To help realise the ambition that all district heating in Gothenburg (Sweden) will be produced by renewable or recovered energy sources by 2030, Göteborg Energi and Siemens have established a co-operation agreement with the aim of testing ‘state of the art’ gas turbine technology that enables the operation of renewable fuels in the Rya combined heat and power (CHP) plant.

It is currently powered by natural gas.

As the first step, an SGT-800 test turbine has been installed at the Rya CHP plant for the validation of 3-D printed burners, which will allow the testing of different fossil-free fuels in the plant.

Siemens said the production of gas turbine burners using additive manufacturing (AM) makes ‘a decisive contribution to accelerating the research and development process for new technologies that contribute to a greener energy supply’.

Siemens (www.new.siemens.com) says there is global demand for new ‘climate-smart’ solutions and that its technology and solutions are addressing this need.

“For example, converting a coal power plant into a modern gas-fired combined-cycle power plant, such as the Rya CHP plant in Gothenburg, can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about two thirds.

“By co-burning natural gas with an increasing share of hydrogen or biofuel, emissions can then be further reduced gradually.”

Thorbjoern Fors, CEO Siemens Distributed Generation and Oil & Gas Services Business, said: “With this co-operation, Göteborg Energi and the Rya CHP plant — together with us — are driving innovation towards new solutions and green power.

"Our goal is to run the SGT-600, -700 and -800 gas turbine combustors 100% fossil-free.

“This is a unique co-operation between Siemens and a customer that can demonstrate the varied possibilities for sustainable and cost-effective fuels, as our industry and societies look to reduce carbon emissions around the world.”