GE announce the development of the FlexEfficiency 50 Combined Cycle Power Plant. GE statest that this plant will work better with wind and solar that are intermittent and where a supply of electricity is needed to ramp up when the sun or wind decrease and electrical production decreases from these sources. The new plant can then be ramped quickly back down.
The company says the plant combines jet engine and gas turbine technology. The plant reportedly is 61 percent efficient and provides unprecedented operational flexibility.
"For years, we have been working to develop technology that can, in the same breath, deliver breakthrough efficiency and deal head-on with the challenge of grid variability caused by wind and solar," says Paul Browning, vice president of thermal products for GE Power & Water. "The need for combined flexibility and efficiency is even more pressing today as countries around the world establish new emissions standards."
“With global energy demand expected to double by 2030 and electricity generation accounting for 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, utilities and government bodies are taking a hard look at how to produce power more efficiently,” said Ricardo Cordoba, president of GE Energy for Western Europe and North Africa. “This innovation can have a dramatic effect on CO2 emissions and offers a nimble, efficient and cost-effective way for us to help E.U. countries in their pursuit of 20-20-20 energy goals
