The Electric Power Research Institute and the Tennessee Valley Authority on Nov. 20 announced the successful demonstration of renewable diesel as a combustion turbine fuel for power generation.
The demonstration -- the first U.S. test and the largest conducted in the world -- was performed on a 76-megawatt 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 full range of operating conditions, including at full load with no turbine or control system modifications.
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 percent fewer lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional diesel.
EPRI noted that renewable diesel is a drop-in replacement fuel made from renewable raw materials such as vegetable oils, plant residues, and organic wastes, and meets ASTM D975 quality specifications.
Renewable diesel can also reduce air pollutants. Unlike its predecessor biodiesel, which was tested previously by the gas turbine community, renewable diesel is a chemically equivalent replacement for petroleum diesel, EPRI said.
"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."
"TVA is a clean energy leader, and we believe innovation will play a critical role in our region and nation's drive toward a clean energy future," said Joe Hoagland, TVA vice president of Innovation & Research. "This test demonstrates our commitment to develop clean energy technologies to provide sustainable and reliable power to our region's growing economy."
Additionally, this demonstration could have further industry implications for peaking units, EPRI said.
EPRI plans to soon publish a report outlining the demonstration's results as part of the Low-Carbon Resources Initiative to both share details and learnings with industry and other stakeholders.
