A novel multi-period proactive flexible load management strategy for low-cost off-grid green methanol production

The shift toward renewable energy presents a vital opportunity for the chemical industry to reduce its dependency on fossil fuels. However, no comprehensive strategies have been proposed for optimizing flexible load management in off-grid green methanol production systems. This study presented a novel multi-period proactive flexible load management strategy. By analyzing the variability of renewable energy, different flexible load intervals are defined, and load flexibility in green methanol production is achieved through active control of the hydrogen feed rate. The results indicated that hydrogen energy storage offers superior economic advantages compared to battery storage. The multi-period load management shifts the hydrogen storage system's operation pattern from long-term storage to multi-cycle short-term fluctuations. Compared to non-flexible systems, this method achieved a 90 % reduction in hydrogen storage needs and an 80 % decrease in methanol production costs. Additionally, when a sufficient number of flexible intervals are set, the changes in renewable energy costs become negligible, allowing for the interval distribution to be made without relying on precise renewable energy resource calculations. These findings demonstrate that proactive load management can greatly enhance the economic viability of off-grid green methanol production, contributing to a more sustainable chemical industry.