Wärtsilä introduces engine to balance renewables and improve power plant performance

Technology group Wärtsilä has launched its 46TS engine which is designed to balance renewable energy, provide efficient baseload power, and can run on sustainable fuels in future.

The Wärtsilä 46TS large-bore engine has evolved from a line of proven power plant engines, including the Wärtsilä 50 engine platform. The W50 engine has delivered 55 million running hours around the world since 2008.

Using balancing engines to support intermittent renewables is a more viable path towards a net zero power system than a renewables-only pathway. Balancing power can reduce costs, emissions, and land use, as revealed in Wärtsilä’s recent global power system modelling report, Crossroads to Net Zero, which detailed the vital role of balancing power in delivering the energy transition.

 

Anders Lindberg, President of Wärtsilä Energy, commented: “The energy transition cannot be achieved by renewable power alone – we need flexible, efficient engines to support wind and solar power during times of low generation. The 46TS engine offers exactly that, expanding our technology offering to balance renewables and operate cost–effectively on base load power.

 

The Wärtsilä 46TS is designed with sustainable fuels in mind, to ensure that when they become readily available, these engines can play a role in delivering 100% renewable power systems.?

 

The engine provides benefits for power producers, including:

• Efficiency and performance: Significantly improved over 51% engine efficiency saves fuel and reduces emissions, with positive performance in extreme ambient conditions and at high altitudes.
• Improved output: The 46TS generates 23.4 MW/unit, meaning that fewer engines are needed to achieve large plant sizes.
• Flexibility: Rapid response to fluctuations with even faster ramp-up time – 2 minutes – and no minimum uptime or downtime requirements.
• Fast and cost-efficient installation: Fast and easy modular plant installation with high quality, factory-tested modules bringing savings in total installed cost.

 

For more news and technical articles from the global renewable industry, read the latest issue of Energy Global magazine.

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Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/energy-storage/10022025/wrtsil-introduces-engine-to-balance-renewables-and-improve-power-plant-performance/