2. Outline of the discussion
Interest in this topic
Electricity supply in the last 100 years and
the future
Gas Turbine technology
Micro-Turbines
Engineering and other challenges
Barriers to adoption
A look at some novel applications
Concluding remarks
3. Something to keep in mind
"I think there is a world market for maybe five
computers."
- Thomas Watson, Chairman of IBM, 1943
"There is no reason anyone would want a
computer in their home."
- Ken Olson, President, Chairman and Founder of
DEC, 1977
4. Interest in this topic
Claire Soares’ 2008 book mentions that within the next three
decades the age of the personal turbine (PeT) will emerge.
PeTs will at some point will become as prevalent as
PCs/laptops are.
Advancements in technologies in my lifetime, my first
computer was an IBM 286 PC with a 40MB hard drive worth
about $3000 in 1991, this has convinced me that a PeT might
be possible!
In 2007:
Weight of gas turbine rotor ~ 37 g
Material used: Inconel
N = up to 500,000 RPM
5. The vast networks of electrification are
the greatest engineering achievement of
the 20th century
– U.S. National Academy of Engineering
6. Electricity Supply
Post WWII, in particular, Electricity Supply
became dominated by government-owned
large scale vertically integrated systems
Late 1970s to the 1990s electricity supply was
opened up to competition
◦ But not transmission as it’s a natural
monopoly
However if we look back around 70 - 100
years electricity supply was localised (Point of
Use/Consumption)
The sustainability, climate change/carbon
emission pressures will not go away
◦ 100 years ago smoke from burning coal was seen
as a sign of prosperity in Pittsburgh
Consumers - large, medium and domestic
now have the choice to supplement with
renewables or go “off-grid”
7. GGeenneerraattiioonn,, TTrraannssmmiissssiioonn,, aanndd DDiissttrriibbuuttiioonn ooff
EElleeccttrriicciittyy
Adapted from: AEMO
Generation Firm/s
Electricity Retailer Firm/s
Transmission and Distribution Authorities
E1 = 0.4
E2 = 0.9
E3 = 0.05 (Incand)
E3 = 0.20 (CFL)
Overall Efficiency conversion of chemical energy to light energy = E1 x E2 x E3
= 0.4 x 0.9 x 0.05 = 0.018 (1.8%) Incandescent Light Bulb
= 0.4 x 0.9 x 0.2 = 0.072 (7.2%) CFL
8. Public views on new investment in large scale
power generation (fossil and renewable)
1) NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard)
2) BANANA (Build Absolutely
Nothing Anywhere Near
Anyone)
3) NOPE (Not On Planet Earth)
9. We want ...
1) Affordable Electricity (Cost)
2) Secure and Reliable Electricity (Capacity)
3) Clean, green and low-carbon electricity
(Carbon)
‘An Energy Trilemma that cannot be
reconciled simultaneously …’
– Michael Pollitt, 2014
10. Stand-By power consumption - about 8% of
residential electricity demand
Source: MacKay, 2009, Sustainable Energy – without the hot air
11. USA – Electric Utility Views
Source: State of the Electric Utility 2015 (USA)
