Alternative fuels for combined cycle power plants: An analysis of options for a location in India

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals 2030 Agenda of United Nations raises the need of clean and affordable energy. In the pathway for more efficient and environmentally friendly solutions, new alternative power technologies and energy sources are developed. Among these, the use of syngas fuels for electricity generation can be a viable alternative in areas with high biomass or coal availability. This paper presents the energy, environmental and economic analyses of a modern combined cycle plant with the aim to evaluate the potential for a combined power plant running with alternative fuels. The goal is to identify the optimal design in terms of operating conditions and its environmental impact. Two possible configurations are investigated in the power plant presented: with the possibility to export or not export steam. An economic analysis is proposed to assess the plant feasibility. The effect of the different components in its performance is assessed. The impact of using four different syngases as fuel is evaluated and compared with the natural gas fuelled power cycle. The results show that a better efficiency is obtained for the syngas 1 (up to 54%), in respect to the others. Concerning pollutant emissions, the syngas with a GHG impact and lower carbon dioxide (CO2) percentage is syngas 2.