Methane and Methanol as Alternative Energy Sources: A Comparative Profitability Study.

摘要

Elaborations of the economic and technical ways and means for the supply of LNG and methanol to industrial centers, using natural gas from the Iranian area as raw material, were compared. The classification of given possibilities for the preparation, transportation, and storage of potential sources of energy is discussed. Cost estimates of transportation, a comparative examination of economic and technical aspects, and a description of the use of LNG and methanol in Germany (motor cars, power plants, gas supply) are presented. It is concluded that energy costs for LNG in Wilhelmshaven are lower than those for methanol, and that large quantities of LNG and methanol from the Persian Gulf can be sold in the various sectors of the German energy market on the condition that crude gas prices on the Persian Gulf do not exceed 3-DM/Gcal.