Flexibility for CGCC power generation; LPM energy storage

Energy storage systems have long been used to increase the utilization of capital-intensive power generating assets. Conventional energy storage technologies - such as pumped hydroelectric, compressed air, and batteries - take excess electric power from baseload generating units, store it, and deliver power during peak demand periods. While these technologies share a common objective, they each have their own characteristics and in fact are rather different one from another. The choice of energy storage technology is obviously dependent on many factors, including size, system characteristics, lead time, topographic and environmental considerations - and of course, efficiency and cost. This paper describes a technology which provides energy storage to complement a Coal Gasification Combined-Cycle electric power facility. The concept is called the Liquid Phase Methanol (LPM) process which co-produces methanol along with electric power. Because of the synergy of the LPM process with the CGCC process there are unusual efficiency, cost and flexibility benefits realized with this type of energy storage as compared to conventional systems.