Italy’s Hydrogen Power Plant Fueled by Garbage

December 21, 2007 | By Hydro Kevin Kantola | Filed in: Hydrogen Fuel Production.

GE Energy has won a bid to install a hydrogen gas turbine generator, fueled by garbage, in Rome, Italy. The LM2500+G4 water-injected generator will be installed at the Malagrotta Power Plant and generate 32 megawatts of electricity.

The gas turbine generator will be able to run off high hydrogen syngas (or natural gas). The process involves taking garbage from Europe’s largest landfill, gasifying it into high hydrogen syngas, processing it in a 1600 degree C reactor and using water injection to control the nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions to minimal levels.

The GE LM2500+G4 will be built and packaged at the company’s Texas facility and shipped in about one year. The Italians expect the garbage to hydrogen power plant to go online June 2009.

While some companies practice a “garbage in, garbage out” philosophy, it’s good to see that one company at least is practicing a garbage in, hydrogen out agenda that has the dual benefit of cleaning up a massive landfill and creating clean energy from the lightest known element in the universe.


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