Methanol Fuel Cells

The MS innogy on Lake Baldeneysee in Essen (Source)

I'd heard about hydrogen fuel cells, but I'd never heard of methanol fuel cells before I read this article.  Methanol is made from methane, i.e., natural gas.  But methane can also come from green sources: biomass, or old rubbish dumps for example.  Or it can be made via the Sabatier process, which takes carbon dioxide, water and heat and produces methane.  So in principle, methanol can be carbon neutral, and if it is used in a fuel cell rather than burnt, it is silent, produces no nitrogen oxide (Nox) or particulate emissions.

After a ship-naming ceremony on Friday, the MS innogy is now ready to take passengers for a green tour on the beautiful Lake Baldeneysee. The MS innogy, the first vessel in Germany to be powered by methanol fuel cells, is a project by innogy, a leading distributor of green energy in Germany and the City of Essen. The methanol fuel cell system powering the vessel is developed and manufactured by the Danish fuel cell manufacture SerEnergy. 

About a year ago, the companies started to develop a plan to turn a diesel-powered vessel into an electric vessel powered by environmentally friendly methanol fuel cells. 

“We are very proud to see the vessel touring the lake in Essen, it is an important milestone in showing the potential of methanol as the green fuel of the future. For us, it has been a very interesting project to be part of, and since the project is a first of its kind we have had to think out of the box to create an ideal energy system matching the energy demands of the vessel”, says Mads Friis Jensen, Chief Commercial Officer at SerEnergy. 

Not only has the methanol fuel cell system zero harmful emissions and is CO2-neutral, it is also low on noise and vibrations, allowing the passengers to enjoy the tour without the characteristic engine noise and vibrations you normally experience on a vessel. 

The MS innogy is a part of innogy’s “greenfuel” project where they demonstrate the entire value chain of environmentally friendly methanol, from a green production of methanol using CO2 from the surrounding air, green electricity and water, to the use of methanol as fuel in the excursion vessel and in cars. The scene of the methanol value chain demonstration project is the City of Essen – this year’s “Green Capital of Europe” and the demonstration project goes hand in hand with the ambitious transition the city is undergoing in reinventing itself as a “Green City”.

[Read more here]

What are the advantages of methanol?

• Lower costs – Methanol is cheap and easy to produce. Typically, there is 15-60% fuel cost savings compared to diesel generators.

• Low to zero emission – Serenergy’s methanol fuel cells offer a CO2 neutral solution. There is a 50-65% CO2 reduction compared to diesel generators and no harmful emissions (NOX or particles).

• High efficiency – The fuel cell system offers a high efficiency compared to internal combustion engines. It has a complete system efficiency up to 50%.

• Reliability and low maintenance –The lack of moving parts in a Serenergy methanol fuel cell, especially compared to an internal combustion engine, signifies that the level of maintenance is low and the reliability of the system is thus very high.

• Energy security – Oppose to fossil fuel, such as petrol and diesel, methanol is a very flexible fuel, which can be produced from a broad range of feedstock, hence ensuring energy security.

• Scalability – The Serenergy methanol fuel cell modules are designed and available in customised sizes from 10 to 120 cells. Furthermore, two or four systems can be connected for higher power ranges. Consequently, this means that is a scalable power output of 1kWp to 6kW

• Quiet energy – A Serenergy methanol fuel cell system generates no (low) noise (<62dB) and no vibrations, which makes them ideal for power generation in residential areas.

• Technology compatibility – Serenergy’s methanol fuel cell solutions must be seen as complementary and not as a competitor, with other energy generation technologies. Especially renewable technologies.

(The benefits of methanol fuel cells)

A critical problem with the hydrogen or methane/methanol economy is that producing hydrogen via electrolysis from water has a substantial energy loss.  How much is lost depends on the precise process used.   But at best it's around 35%.  According to Tesla, their Powerwall battery is around 90% efficient.  So on the face of it, batteries are more efficient.  On the other hand, according to SerEnergy, methanol cells are 1.8 times as efficient as diesel:

Methanol and fuel cells is a good match. Methanol used in fuel cells is highly efficient and in many cases, it make twice as good use of energy as a combustion engine. Serenergy fuel cells have an efficiency of +45 %, whereas a combustion engine has an efficiency of 25-30 %. 

 (Why do we use methanol?)

This is still a developing technology.  But it's certainly interesting enough to keep one's eye on it.