Florida Power and Light (FPL) is taking delivery of the third of three Siemens ultra-high-efficiency natural gas turbines for FPL’s Port Everglades Next Generation Clean Energy Center. The Siemens SGT6-8000H gas turbines and Siemens SST6-5000 steam turbine at the site are the core of FPL’s modernization of the Clean Energy Center. They are expected to cut fossil fuel use by 1/3rd, delivering over $400 million in fuel savings over the 30 year life-cycle of the turbines. Oh, and reduced fuel consumption, due to higher efficiency, means the plants emit less greenhouse gasses.
All that’s fine and dandy, and FPL should reap both economic and ecological rewards from doing this. I would probably have ignored the press release about this, except that we can use it to explore the “stone age energy paradigm” idea I’ve written about recently on LongTailPipe.
The Port Everglades Next Generation Clean Energy Center
is near Ft. Lauderdale. Earlier this year, FPL demolished a 1960’s era oil-fired power plant and are currently building a new power plant around these high efficiency turbines from Siemens. The new plant is slated to go into operation in 2016.
is near Ft. Lauderdale. Earlier this year, FPL demolished a 1960’s era oil-fired power plant and are currently building a new power plant around these high efficiency turbines from Siemens. The new plant is slated to go into operation in 2016.That FPL is replacing an oil-fired power plant with an ultra-modern one running on natural gas is an improvement. As FPL says on their website, benefits include increased energy independence (less dependence on foreign fossil fuels – oil imported from elsewhere) and decreases in negative environmental impact from FPL’s electricity generation.
At the same time this continues the pattern of electricity – an inherently clean form of energy, and representing the new energy paradigm – being generated by burning fossil fuels – an inherently unclean form of energy, and representing the stone age energy paradigm.
Electricity is inherently clean. But, that cleanliness is undermined by the fuel source for the electricity. Natural gas is a fossil fuel and therefore increases carbon footprint in the atmosphere. Increasingly, natural gas requires fracking. That’s something to think about as the refrigerator hums away in the background. You don’t see it, but there’s a smokestack off in the distance billowing greenhouse gasses to ensure the fridge stays cold.
Burning fossil fuels is like drinking poison. With this new high efficiency power plant, FPL is saying “we’re drinking less poison than before, and it’s American poison rather than foreign poison”. We’re still drinking poison.
One would think the Sunshine State (Florida) would be a great place to install solar panels.
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Yea I agree with you about the solar power plant cuz we have more sunshine than we can handle! I have to go to work right now and if today is anything like the last week its going to be a bad day to work outside! Its been so hot the last few days and the sun is relentless here. I cant figure why they wouldnt have huge solar plants here especially when there is so much land here where they can put them. I dont know how true this is but I heard that FPL wont allow people to have solar panels on their houses in Florida. I heard that a couple years ago so I dont know if that is still the case.