GE Energy’s Jenbacher Gas Engines Successfully Power Japan’s Largest Wood Gas Power Plant
11 March 2008 10:47
Cherry trees utilized for alternative energy project
Fueled by gasified wood chips from a nearby forest, Japan's largest wood gas-to-energy plant, powered by two of GE Energy's Jenbacher gas engines, has successfully started operation in the Yamagata Prefecture, generating 2MW of electricity for local power purposes.
The plant is seen as an important specialty gas-to-energy technology model that will support the Japanese government's initiatives to expand renewable energy production to help meet its emissions reduction goals under the Kyoto Protocol. The innovative, national renewable energy project has been in commercial service since June 2007.
Unlike other gasified wood plants, Yamagata's Murayama site runs completely on wood gas, without any backup fuel supply such as natural gas. Because the plant is located near a forest area, the facility has access to a steady source of wood biomass for raw fuel while offering a new use of the forest's trimmed branches, which previously had to be disposed. In addition, the operator will use trimmed branches from surrounding cherry orchards during the tree-cutting period.
Located about 400 kilometers north of Tokyo on the island of Honshu, in Murayama-shi, Yamagata Prefecture – Japan's largest cherry producing region – the project is viewed as one example of how Japan could increase the use of renewable resources for energy and reduce emissions.
By 2010, Japan is seeking to increase renewable energy production to 3 percent of the country’s overall energy supply. Additionally, as part of its renewable energy strategy, Japan is seeking to expand its use of biomass fuel up to 330 MW by 2010.
The use of distributed power generation systems is expanding in Japan as more users understand the multi-pronged benefits of specialty gas engines. According to GE Energy's Japan Country Executive Chikao Miyamoto, gas engine technology offers a direct application of biomass power, provides an avenue for meeting energy security through fuel diversification, and supports waste disposal in a cost-effective fashion.
"A good example is our first wood chip project in Yamagata, where wood biomass is being converted into power, allowing the operator to use the electricity to power internal site operations and make money from selling to industrial customers," Miyamoto said.
"This project represents the first order of large-scale wood gas engines for GE Energy in Asia,” said Prady Iyyanki, CEO of GE's Jenbacher gas engine business, noting GE also has supplied its engines for other types of waste gasification projects in Japan. “We look forward to working with our customers in Japan as we apply our respective specialty gas engines and their gasification technologies to help the country meet its commitments under Kyoto."
The plant – one of the most powerful of its type – is capable of generating 2 MW of electricity. The Jenbacher engines have an electrical efficiency of up to 36 percent, which is higher than a conventional steam turbine power plant of the same scale. The plant features two of GE’s most powerful Jenbacher engines in commercial operation: a JMS 616 GS-S.L unit and also a JMS 612 GS-S.L. Most of the plant’s energy is sold to a power producer and supplier, with the rest being used to support plant operations.
The Jenbacher engines were manufactured at GE’s gas engine headquarters and manufacturing center in Jenbach, Austria. The wood gas-fueled power plant was installed by Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa-based JFE Environmental Solutions Corp., the environmental solutions engineering arm of JFE Group. The plant is owned and operated by Yamagata Green Power, an electricity distribution company and subsidiary of renewable energy development firm Japan Biomass Development. The Murayama project marks the first Jenbacher engine order by Japan Biomass Development, Co. Ltd.
Another key design feature is the plant’s wood gasification system. JFE licensed updraft gasification boiler technology from Babcock & Wilcox Volund A/S of Denmark.
Asia's wood gas segment represents a new growth opportunity for GE's Jenbacher gas engine business, which has previously installed similar units in wood gas plants in Europe and North America.
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