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COGENERATIONClarke Energy suppliesJenbachers for Perth AirportAs part of a $120m development, a cogeneration system will become a key component of anenergy efficiency overhaul at Perth Airport in Western Australia. Clarke Energy is supplying &installing a 4MW cogeneration plant at a new terminal with 2 MWe high-efficiency gas engines.Clarke Energy, provides total gas-toenergysolutions ranging from thesupply of gas generation equipmentas the distributor of GE Jenbacher gasengines. It is also well-known for itsturnkey delivery of highly-efficient gasfiredpower plants ranging from from 1 -60MWs.The company is working on severalAustralian projects currently underway todeliver trigeneration plants, including forPerth Airport, the Alice Springs Hospitaland the Queensland Children’s Hospital.Clarke Energy is targeting 500 MW oftotal generation capacity installed orunder contract in Australia by the end of2011.Decentralised gas-fired cogenerationplants can reduce carbon emissions by upto 60%. By comparison, conventionalelectricity generation only converts anaverage of 30–35% of the energy potentialcontained in the fuel into electricity,while the rest is lost as waste, heat and intransmission losses.Cogeneration or combined heat andpower (CHP) systems are configured toproduce both electricity and useful heat.GE Jenbacher CHP systems utilise heatproduced during the combustion of thegas in the engine and can facilitateprocess efficiencies of more than 90%.Cogeneration is an efficient form ofenergy conversion achieving primaryenergy savings of roughly 40% by using agas engine CHP as opposed to separateelectricity and heat generationequipment.Cogeneration plants are typicallyembedded close to the end user andtherefore help reduce transportation anddistribution losses.As governmental pressure mounts onthe engineering and constructionindustries to reduce their carbon footprint,the efficiencies and energy returnsfrom cogeneration and trigenerationschemes are proving itto be the energy resource ofchoice.GE’s Jenbacher gas enginescan utilise the waste heataccrued during an engine’soperation when producingelectricity.The heat produced can bedelivered through variousmediums, including warmwater (for space heating andhot water systems), steam orhot air (for commercial, hospital andindustrial uses).Trigeneration, the production of electricity,heat and cooling in one singleprocess, is also possible with the use ofabsorption chillers.Trigeneration is an attractive option insituations where all three needs exist,such as in commercial buildings, hospitalsand production processes with coolingrequirements.A key parameter of an optimised cogenerationor trigeneration plant is the highestpossible electrical efficiency. GEJenbacher is an engine manufacturerfocused on research and development,solely for gas engine technology.As a result, the company can guaranteean electrical efficiency of well over 48%.This provides energy savings of up to 40%when compared with the conventionalmeans of electricity and heat generation.From the Surat Basin in Queensland to thecentral business district of Sydney, GEJenbacher has been the gas engine ofchoice for decentralised power generationin Australia.WIPInternet linkwww.clarke-energy.com38M ARCH 2012 • WORLDWIDE I NDEPENDENT P OWER