Tacoma: Methanol is greener than critics say

Officials and the public should learn about the economic and scientific opportunities related to the proposed methanol plant in Tacoma. These benefits should be carefully weighed against the planned use of local energy and water supplies.

Nobel Prize-winning chemist George Olah touts methanol as a bridge fuel for the hydrogen economy. At one methanol plant in Iceland, carbon dioxide waste from industrial sources is being captured before going into the atmosphere and is being recycled into “renewable methanol,” which is then blended with gasoline and sold for use in cars.

Methanol can also be used in fuel cells to generate electricity without combustion and to store electrical energy in liquid form. So by combining methanol fuel cells with intermittent renewable energy sources, homes could potentially use clean energy even when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing.

Being home to the largest methanol plant in the world could have multiplier effects on the local economy, making Tacoma a center for this nonpolluting, next-generation energy technology. This is on top of the other economic benefits from the several hundred jobs related to construction and operation of the plant.

This story was originally published February 17, 2016 at 11:02 AM with the headline "Tacoma: Methanol is greener than critics say."