Sessions

The displacement of fossil fuels with low carbon fuels in existing end-use applications will be critical for achieving net zero carbon emissions. This panel will focus on low-carbon fuel conversion pathways for gas turbines (GT). Gas turbines could be ready for wide-scale commercial operation with low-carbon fuels such as hydrogen within the next 10 years, but broad deployment will likely depend on successful, near-term field demonstrations. The degree to which the existing GT power generation fleet ultimately transitions to blended fuels may depend upon equipment/hardware capability, policy changes, financial incentives, and the availability of sufficient quantities of hydrogen at an acceptable price. Technical hurdles must be addressed to allow for safe and reliable operation of combustion assets with blended fuels. Many lab- and pilot-scale studies have previously focused on combustion characteristics and results suggest fuel blending could be accomplished with modifications to existing equipment. However, full-scale testing is needed to ensure that operation behavior is understood over the range of conditions that these machines, especially F-class and above GTs, are expected to operate within. Testing at full-scale would also provide necessary information on impacts to BOP equipment, environmental control technologies (for example, selective catalytic reduction systems), operations and controls, and material capability and durability. As most GTs currently fire liquid fuels and/or natural gas, the panel will consider the technical hurdles that must be overcome for low-carbon fuels conversion. It is recognized that there are many GTs currently designed to operate on hydrogen up to 100% (by volume) by design. However, these GTs are typically under 100 MW and require water injection into the combustor for NOx control. Designing new and/or converting all existing fossil fuel GTs to fire on 100% hydrogen or other low carbon fuels remains a key challenge. The proposed panel will discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with utilizing hydrogen as a low-carbon fuel for gas turbine applications. The panel will include gas turbine experts representing OEMs that serve the power generation and industrial markets, as well as electric utility representatives to provide end user perspectives. The panel will be moderated by Dr. Rob Steele, an EPRI Technical Executive and gas turbine subject matter expert.

As the market expands for projects integrating solar and wind power generation facilities with battery energy storage systems (BESS), owners and developers are negotiating two primary agreements in connection with the construction and development of these types of projects – the Equipment Purchase Agreement (EPA) for the supply of the BESS, and the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Agreement for the installation and integration of the owner-supplied BESS equipment, and the engineering, procurement and construction of the Balance of Plant (BoP). As they enter into these negotiations, owners and developers need to be aware of a number of unique issues that are present in these agreements – including around such topics as warranties (including remedies and warranty conditions), performance testing and guarantees (including what should be guaranteed and how), completion requirements and standards of performance. This presentation will explore some of these unique issues, as well as discuss possible approaches to addressing them. In addition, we will examine “Best Practices” with regard to certain key subjects in these agreements, including around such topics as delivery and risk of loss, performance testing and guarantees, and warranties and warranty conditions, as a way of best allocating risk between the owner/developer and the equipment supplier and the EPC contractor. Finally, we will address key issues and techniques that can be implemented in order to “weave” the EPA and the BoP EPC Agreement together so as to replicate (as much as possible) the near turnkey risk allocation found in the LSTK “wrap” approach.

With new legislation and financial incentives for GHG reductions developing across the world, as well as corporate sustainability and net-zero goals, there is an increasing focus on methods to decarbonize the power sector and beyond. This presentation will focus on the role CO2 capture can play as a key decarbonization pathway in the transition to a net-zero carbon electricity sector. This presentation will discuss the current state of development of CO2 capture technologies, including direct air capture, and infrastructure and the ways in which CO2 capture can be applied to address near-term and long-term decarbonization goals. Market drivers, incentives, and regulations that would impact the deployment of CO2 capture technologies will be discussed. This presentation will also discuss key considerations that could impact the economics and feasibility of implementing these projects.

The current thermal performance of advanced gas turbines (J class) leads to combined cycle efficiencies exceeding 62%. Such results were achieved by making the gas turbines bigger in excess of 350 MW (larger air flow) and by increasing the firing temperature. However, a very significant part of power generation market, particularly in support of solar or wind renewable power production, requires smaller gas turbines, producing in a 1x1 combined cycle configuration around 300-350 MW. The paper investigates options to implement improvements realized by current J class gas turbines to a smaller gas turbine producing around 200 MW. It describes the challenges for such endeavor. Taking each of the gas turbine components from the intake, compressor, combustor, turbine and exhaust, the paper examines the viability of technical solutions implemented in larger gas turbines (increased air flow, larger physical dimensions, more fuel flow etc.) to a lesser output gas turbine. It discusses also the impact of a smaller gas turbine on the bottoming cycle major equipment (HRSG, steam turbine and balance of plant. Finally the study attempts to predict the feasibility of combined cycle efficiencies exceeding 61% combined cycles based on a gas turbine with a 200 MW output

Lithium-Ion batteries are powering everything from our fleets to our gird.  Demanding so much of this precious resource means developing a sophisticated recycling system.  This panel features industry leaders who are building a sustainable ecosystem for Li-Ion to thrive.

