Friday 16 January 2015

US opens new ‘smart’ power plant

A power plant designed to balance both wind and solar energy has been completed in the US.

Finnish company Wartsila wrapped up work on the 220MW Smart Power Generation plant for Portland General Electric (PGE) in Oregon.

The Port Westwar Unit 2 facility can also provide peaking and load-following services, i.e. it can adjust power output as demand for electricity fluctuates through the day.

It features 12 18MW Wartsila engines that run on natural gas.

Jim Piro, PGE President said: “With the growing amount of variable renewable power coming online, this type of flexible resource is essential in helping us continue to provide reliable service to our customers in an increasingly complex environment.”