Demonstration and Commercialization of Zero-Emission Power Plants

Abstract

Clean Energy Systems (CES), of Sacramento CA, has developed and demonstrated a technology that allows construction and operation of efficient, zero-emission power plants. The enabling oxy-fueled gas generator and reheater technologies have been successfully demonstrated under programs, cofunded by the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). In 2002, the CEC awarded CES $2 million to build and operate a 500 kWe natural gas fired zero-emission demonstration power plant based on CES technology. That program was restructured in 2003 to change the demonstration site to CES’ recently acquired “Kimberlina” power plant and to increase the scale of the demonstrations from 500 kWe to 5 MWe. This new site and facility provide broadly expanded test and demonstration opportunities and will shorten the time to commercialization of CES technology. Plant-level 5 MWe demonstrations of the CES technology will be conducted in 2004. The facility will be developed in stages in 2005 to accommodate additional types of demonstrations that can include operation on gasified biomass or coal and the use of gas turbines in the power cycle. These demonstrations set the stage for firstgeneration zero-emissions power plant (ZEPP) projects as early as 2005. Three such projects in the 40-70 MWe range are described. CES’ ZEPP technology, combined with modern gasification technology, will make possible zero-emission coal fired power plants of modest size (≥ 50 MWe) within 5 years and very efficient large-scale (400-1000 MWe) plants within 10 years.