Advanced nuclear energy technology is moving past R&D through certification and licensing to buildout. Experts from companies at the forefront of their movement will discuss the journey to this point and the best paths forward to keep nuclear relevant in the power generation mix.

What does it take to Engineer, Procure and Construct a combined cycle power plant including a liquified natural gas (LNG) Storage and Re-gasification Facility in a remote location with limited access? Siemens Energy, with POWER Engineers as the Designer of Record, is doing just that in a location where the local grid is completely isolated from the commercial grid, meaning the facility must be completely and reliably energy self-sufficient. The existing facility has aging oil-fired generators which were due for major upgrades, but rather than invest in the aging technology, Siemens companies (lead by Siemens Government Technologies) were engaged through an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) to not just reshape the existing microgrid, but to reinvent and modernize it with a combination of renewable energy, battery energy storage and a plethora of building energy conservation measures. An impressive piece of this puzzle is the nominal 20 MW 2x1 combined cycle power plant, comprised of two Siemens Energy SGT-A05 gas turbines and a 10 MW Siemens Energy SST-300EP steam turbine tied to an air-cooled condenser. Reliable power generation being a priority, clean-burning natural gas (via the LNG storage and conversion to NG facility) is the primary fuel with oil backup just in case. The challenges of designing and fitting the requisite equipment on a narrow peninsula of hard coral is only surpassed by the challenges of constructing it. This presentation will cover the highlights, obstacles, and successes in executing such an interesting project.

Dominion Energy Innovation Center's DEIC Accelerate program introduced 15 startups to dozens of business units across Dominion Energy in its first two years. In this session, Adam Sledd of DEIC and Michael Beiro of Linebird will discuss how the program creates value for both the utility and the startups.  They will cover how a startup can maximize its opportunity to quickly build customer relationships, and how the utility benefits from creating a formal framework to engage startup companies.

Microgrids enhanced with battery energy storage systems (BESS) are an emerging technology that improves resilience and reliability, while also assisting decarbonization planning. An estimated 10 to 100 GW of such systems are likely to be deployed in the United States over the next decade, and most agree that BESS-equipped microgrids can provide a significantly more robust and cleaner power supply for critical equipment such as data centers, while bridging the gap between slower-starting generators and intermittent renewable energy sources. But while the advantages are widely recognized, site planners and system designers question whether the improved reliability and availability will realize a net economic benefit. This presentation will demonstrate the advantages of BESS-equipped microgrids by quantifying the benefit of increased reliability, and compare design decisions and trade-offs when implementing batteries and microgrids into an overall system design. Following the concept of design-for-reliability, the potential cost/benefit of different battery-equipped microgrid systems, as well as the reliability analysis techniques that led to those conclusions will be explained. The presentation will explore several recent deployment case studies across several sites and consider decarbonization support options available with these systems, potential ancillary benefits, and critical design decisions required to support a sustainable return-on-investment.

Emera Technologies has developed its community microgrid, BlockEnergy Smart Platform, as an energy delivery system specifically designed for residential developments and utility ownership.  Neighborhoods can be part of an energy future where cleaner, more resilient electricity is produced and used locally in a smarter way than before. BlockEnergy has taken the advancements in renewable energy, power electronics, and communications and reconfigured the electric grid with computing power and automation so that utilities can be more nimble and adopt cleaner distributed energy resources (DERs), like solar and batteries while addressing the challenges of modularity and scalability: how do you make microgrids simple, and replicable so that complicated and customized solutions are replaced with something deployable and usable, anywhere. The session’s aim is to explain why global energy services company, Emera, found its way into product development of a microgrid, a more in-depth understanding of their new to market product BlockEnergy, and why utilities should choose to adopt residential applications of their microgrid in new communities versus using traditional methods.