EPRI and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) announced the successful demonstration of renewable diesel as a combustion turbine fuel for power generation.
The demonstration, which EPRI and TVA call the first U.S. test and the “largest conducted in the world,” was performed on a 76-megawatt (MW) dual-fuel natural gas/diesel unit at TVA’s Johnsonville site in Tennessee.
EPRI collaborated with TVA’s Innovation & Research and Johnsonville Operations teams to evaluate the gas turbine across a range of operating conditions, including at full load with no turbine or control system modifications. The companies argue the test demonstrated how renewable diesel could support near-term decarbonization of dispatchable thermal power generation assets, providing on-demand power with up to 75% fewer lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional diesel.
Renewable diesel is a fuel made from fats and oils, such as soybean oil or canola oil, and is processed to be chemically the same as petroleum diesel. It also meets the ASTM D975 specification for petroleum in the United States. Renewable diesel can be used as a replacement fuel or blended with any amount of petroleum diesel.
The past several years have seen “tremendous growth” in new renewable diesel plants, the Department of Energy (DOE) says, many of which are located in western U.S. states and were converted from existing petroleum refineries. The fuel is used primarily in California because of economic benefits provided under the Low Carbon Fuel Standard.
“As growing electricity demand underscores the continued need for dispatchable power generation, low-carbon fuels present a potential pathway for existing units to contribute to net-zero goals,” said Neva Espinoza, EPRI senior vice president of Energy Supply and Low-Carbon Resources and chief generation officer. “Collaboratively demonstrating emerging technologies and approaches at scale is key to accelerating a reliable and affordable energy transition.”
EPRI plans to soon publish a report outlining the demonstration’s results as part of the Low-Carbon Resources Initiative (LCRI) to both share details and learnings with industry and other stakeholders. The companies argue the demonstration could have industry implications for peaking units.
