns. This paper investigates these challenges and strategies for managing them by comparing experiences of electric bus implementation in English and Swedish cities. The comparative approach enabled us to understand the influence of governance context, organisational practices and relations between stakeholders. The comparison shows that experiences by involved stakeholders are highly context dependant. Financial and regulatory support from the national government, along with passenger demand and route characteristics had significant influence on the implementation. However, the relationship between stakeholders involved and the division of responsibility emerged as central factors to overcome challenges – the most important being the development of functioning collaboration between the stakeholders.

Thermodynamic and exergy evaluation of an innovative hydrogen liquefaction structure based on ejector-compression refrigeration unit, cascade multi-component refrigerant system, and Kalina power plant

Considerable recent ecological and energy concerns have aroused the exploitation of sustainable resources and cost-effective production of green energy carriers such as liquid hydrogen. Despite the remarkable merits of the multi-component refrigerant cycle in enhancing the hydrogen liquefaction process efficiency, it contributes to problematic controllability, increasing investment costs. Moreover, it is not easily possible to keep the composition share of refrigerants in case of leakage. This paper develops an innovative integrated structure for liquid hydrogen production, which benefits from the compression-ejector unit and six cascade multi-component refrigerant cycles in the pre-cooling and liquefaction stages. The Kalina power generation uses wasted heat in the integrated system. A power of 595.6 MW is necessary to produce 22.34 kg/s liquid hydrogen, resulting in specific energy consumption (SEC) of 7.405 kWh/kg LH2 and a coefficient of performance (COP) of 0.103. Besides, the COP of the compression-ejector refrigeration cycle is 0.8682, and the thermal efficiency of the Kalina cycle is 0.1228. The exergy efficiencies of the proposed structure and the ejector-compression refrigeration cycles are 0.2359 and 0.6462, respectively. Heat exchangers take the lion's share of exergy destruction with 39.55%, followed by gas turbines (27.92%) and compressors (21.81%). Based on sensitivity analysis, with the pressure increase in the secondary stream of Ejector1, the SEC increases by 7.435 kWh/kgLH2, and the COP of the ejector-compression refrigeration cycle decreases by 0.8242. As the pressure rises in the Kalina cycle, the SEC declines to a low of 7.4135 kWh/kg LH2 at 26 bar, then increases with pressure.

Investigation of energy and economic parameters of photovoltaic cells in terms of different tracking technologies

Abstract The utilization of photovoltaic (PV) cells has greatly expanded due to the simplicity of technology and cheapness compared to other solar technologies. However, due to the change in the position of the sun, it has reduced the production capacity and electrical efficiency of this technology as the reduction of production capacity to supply electricity has increased investment costs. In this research, modeling of silicon crystal PV cell with the aim of influencing the types of solar trackers on the amount of power produced by PV cell and economic parameters has been done, which is intended for the following four modes: without solar tracker, horizontal tracker, vertical tracker and two-axes tracker. The highest output power is related to the two-axes tracker with a value of 9586 kWh/yr, which for this technology has a maximum output power of 4.35 kW. Also, the cost of energy produced by this technology is $ 0.875/kWh.

Government incentive mechanism of closed-loop supply chain based on information asymmetry

Focusing on the closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) comprising the manufacturer, retailer, and consumers in the waste products market, this study investigates how the government addresses the adverse selection problem on the hidden recovery costs of retailer and how it manages the moral hazard problem on the level of retailer’s hidden efforts. Based on incentive theory, a government incentive regulation aiming at maximizing social welfare is established in this study. In addition, a list of contracts with transfer payments is presented to elucidate the retailer’ collection efficiency and motivate the retailer to make the optimal investment. Besides, the impact of related factors on the recovery cost and social welfare level using numerical simulations is validated. Under government regulation, the retailer could maximize profit only by reporting the true recovery technology-type information to the government. Moreover, the retailer with high-recovery efficiency could obtain both retained profit and additional information rent. Finally, as the retailer made efforts to increase the recovery level, it increased investment cost, which affected the enthusiasm of enhancing the retailer’s recovery efficiency. Thus, the government should not blindly pursue the enhancement of recycling efficiency regardless of the cost, but should focus more on the control of recycling equipment and technology cost. Overall, this study facilitates scientific policy development and provides a reference for promoting CLSC operations.

