Siemens Gas Turbine Technology is a Boon for California

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas )--Recently Siemens AG (Munich, Germany) gave a presentation that reminds us that as the demand for energy increases, so too does the desire and capability for faster, cleaner and more efficient methods for producing energy for customers. Siemens Power Systems has made significant and extraordinary advances with the SCC6-5000 F Flex Plant combined cycle. Having faced significant challenges in the highly regulated energy market of California, Siemens' project in Lodi provides optimal solutions in a complex and dynamic world.

The Flex Plant, being the first combined cycle in the United States, the first in the world capable of an unrestricted gas turbine start with no hold points, and the first plant in the U.S. to use fast-start boiler technology, has had an exceptional four-year operational history. An added value of the Flex Plant is a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions per kilowatt.

The plant was purchased with transient guarantees for startup and ramp-up and continues to meet or exceed all these requirements. With this technology available and successful, the flexibility of the Siemens combined cycle, with its high efficiency, will likely find increased usage over other "green" energy alternatives.

Although the startup cost for the Flex Plant is high, its potential value far outweighs the initial investment. The Flex Plant achieves base-load power in under 30 minutes, as opposed to traditional combined cycles at approximately 90 minutes. Added to this is the ability, as shown in Lodi, to use recycled water, without the added cost of costly condensers. Further, with air-cooled condenser (ACC) cells costing approximately $1 million apiece, Flex Plant Energy Control eliminates the need for larger ACC units needed for fast starts.

The Flex Plant Combined Cycle allows competition against renewables, whose intermittency works against the growing need for efficiently delivered and quickly produced power for customers. The Flex Plant Combined Cycle serves as a leader in clean energy in the leading clean-energy state, California.

The problem with solar power production, especially in the energy forecasts for California, is that it comes on after the morning energy peak and goes off before the evening peak. Flex Plant Combined Cycle operates with more than two starts a day. Flex Plant Technology in the Lodi area helps compensate and supply grid stability for the region. California is calling for an increased renewables mix in the next decade, and one would hope that we see more Flex Technologies implemented to support this.

The key to Flex Plant Combined Cycle is faster power, equaling a shorter time to profitability. Industrial Info Resources currently is tracking three locations where these units are installed: Shanghai, China; Lodi, California; and Sonora, Mexico.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com/.