Future proof your power supply: an interview with AB Energy's Jan Buijk
Source: Graeme Burton · Data Centre Dynamics Ltd · | February 21, 2022
Gas engines can be used for more than just reliable backup, they can provide primary power while also facilitate a transition to carbon neutral operation argues industry veteran Jan Buijk.
Source: AB Energy
Jan Buijk is CEO of AB Energy Canada, part of the Italian energy group that focuses on highly efficient gas engine power plants for the data center and other industries. But Buijk is more than ‘just’ a CEO: a company founder, he has a technical background in mechanical engineering with an in-depth knowledge of combined heat and power technology, and was responsible for establishing AB Energy in North America.
DCD’s head of partner content, Graeme Burton, spoke to Buijk about the advantages of migrating to gas-fired generation from diesel, the effect of gas-price volatility on power markets, trigeneration and green hydrogen.
DCD – What are the particular advantages of gas over diesel for backup power generation?
Jan Buijk, AB Energy – The primary advantages are, first of all, gas engines have a significantly lower emission profile compared to diesel. That means nitrogen oxides, particulates, volatile organic compounds CO and CO2. So there are significant environmental advantages of natural gas-fired generation compared to diesel.
Second, fuel costs for natural gas fired generators are generally quite a bit lower than diesel, and there's no need for fuel storage on-site. Furthermore, a number of studies have demonstrated that natural gas infrastructure, in many jurisdictions, is far more reliable than diesel, especially during events like a prolonged utility outage. When there's a large area without power, such as in Texas in February 2020, then it becomes much more difficult to supply diesel to critical facilities.
“If you have an opportunity to participate in demand response, to export power, that’s another way to lower the lifecycle cost and generate some bonus revenues with a gas power plant”
And, third, running on natural gas, you can turn your power plant into the primary source of power for your data center and the grid can then become the backup, as it is in many regions around the world. Indeed, natural gas fired generation is cleaner than the power provided by the grid in many areas, and there's areas where the grid cannot reliably supply all the power required.
Then, once you're looking at natural gas as a primary source of power, there's also an opportunity to generate incremental revenues by, for example, making equipment available for demand-response programmes or during events where power prices are high when you can also export power back to the grid.