Coal Age

MAR 2017

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March 2017 www.coalage.com 23 power technology continued fleet of coal and gas-based power plants. "The technology to make coal and gas more efficient is available now — coun- tries and companies alike should be tak- ing advantage of this to lower their carbon output," said Deb Frodl, global executive director, Ecomagination, GE. "These ac- tions should be taken as a complement to continued investment in renewable energy sources as we all strive to find carbon re- ductions across the energy mix." GE used a proprietary set of data for each coal and gas-fired plant in the world to uncover potential opportunities to im- prove plants' heat rate and lower carbon emissions. The analysis comes as countries around the world are looking for climate saving solutions that will help them transi- tion to a lower carbon energy future. Potential for Coal Plant Upgrades • Coal power plants could be made ap- proximately 4% more efficient with 2.5% in efficiencies coming from turbine and boiler upgrades, and 1.5% coming from software improvements; • The analysis also found that applying all potential upgrades to coal power plants can remove 900 million metric tons (mt) of CO 2 (11% of total coal power emissions); and • China (296 million mt CO 2 ) and India (143 million mt CO 2 ) are two countries with big opportunities in the coal power sector. Potential for Gas Power Plant Upgrades • Similarly, GE's analysis estimates that gas-fired power plants could be made ap- proximately 3.3% more efficient with 1.8% coming from hardware upgrades and 1.5% coming from software improvements. These savings could reduce global gas pow- er emissions by 203 million mt or 8.8%; and • Russia (45 million mt) and the U.S. (34 million mt) are two countries with big op- portunities in the gas power sector. "Our goal is to provide technology solutions that best meet the needs of our customers and help reduce emissions," said Paul McElhinney, president and CEO, GE Power Services. "Globally, carbon emis- sions from coal and gas-fired electricity generation can be reduced by 10% annu- ally, and GE's software and hardware up- grade solutions can help make this a reality with moderate investments in the installed base." According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), approximately 41% of glob- al electricity generation comes from coal- fired power plants and 22% comes from gas-fired power plants. The IEA estimates that both fuels will see increased use over the next decade. For markets with signif- icant energy needs and coal reliance, like China and India, upgrades to power plants can help provide cleaner energy options and help countries make progress toward their climate goals. With natural gas play- ing an increasingly important role in many markets around the world, there is also great opportunity to ensure that it too is being utilized as efficiently as possible. In response to the findings, GE has set up a dedicated team to provide customers with holistic software, hardware and fi- nancing solutions for coal plant upgrades. Additional findings from GE's Global Power Plant Analysis include: • Upgrades to the entire global coal fleet can save 494 million mt of fuel globally on For the past 25 years, Hawk Measurement has been recognized as the innovative leader in level measurement technology. Blocked Shute Detection - Stockpile Level Monitoring - Reject & Coal Surge Bins - ROM/Truck Dump - Water & Coal Detection on Conveyor Belts - Tailing Thickeners If your current level technology is not measuring up, contact HAWK so we can assist you with all your level measurement needs. Your 1st choice in providing Level Measurement for the Coal Industry Hawk Measurement Tel +1 978 304 3000 / +1 888 429 5538 I 90 Glenn Street, Suite 100B, Lawrence, MA 01843 info@hawkmeasure.com I www.hawkmeasure.com Water & Coal Detection on Conveyor Belts - Tailing Thickeners If your current level technology is not measuring up, contact HAWK so we can assist you with all your level measurement needs.

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