By Robin Batterham Kernot Professor of Engineering, The University of Melbourne for Conerstone
One of the more obvious ways for coal-fired power stations to reduce emissions is to work with hybrid solutions, e.g., rapid heat-up to allow better load following when wind and solar drop off. A consortium of companies, researchers, and government are exploring this option in northern Germany. Thus far, it has demonstrated great potential. In a similar vein, rapid start, rapid ramp rate coal-fired plants, such as the direct injection coal engine, could potentially offer a means to support greater proportions of renewables in a grid in the same way that open-cycle gas turbine plants can support renewables, potentially at a lower cost than with gas.
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