Open Access

ARTICLE

Coordinated Optimization of Capacity Allocation and Operational Scheduling for Methanol Production from Coking By-Products with Wind-Solar-Storage Integration

Xiaoming Zhang^1,*, Baozhou Ding¹, Haojie Cheng¹, Zhangzhuoyu Sun¹, Qiang Wang²
1 School of Automation and Electrical Engineering, Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology, Baotou, China
2 Inner Mongolia Feitu New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., Ordos, China
* Corresponding Author: Xiaoming Zhang. Email:

Energy Engineering https://doi.org/10.32604/ee.2026.089458

Received 20 July 2026; Accepted 20 August 2026; Published online 25 August 2026

Abstract

Under China’s dual-carbon goals, integrating renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power provides an effective pathway for the low-carbon transition of coking plants. However, renewable-generation variability may cause energy supply–demand imbalances. Meanwhile, coke oven gas (COG) and associated industrial CO₂ from coking retain considerable potential for value-added utilization. Existing studies rarely integrate renewable-energy utilization, COG storage and regulation, CO₂ utilization, methanol synthesis, and methanol storage and sales in a unified framework. Therefore, this study develops a multi-energy system coupling wind power, photovoltaics, battery storage, and COG-to-methanol production, and establishes a coordinated optimization model for capacity configuration and operational scheduling. K-means clustering constructs representative days for spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The upper-level model uses particle swarm optimization to determine the capacities of wind power, photovoltaics, battery energy storage, the COG holder, the methanol synthesis unit, and the methanol storage tank, while the lower-level model uses mixed-integer linear programming to coordinate electricity, gas, and methanol flows. Assuming a fixed capacity for the existing gas turbine and constant material and energy conversion coefficients for methanol production, the case-study results show a projected annual net revenue of CNY 33.78 million, with zero annual renewable-energy curtailment and zero COG venting. Algorithm comparisons and scenario analyses involving renewable-energy output variations, economic parameters, and equipment failures further demonstrate the solution framework’s effectiveness and the proposed system’s operational adaptability. Because four seasonal representative days are used, the model does not fully capture the entire year’s continuous 8760-h chronology.

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Keywords

Coking plant; coke oven gas; methanol; renewable energy; capacity configuration; coordinated optimization

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