Better generation
Derek Duggan, Local Business Unit Manager, UAE and Regional Execution Centre Manager, Arabian Peninsula, Southern Gulf and Pakistan, ABB, speaks to Infrastructure ME about making power plants more energy-efficient
Derek Duggan
Derek Duggan, Local Business Unit Manager, UAE and Regional Execution Centre Manager, Arabian Peninsula, Southern Gulf and Pakistan, ABB, speaks to Infrastructure ME about making power plants more energy-efficient.
Given the load patterns and the age of power generation plants in the region, what is the scope for improving their energy efficiency and performance?
ABB can help industrial and utility customers improve energy efficiency in two ways:
– By providing specialists capable of appraising and monitoring how energy is used and identifying areas for improvement.
– By providing equipment, systems and solutions to reduce energy consumption and losses, improve productivity and manage equipment and processes more effectively.
We can also work with customers on alternative business models such as performance-based financing to help make energy efficiency a reality.
What is ABB’s approach towards helping power generation plants improve energy efficiency and optimise performance?
ABB applies a broad portfolio of technology, expertise and solutions throughout the power industry. These include variable frequency drives; high-efficiency motors; generators and transformers; power quality systems; advanced process controls; instrumentation; electrical switchgear and motor control centres; and advanced power factor management solutions. Our process for energy efficiency improvements consists of three phases: Plant Assessment; Master Plan; Implementation
Each phase delivers the information needed to progress to the next phase with confidence, completing an energy efficiency improvement programme that delivers real and sustainable energy savings, with substantial return on investment (ROI).
Are the savings attractive enough to justify the investments?
Between 7-15% of the power generated in fossil fuel plants is consumed by the plant’s auxiliary systems. Much of this energy could be saved or sold to generate higher plant revenues.
Auxiliary systems are a major part of a power generation facility. Their purpose is to power the plant using a minimum of input energy to achieve maximum output and availability. They include all the drive power applications (pumps, fans, motors, drives), electrical balance of plant and instrumentation, control and optimisation systems.
ABB is a market and technology leader in the majority of the products and systems in power plant auxiliary systems. By improving the efficiency of each auxiliary, ABB can reduce the energy consumption of an existing facility, by 10-30% in some cases. Added together – system by system, saving by saving – the reduction in energy consumption and CO2 emissions could be considerable. Output and availability are also improved, as are equipment and system reliability.
Could you elaborate on your solutions portfolio?
Our energy efficiency solutions for power plants cover all types of thermal power generation – coal-fired, combined heat and power, waste-to-energy and combined cycle. They cover the four essential areas of energy efficiency enhancement:
– Energy efficiency assessments
– Application-based solution packages
– Plant and process optimisation systems
– EBoP upgrade and rehabilitation projects with an energy efficiency focus
When we improve the energy efficiency of a power plant or industrial facility, we improve productivity and equipment reliability as well, while reducing the plant’s carbon footprint and securing the stability of the surrounding power network. We do this across a broad range of industries, predominantly in energy-intensive sectors like power generation.
We have a singularly broad and comprehensive offering in power generation. It covers the complete scope of supply in power plant instrumentation, control and electrical equipment, which ABB integrates into a plant-wide solution called integrated ICE – Instrumentation, Control and Electrical. In fact, integrated ICE is a capability unique to ABB.
