Fairfield conglomerate General Electric has developed a new power plant that can offer consistent electricity using renewable technologies.
A problem surrounding many wind and solar installations is wind and sunlight are not constant, so production from the facilities is inconsistent.
The new GE product – The FlexEfficiency* 50 Combined Cycle1 Power Plant – a ramps up production of electricity from natural gas whenever the production from wind and solar is weak. The plant can generate 510 megawatts and offers 61 percent fuel efficiency.
“As our customers seek to increase their use of renewable energy, the challenge of grid stability sharpens, said Paul Browning, vice president thermal products for GE Power & Water, in a press release. “They are under added pressure to achieve higher levels of efficiency and lower emissions for natural gas power plants.”
The product is the result of $500 million in research and development, part of its efforts to develop more technologies based on cleaner, more efficient energy.