ᐅ Methanol as a Long-Term Energy Storage Solution for Fuel Cells in Residential Buildings

I came across a really coherent concept that can make my house independent of the electricity provider even in winter – it’s called methanology. The idea is simple and logical: in summer, surplus electricity from photovoltaic panels is used to produce methanol, which is stored as a long-term energy reserve. In winter, a fuel cell is combined with an AC-coupled battery storage system for peak loads and, for example, a heat pump. If production isn’t sufficient, methanol can be purchased externally. This way, it’s possible to operate a house entirely off-grid without relying on an external electricity provider. I’m looking forward to the first production models! What do you think about this?

Sounds like quite a lot of technology. What would the cost be for, say, 10 kW photovoltaic and 5 kW nominal heat output?

hampshire schrieb:

The idea is simple and logical: In summer, excess photovoltaic energy is used to produce methanol, which is stored as a long-term energy reserve. In winter, a fuel cell is combined with an AC-coupled battery storage system for peak loads, and for example, a heat pump. If production is insufficient, methanol can be purchased. This way, it could be possible to manage without an external power supplier for your own home. I’m curious about the first series! What do you think?

Sounds like another great idea where only the seller benefits. What does this cost initially? What about operating costs? Have self-consumption expenses been taken into account?
Is there already a prototype that was supposed to be built with crowdfunding?

So far, there is nothing available except a prototype. Terms like "should be" and "could be" are the most commonly used phrases in connection with it. Occasionally, you can find price estimates, which range around 200,000 to 300,000 CHF for the first production-ready system. If you don’t have a biogas plant in your garden, CO2 and its cost are the main factors to consider. Otherwise, it is probably quite similar to Picea, which has already been thoroughly analyzed here several times.

That sounds a bit like dry-cell technology, where hydrogen and oxygen gas are produced from water using electricity, which can then be used for heating.

In theory, it is certainly promising, but such systems are usually rarely economical.

Better to use ethanol right away. You can still have a bit of fun in winter.