A data-driven life-cycle optimisation approach for building retrofitting: A comprehensive assessment on economy, energy and environment

A novel data-driven life-cycle optimisation approach is proposed for building retrofitting. The innovation points include big-data information, integrated retrofitting design, and life-cycle optimisation through a comprehensive assessment of the economy, energy and environment. The optimal retrofitting plan is selected to maximise its life-time cost-saving, energy reduction and carbon reduction. The proposed retrofitting optimisation approach is tested on a real-world building. The standard retrofitting options include roof insulation, wall insulation, wind turbine, solar heater, biomass boiler, combined heat and power system and photovoltaic panel. The historical energy consumption, building information, historical weather data, and inventory data is adopted in the data-driven model to replicate the real-world case. Although building retrofitting would increase economic, energy and environmental effects at the beginning of its life-cycle due to increased investment cost, embodied energy and carbon of retrofitting materials, the overall life-cycle cost, energy and carbon would be lower than those non-retrofitted buildings. It is found that envelope insulation has the lowest unit return cost, energy and carbon, followed by the solar heater, combined heat and power system, biomass boiler, wind turbine and photovoltaic panel. Through the optimal retrofitting plan, 39% life-time cost-saving, 55% life-time energy reduction and 59% life-time carbon reduction can be achieved at an investment cost of £1.32 × 106.

Probabilistic impact assessment of phase power imbalance in the LV networks with increasing penetrations of low carbon technologies

Phase imbalances cause a range of network issue, from day-to-day energy losses to long-run capacity wastes that increase investment costs. The impact on low voltage (LV) network from phase imbalance has been investigated independently for losses and investment. However, no research was carried out on the total imbalance-induced cost (TIC) that includes both day-to-day energy losses and long-run capacity wastes, and how the relationship between the two may change with the increasing penetrations of single-phase low carbon technologies (LCTs). Analyzing the TIC is important for distribution network operators (DNOs) as the day-to-day energy loss cost cannot be ignored as it may exceed the long-run network investment cost. This paper develops a new probabilistic framework to investigate the impact of increasing LCT penetration on TIC in the UK's LV distribution networks. Monte Carlo simulations are performed to account for the uncertainties in LCT sizes, connection locations and connection time. Case studies show that the additional energy loss cost exceeds the additional reinforcement cost in urban networks when the LCT penetration level reaches 70%. The key findings will help the DNOs understand the range of TIC and the relationship between imbalance-induced energy losses and capacity wastes under increasing LCT penetrations.

Techno-economic analysis of methanol production units coupling solid oxide cells and thermochemical biomass conversion via the TwoStage gasifier

Energy dense liquid biofuels are needed where direct electrification is infeasible, such as the heavy-transports sector. A novel flexible methanol production unit with highly integrated solid oxide cells, characterized by five operating modes, is compared with two non-flexible units from a techno-economic perspective. The aim is to investigate whether a more complex flexible methanol production facility that is able to both store and produce electricity could be cost-competitive with single-mode solutions, by ensuring a higher capacity factor. The flexible solution has the highest capital cost (620 M$2019), followed by the so-called electricity storage single-mode unit (490 M$2019) and the conventional unit (390 M$2019). Decomposition of the methanol production costs shows that electricity and biomass are the major cost factors. The minimum fuel selling price is generally lowest for the conventional unit (92–117 $/MWhth), followed by the electricity storage single-mode unit (87–127 $/MWhth), and the flexible system (93–125 $/MWhth). Flexibility is generally not a key-strength for the flexible unit, as the increased investment cost associated to a major complexity represents a disadvantage. However, flexibility becomes relevant when imposing constraints on the use of electricity produced from fossil fuels to produce methanol, since it ensures higher capacity factor and methanol yield.