Arwa and Schell (2024): Batteries or silos: Optimizing storage capacity in direct air capture plants to maximize renewable energy use

Erick O. Arwa, Kristen R. Schell IN: Applied Energy 355, 2024, 122345, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2023.122345

DAC is an energy intensive chemical process, whose designs are currently incompatible with intermittent renewable energy (RE) sources. This research develops a model to enable the flexible operation of DAC, to maximize RE usage. A new model of the chemical process flow of a liquid solvent DAC that includes silos to store CaCO₃ and CaO is developed. A linear programming optimization model that minimizes energy costs while achieving the CO₂ capture targets of the DAC plant is developed. Scenario analysis establishes the storage silo size and battery storage size needed to reduce renewable energy curtailment to zero for a given RE profile.

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