Guascor Energy engines provide energy to UK National Grid
Customer obtains the certification for carbon emission reduction by replacing diesel fuel with natural gas in power generating plant.
Benefits
Local staff received training from Guascor Energy gas engine experts to ensure proper maintenance techniques needed to maximize the engines’ operating lives. In addition to the gen-sets, Guascor Energy also provided the following:
Guascor Energy offers some of the most efficient and environmentally-friendly technology platforms, products and services in distributed power generation for oil and gas, industrial, institutional, and commercial clients and rural electrification programs. Solutions include: combined heat and power (CHP) systems, biogas-fueled gen-sets, hybrid systems (solar photovoltaic and engine-based gen-sets), biomass and waste-to-energy steam turbine generators, compressed air energy storage (CAES), and more. With the world’s largest installed base, one of the world’s largest technical support and service center networks, and a presence in more than 150 countries worldwide, Guascor Energy delivers local solutions and services on a global scale.
The Opportunity
As an island with no geographic support from neighboring countries, the UK faces a particular situation that forces the National Grid to make a special configuration of the electrical distribution along the country.
The energy providers can’t supply at 100% of availability and there may be a lack of coal-fired plants in the
near future. As such, the government carried out a plan called short-term operating reserve (STOR) that will rescue the country from unexpected high peaks (peak shaving) of demand when the base load supply is not able to support such a high consumption level.
As a consequence, National Grid approached different power generation providers to meet this reserve requirement. The requirement is to focus on the total availability of the energy source at the fastest reaction, in order to provide the most efficient power output on a particular window of time.
The Solution
National Grid selected Guascor Energy to provide a stand-by engine solution to work at certain periods of time that will allow National Grid to cover peak high demand situations most efficiently.
Thirty-seven containerized Guascor Energy G-56SL fast- response gas generator sets were delivered to three different sites in less than 16 weeks. Nominal output for each gen-set is 1,090 kWb (1,059 kWe) at 400 VAC. These 40-foot (12-meter), ISO-noise-insulated containerized Guascor Energy gen-sets that include engine heat cooling equipment and power control were installed in three different areas of the UK: 19 at Exeter; six at The Drove; and 12 at Lesterway.
The modular design of these three plants enables fast equipment interchangeability and is easy to construct / disassemble and move from site to site as needed. These light-duty engines run around 2,000 operating hours/year and have a life cycle of 30 years before an overhaul.
The units’ configuration improves the scheduled maintenance interventions, consequently reducing operating expenditures. Further to this, this type of gas engine is 10 times less pollutant (NOx and particulates emissions) than an equivalent diesel gen-set and complies with the EU 2015/2193 Medium Combustion Plant Directive for emissions that was passed into UK Law in December 2017. This new law, published in late 2015, applies to all combustion plants rated between 1 – 50 MW thermal input.
The Business
Guascor Energy is a leading company with more than 50 years of experience in the design and manufacture of diesel and gas internal combustion engines with its own technology. The company offers some of the most efficient and environmentally friendly technology platforms, products and services in distributed power generation for oil and gas, industrial, institutional, commercial clients and rural electrification programs. In addition, our offer is completed by a range of diesel engines for marine applications for both propulsion and on-board generation.
A complete product range which meets the strictest regulatory and safety requirements always adapting to the customer´s needs.
Guascor Energy has a network of more than 50 distributors and partners worldwide, which in addition to our own staff, allows us to provide unparalleled proximity and respond to the specific needs of each of our customers at a fast and personalized pace.
