GE's natural gas, wind and solar hybrid plants will begin operation in 2015

General Electric (GE) announced that its first 530 MW power plant integrating wind energy, solar energy and natural gas will begin operation in Turkey in 2015. The power plant is practical because it uses a flexible and efficient natural gas system, which was released two weeks ago by the company. Another reason is the use of a solar thermal power system. The developer is eSolar, a startup company based in Burbank, California that was previously invested by General Electric.

Smart Power: General Electric's new gas turbine, shown here in a cross-sectional perspective, with both high efficiency and rapid change in power output, making up for the unstable output power of solar power plants and wind farms.

GE asserts that in some parts of the world, hybrid plants of this type can become the dominant type of new power plant. The countries that this new technology targets are all using 50 Hz of electricity (US uses 60 Hz of electricity). In particular, this technology makes it easier for China and the EU to achieve renewable energy goals.

Adding solar energy to natural gas power plants is not a new idea, but without government subsidies, this approach is not economical. General Electric stated that because it has new turbines and related equipment, and utility companies can properly combine solar and natural gas prices, these hybrid plants can also be competitive, even without government funding.

General Electric stated that although the combination of solar thermal power and natural gas turbines is not new, integrating wind energy into such a system is new. Matching wind power to natural gas power plants can help reduce some of the cost of wind power. Wind farms can share the control systems of some natural gas power plants and their connections to the power grid. At the same time, natural gas power plants can also eliminate the fluctuations generated by wind turbines.

Solar thermoelectric needs to use a square array of reflectors to focus sunlight and generated heat to produce steam. The steam is fed into a steam turbine to increase power output at natural gas combined cycle plants.

The Solar Condenser Array produced by Solar Energy can reduce costs in two ways. Its modular concentrator system is easy to install and can be easily retrofitted to meet specific power plant needs. It can produce higher temperature steam, more than the previous solar thermal system, can increase power output. General Electric has also developed an efficient natural gas power plant whose power output is easily adjusted to compensate for fluctuations in solar output power.

The solar thermal system is connected to the natural gas power plant so that it does not need to purchase separate steam turbines and related equipment, which can reduce solar thermal system costs up to 50%. Jon Van Scoter said that he is Iraq. Solar company president and CEO. Paul Browning, vice president of thermal products at General Electric, called it "the most effective form of solar power available today."