The only question is whether this technological revolution is also the best solution for the climate. The cost of comprehensively converting a coal-fired plant in this way is in the high double-digit millions, according to industry experts, but it's an investment that can pay off for plant operators within just a few years. Other techniques are currently being tested as well, for example special boilers that can burn not only coal but biomass as well, improving CO2 emissions rates. For a 1,000-megawatt power plant, that means 100 megawatts a minute - enough flexibility to keep supply stable even when faced with extreme fluctuations. Thinner walls and other technologies make it possible to adjust performance by more than 10 percent. Flexibility wasn't important, and performance could be adjusted up or down by a maximum of 3 to 4 percent per minute.Īll that is set to change. In the past, these walls were generally thick, designed to allow the plants to operate at full power for as long as possible without requiring maintenance. The result is boilers that can withstand the rapid and extreme changes in temperatures that occur when the power plant's output is adjusted up or down, since more power means higher temperatures. This is accomplished, for example, with special steel alloys that mean the walls of the coal-fired boilers can be made thinner. In addition to these silos, power plant operators are also interested in technologies that speed up their facilities' reaction times. "Two of Germany's four major energy providers have expressed interest." "The demand for these solutions has increased sharply," says Wolfgang Schreier, Hitachi Power's managing director for Europe.
When combined with other technologies, they make it possible for coal-fired plants to hold their own against the competition in the new era of power generation.
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