Two new energy centers in London’s Stratford Cityand Kings Yard areas are to supply 10 megawatts (MW) of efficient power, heating and cooling for the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games as well as East London’s businesses and residential areas after the games conclude. Three of GE’s (NYSE: GE) 3.3-MW ecomagination-approved Jenbacher J620 cogeneration units are powering the energy centers and generating electricity equivalent to the amount used by 24,000 average UK homes.
The energy center initiative is a cornerstone of London 2012’s plan to increase the use of alternative energy, water conservation and recycling to minimize the environmental impact of the games. The London Olympic Delivery Authority built the facilities to help reach its target of a 20 percent reduction in carbon emissions while meeting the city’s power needs that are expected to surge as more than 15,000 athletes and millions of spectators arrive for the games.
The energy centers are designed to operate in combined cooling, heat and power – or “trigeneration” – mode to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Chilled water is generated by absorption chillers using the high-temperature heat available from the exhaust of the unit. Combined heat and power (CHP) technologies are more efficient than using separate electrical and thermal power systems and thus helps to reduce emissions from power generation. By using this technology, about 13,000 tons of CO2 savings can be achieved. This amount of greenhouse gas emission savings is equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions emitted by about 6,500 EU passenger cars.
In all, GE has supplied more than 800 Jenbacher engines for on-site power projects in the UK, representing about 8% of GE’s globally installed Jenbacher fleet. Combined, these units generate enough electricity equivalent to the amount used by about 1.8 million EU homes.