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Efficiency improvement for geothermal power generation to meet summer peak demand

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  • Imroz Sohel, M.
  • Sellier, Mathieu
  • Brackney, Larry J.
  • Krumdieck, Susan

Abstract

Geothermal power is an important part of New Zealand's renewable electricity supply due to its attractive cost and reliability. Modular type binary cycle plants have been imported and installed in various geothermal fields in New Zealand, with plans for further expansion. Power output of these plants deteriorates in the summer because plant efficiency depends directly on the geothermal resource and the ambient temperature. As these plants normally use air-cooled condensers, incorporating a water-augmented air-cooled system could improve the power output in summer thereby matching the peak air-conditioning demand. In this work, power generation for the Rotokawa plant was characterized using a similar plant performance and local weather. The improved performance was modelled for retrofit with a wet-cooling system. Maximum generation increase on the hottest day could be 6.8%. The average gain in power over the summer, November-February, was 1.5%, and the average gain for the whole year was 1%. With current binary unit generation capacity at the Rotokawa plant of 35Â MW, investment in a water-augmented air-cooled system could provide 2Â MW of peak generation on the hottest days. This investment in efficiency is found to compare favourably to other supply options such as solar PV, wind or gas.

Suggested Citation

  • Imroz Sohel, M. & Sellier, Mathieu & Brackney, Larry J. & Krumdieck, Susan, 2009. "Efficiency improvement for geothermal power generation to meet summer peak demand," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(9), pages 3370-3376, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:37:y:2009:i:9:p:3370-3376
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kanoglu, Mehmet & Dincer, Ibrahim & Rosen, Marc A., 2007. "Understanding energy and exergy efficiencies for improved energy management in power plants," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 3967-3978, July.
    2. Barbier, Enrico, 2002. "Geothermal energy technology and current status: an overview," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 6(1-2), pages 3-65.
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    2. Mishra, Gouri S. & Glassley, William & Yeh, Sonia, 2010. "Analysis of Lifecycle Water Requirements of Energy & Transportation Fuels: Electricity from Geothermal Resources - Model Description," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt69s70164, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    3. Rosyid, H. & Koestoer, R. & Putra, N. & Nasruddin, & Mohamad, A.A. & Yanuar,, 2010. "Sensitivity analysis of steam power plant-binary cycle," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(9), pages 3578-3586.
    4. Yin, Hebi & Sabau, Adrian S. & Conklin, James C. & McFarlane, Joanna & Qualls, A. Lou, 2013. "Mixtures of SF6–CO2 as working fluids for geothermal power plants," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 243-253.
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    7. Bazmi, Aqeel Ahmed & Zahedi, Gholamreza, 2011. "Sustainable energy systems: Role of optimization modeling techniques in power generation and supply—A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(8), pages 3480-3500.

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