While the Greenhub project is investigating and demonstrating the methanol pathway for centralised electricity generation and waste heat utilisation in large-scale plants – such as waste incineration plants – GreenhubPlus is focusing on the decentralised utilisation pathway. The focus here is on plants for electricity generation and waste heat utilisation on a scale ranging from apartment buildings to entire neighbourhoods. The potential of methanol is broadly diversified: it ranges from covering peak loads for heat or electricity requirements to continuous winter electricity production.

In addition to the techno-economic study of the decentralised usage path, this is also to be demonstrated to the general public. To this end, a property development in Bassersdorf has been acquired which will use methanol for electricity and heat production in winter. For methanol to be used in this development, it must have a lower water content than is intended for electricity generation in the waste incineration plant. This requires an additional process stage in the real laboratory at the Horgen waste incineration plant.

In addition, there is an opportunity for a broad public impact and sensitisation of the public regarding the winter electricity gap. The owner of the property is associated with the Umweltarena foundation. The Umweltarena is planning an exhibition on the subject of the winter electricity shortfall entitled ‘Storing surplus electricity in liquid form for the winter’. Green methanol plays an important role here. The Umweltarena is therefore very interested in cooperating with GreenHub and GreenhubPlus.

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