This research aims to evaluate the techno-economic viability and commercial potential of biomass gasification across different capacities. Sensitivity analysis was conducted based on an established downdraft gasifier model using Aspen Plus. Results underscored the significant impact of gasification temperature and equivalence ratio (ER) on syngas composition, low heating value (LHV), and cold gas efficiency (CGE). Among the feedstocks tested, coconut shell emerged as a feasible feedstock, yielding syngas with an LHV of 8.93 MJ/Nm3 and achieving a CGE of up to 71.12 %. Optimal gasification temperatures ranged between 750 °C to 1,000 °C, with peak ER falling within 0.1 to 0.3. Economic analysis revealed that smaller-scale operations like Plant A resulted in a negative net present value of - US$0.63 million, indicating unfavorable investments. The internal rate of return notably increased from 9.53 % for Plant B compared to -2.56 % for Plant A (20 kW). Plant D, with larger capacity of 20 MW, showed an impressive payback period of less than two years (1.69 years). Medium to large-scale plants such as Plant C (2 MW) and Plant D demonstrated greater economic resilience, with Plant D achieving a significantly lower levelized cost of electricity of US$ 0.19/kWh compared to Plant A at US$ 0.86/kWh. It was noted that the impact of capital costs, operating expenses, and revenue variations is less pronounced at larger scales. The findings from this study shed light on the feasibility of biomass gasification for power generation as a viable option, thereby unlocking the potential for its large-scale commercialization.
Solar thermal energy storage (TES) is an outstanding innovation that can help solar technology remain relevant during nighttime and cloudy days. TES using phase change material (PCM) is an avant-garde solution for a clean and renewable energy transition. The present study unveils the unique potential of MXene as a performance enhancer in lauric acid (LA), which functions as a base PCM. The addition of graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) into the LA-MXene composite is prepared to comprehend and evaluate the benefits and detriments of adding carbon-based nanomaterial into the PCM via a two-step homogenizing method. A similar weight percentage of MXene and GNP at 0.75 was used for composite synthesis. The study found that the enthalpy of LA-MXene is comparable to LA at 169.87 J/kg and greater than LA-MXene/GNP, which has 137.53 J/kg. Regarding thermal storage performance, LA-MXene exhibited outstanding performance compared to LA-MXene/GNP in terms of enthalpy efficiency (λ) and relative enthalpy efficiency (η), achieving 95.4% and 96.1%, respectively. This is supported by the XPS spectra, which show that the crosslinking structure acted as a barrier, reinforcing the material and preventing further thermal degradation. This has resulted in robust and denser shells that significantly improved light absorption, enhancing both the photothermal conversion and thermal energy storage efficiency of LA/MXene. The present study reveals that LA-MXene is a promising and optimal candidate for the feasibility and reliability of TES in solar renewable energy applications. It was observed that the incorporation of exclusive MXene may effectively address the limitations of LA as a conventional PCM and surpass the traditional role of GNP. This study offers valuable insights into the superior performance of MXene alone, eliminating the need for doping with various nanomaterials and thereby reducing the complexity in synthesizing the PCM.
Solar photovoltaic-thermal hybrid with phase change material (PVT-PCM) emerges as an intelligent game changer to stimulate the clean, reliable, and affordable renewable energy technology. This PVT-PCM technology can be manipulated into generating both electricity and thermal energy that feature its practicality for residential and industrial applications. Hybridized of PCM into PVT design adds value to existing architecture with its capability to store excess heat that can be used during insufficient solar irradiation. Present work gives overview of the PVT-PCM system on technology innovation toward commercialization (viz, solar end game) subjected to bibliometric analysis, research and development evolution, and patent activity. A consolidation of these review articles was decluttered to focus on the performance and efficiency of PVT-PCM technology based on the fact that commercialization is ready once the technology is completed and qualified (at technology readiness level, TRL: 8). Economic review was conducted to understand the feasibility of the existing solar technologies and how it affects the PVT-PCM market price. Based on the contemporary findings, promising performance of PVT-PCM technology has underpinned its feasibility and technology readiness. China has predominant local and international framework and expected to be the PVT-PCM technology trendsetter in the next years through its strong international collaborative projects and pioneer in PVT-PCM patent filing. This present work underscores the solar end-game strategy and recommendation to create a path forward to achieve clean energy transition. Though, as to the date of submission of this article, no industry has found to manufacture/sell this hybrid technology in the market.