A policy session on the role of micro gas turbines amid the rise of green energy production will be held by ETN, COGEN and AEBIOM during the upcoming EU Sustainable Energy Week. A system approach is needed so that decentralised gas generators can effectively contribute to the decarbonisation of the power mix.
Together with the Renewable Heating & Cooling Platform, the three lobby groups will open a debate on whether micro gas turbines can put a new spin on green energy production. Industry representatives will debate with the European Commission’s head of DG Energy Unit at the event in Brussels on June 15.
The session also aims to evaluate technology development for cogeneration based on the micro gas turbines (MGT) integrated with solar and biomass energy sources. The MGTs – in a capacity range from 0.5 kW to 250 kW - is a promising technology that is finding its position in the market due to its flexibility to integrate renewables and its low maintenance costs. The technology allows for distributed Combined Heat and Power (CHP) to be adapted with concentrated solar power (CSP) and biomass.
More wide-spread implementation, provided a continued fall in costs, “would enable carbon neutral power generation and reduce the cost of transport compared to centralised systems,” said ETN’s managing director Christer Bjorkqvist.
“However, this poses challenges that are specific to the cycle configuration. The fuel flexibility for small scale CHP is a major challenge that needs to be addressed to enable a wider use of “CO2 neutral fuel,” he cautioned.
To register for the EUSEW policy session click here.
ETN’s micro gas turbine project
The European Turbine Network (ETN) covers all sizes of gas turbines since its start in 2005, but due to the focus on renewable in the EU-funding programme there have not been many opportunities to develop further the MGT technology. In 2013, however, an EU-funded project called OMSOP (Optimised Microturbine Solar Power system) was started.
Eying the future potential of combining micro-generation with solar power sources, and based on a positive response from the main MGT industry player, ETN created a specific working group.
Key objectives are to explore markets opportunities and solutions as well as implement cooperation projects in order to reduce cost and increase the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of individual components and systems. Conferences and workshops are meant to raise awareness and help access funding by highlighting the role of micorturbines, integrated with renewables, for achieving Europe’s 2030 climate and energy targets.