Syngas storage

Intermittent renewable energy sources -- solar and wind -- produce power in excess of demand at increasing frequency, while also failing to meet demand at other times. Large-scale, long-duration energy storage remains a critical unsolved problem; battery technologies are insufficient at seasonal or multi-week timescales. This paper proposes an integrated solution: using excess renewable electricity as process heat for steam gasification of municipal solid waste (MSW), producing storable syngas. The key reaction -- C + H2O -> CO + H2 -- requires approximately 4 MWh of heat per metric ton of carbon processed and produces approximately 12.5 MWh of chemical energy as syngas. The syngas can be stored in existing underground gas reservoirs, burned in combined-cycle turbines to recover approximately 6 MWh of electricity, or converted to methane, methanol, diesel, or sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The critical innovation is induction heating of a molten metal pool at the base of the gasifier, which couples renewable electric power directly into the endothermic reaction without combustion. At the scale of Los Angeles County's MSW stream, the carbon content is sufficient to produce approximately twice the annual jet fuel demand of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) at an estimated cost well under $2 per gallon, after accounting for tipping fee revenue and applicable tax credits.