More Power; No Emissions Increase
Wouldn’t it be great if Duke Energy could increase the output from its natural gas plants with no increase in emissions?
That’s what happened last year when a system upgrade at the Buck Combined Cycle Station in North Carolina improved mass air flow through the machine – resulting in an almost 8 percent output increase.
Overall, 26 MW of new power capacity were generated. That’s enough power to serve close to 25,000 homes.
The upgrade also extended the time between maintenance intervals – meaning the plant can be on line for longer periods. Buck is one of the most cost-effective plants on the system.
It operates more than 80 percent of the time. The more it is available to be on line, the better it is for customers.
Another positive part of the upgrade is that carbon dioxide emissions from the plant have stayed basically the same from its pre-upgrade levels.
So is Duke Energy expecting to do this again? Yes. The Dan River Combined Cycle Station in North Carolina, built in 2012, is slated to have the same upgrade in 2015. In fact, this type of design may be a permanent part of new gas-fired stations built in the future.
More power with no extra emissions. That’s a winner for everyone involved.
