Natural gas power plant

CCPP reach 58% efficiency at producing electric power, new planned are designed for beyond 60%. Why are in the Applied Materials calculator only 46.7%.

   Natural gas power plant CCPP reach 58% efficiency at producing electric power, new planned are designed for beyond 60%. Why are in the Applied Materials calculator only 46.7%.









$637 millions expenses for natural gas for $6 per MMBTU are saved by the photovoltaic power plant. 14537 GWh electric power by photovoltaic replaces 31113 GWh thermic energy from natural gas. So the average efficiency in this calculation is only 46.7%. Why?

  You experience the reason each time at the gasoline station


When the Diesel engine of a modern car would have always 40% efficiency, we would drive much more economical. But the maximal efficiency is only at an ideal working point. Cold start, partial load are unfavorable operating states with a much lower efficiency. You make this experience each time at the gasoline station, this happens also at a gas power plant. There is the maximal efficiency at ideal conditions and there is the average efficiency when the electric power production is always adjusted to the demand.

  Higher efficiency with storage technology


With a possibility to store electric power is it possible to bring the average efficiency much closer to the optimal efficiency. An improvement to 55% would save 18% natural gas.



  Renewable energy depends from storage for electric power


Applied Materials wants to sell photovoltaic factories, but why only 80 and not 400 MW for a town with 1 million inhabitants? Without storage technology is not more possible.

US electric power consumption
USA produced 2008 4316 TWh electric power for 305.548.183 inhabitants. This makes an average consumption per inhabitant of 14125 kWh per year.


Gas price upper limit
Why is it not possible to have in the Applied Materials calculator for photovoltaic factories a higher gas price than $14 MMBTU? This are only 5 Cent per kWh thermical energy.


Photovoltaic offer with electricity storage
With electricity storage, it would be possible to offer for 1 million inhabitants instead of 80 MW photovoltaic factrory 400 MW and to save with this 6 times more natural gas.