13. Future of Electricity Supply?
Centralised fuel production,
power and storage
Renewable energy resources
EV
Co-generation
Smart energy
system control
Distributed
energy resources
Surplus heat
H vehicle2
Source: IEA, 2012, Energy Technology Perspectives
14. Distributed Power Growth
Source: General Electric, Diesel and Gas Turbine Worldwide, European Photovoltaic Industry Association
Electricity is the fastest growing final form of energy, IEA 2014
15. Large Scale Gas Turbine Power Generation
Advances in design and metallurgy (in line with or
independent of military and commercial aircraft power
plant advances)
Number of installed and proposed GT plants
worldwide has increased since 1980s/1990s at
expense of coal-fired plants
Environmental pressures on brown and black coal
plants
◦ Such plants are being mothballed or retired from
service in USA, Europe, Australia, but …
◦ In other cases there are new plants in Europe, Asia
GT plants taking base-load and two-shift operational
modes
◦ More maintenance
◦ How to optimise performance, availability, reliability
◦ Life extensions
16. Power Generation Technology ‘S’ Curve
Micro-
Turbine
Source: Imperial College London Centre for Energy Policy and Technology and E4tech Consulting,
2003, The UK Innovation System for New and Renewable Energy Technologies
19. Micro-Turbines
Size – from ~ 5kW to 300kW
Have gained market acceptance during last 15 years
Intermittent, continuous, stand by, off grid, grid
connected power needs
Cogeneration (Combined Heat and Power)
Tri-generation … power, cooling, heating
Efficiency may be as low as ~17%, but with
recuperator could be as high as ~40%
Rotational speeds from 40,000 up to 120,000 RPM
Low noise levels – to 55 dBA if using silencer
Exhaust temperature – 3000C
20. Micro-Turbines
CO2 emissions - 0.7t CO2 /MWh to around
0.9 CO2/MWh
NOx emissions 7 – 15 ppmv
Capital costs for the commercially available
micro-turbines are in the range $500/kW to
around $US1500/kW
This would increase for the very small scale
micro-turbine
The very micro power output range (~100W –
5 kW) is not fully commercialised as yet
22. Solar Thermal
Solar PV
Black Coal USC
CCS
Brown USC CCS
Black IGCC CCS
Brown IGCC CCS
GT Fuel Oil
Tidal
Black Coal IGCC
Biomass
Geothermal
Wind OCGT Peaking
Hydro
Black Coal USC
Black USC
Black Coal SC Brown USC
Black Coal
Landfill Gas
OCGT IntermediateCCGT
Brown Coal
0
50
100
150
200
250
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6
LongRunMarginalCost($/MWh)
Emissions Intensity Factor (t-CO2/MWh)
Power Generating Technologies -
Emissions
23. Micro-Turbine Manufacturers
• Capstone Turbine Corporation (USA)
• FlexEnergy, Inc. (USA)
• Ansaldo Energia S.p.A. (Italy)
• Brayton Energy, LLC (USA)
• Eneftech Innovation SA (Switzerland)
• Micro Turbine Technology BV (The
Netherlands)
• Wilson Solarpower Corporation (USA)
26. Micro-Turbines in Australia
Two Micro-Turbines for Sydney CBD (600
kW and 800 kW)
Two Micro-Turbines (65 kW) for Victorian
Aged Care Facility (inc heat recovery)
Regional NSW town: consumers pay
~38c/kWh for power. One consumer is
installing solar PV (9.9 kW) but still looking
at micro-turbine to charge batteries and
would like to eventually go off-grid.
27. Engineering and other Issues
• Fuel supply – natural gas (abundant and cheap?),
diesel, low CV fuels (e.g., from landfill), H2
• Manufacturing – use of ceramics and nano-
composites
• Safety – hot and toxic exhaust gases; it only takes one
to fail and cause an injury; noise
• Innovation – support from government and private
sectors important
• Life - 80,000 fired hours without any servicing
• Reliable and quality power supply?
• Disposal after use
• COMPETITION!
28. Barriers to Commercialisation
You may have invented the world’s best mouse trap … but
barriers are present to its broad adoption;
1) Regulatory – long term environmental policies
2) Planning/Permitting – might not be as relevant to such
small scale technology
3) Lack of Standards
4) Public Lack of Awareness/Opposition – ease of use very
important. Consumers want hassle free products!
5) Rate of adoption in developed and developing countries
(where there is a lack of electricity, e.g., estimated 620
million people in sub-Saharan Africa)
29. Micro-Turbines – Novel Applications
Source: Decuypere and Verstraete, 2005, “Micro Turbines from the Standpoint of Potential Users”,
Micro Gas Turbines (pp. 15-1 – 15-14)
30. Concluding Remarks
Consumers may seek to go ‘off-grid’ using a suite of
power generating technologies
Very small micro-turbines will be commercialised
There are issues to solve and overcome but this is
part of the development process
When … mid 2020s
Thank You!
Contact for Lukas Skoufa: loukas1999@gmail.com
