Dive Summary:
- A new device can help power plants use 20% less natural gas to produce the same amount of electricity and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
- Developed by engineers with the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the device uses solar power technology to convert natural gas into syngas, an energy-dense fuel enabling a gas-fired plant to run more efficiently.
- A 500 megawatt plant would need about 3,000 devices to produce the amount of syngas to power the plant during the day.
From the article:
"In order to compete with current fossil-fuel-powered generation, the PNNL team aims to produce a system that would enable a gas plant using the solar hybrid dishes to produce electricity at six cents per kilowatt hour."
