Reliable, cost-effective power
Technology to support cogeneration and more
Whether you are a municipality or electric co-op, GE is committed to pairing you with gas power technologies that complement your profile. Our scalable, site-ready turbines can address energy gaps big and small in generation and transmission, so you can concentrate on demand instead of downtime. With smaller units, your returns come from a low-cost installation, providing immediate dollar-per-megawatt value. And with a modular configuration, installation is quick and efficient.
Benefits
Learn more about our gas turbine features
Looking for units that complement renewables? Our aeros are a match for grid firming through quick starts, synchronous condensing, and fast ramp ups in MW per minute for their size. The time-tested LM6000 with a 98+% availability track record, the fuel-flexible LM2500 with up to 85% hydrogen capability, and the rapidly deployable LM2500XPRESS* are just a few. And our 6B and 6F heavy-duty gas turbines are excellent for remote installations and extreme operating conditions far from the grid. With a quick response that’s great for small systems, hybrid, and hydrogen capabilities, our full array of turbines also offers:
Lower emissions: NOx at 15 ppm with SAC or dry low emissions technology
High reliability and availability: Driven by our engine-exchange philosophy
Operational flexibility: Five-minute startup and markedly high ramp rates
Configuration options: Sprint, SAC/DLE, black start, cold weather, and more
Grid-firming capable: Quick start combined with synchronous condensing
Fuel flexibility: Wide Wobbe index of 35 – 60 MWI, propane, hydrogen
Cogen and CHP fit: “Right sized” for medium-to-low steam cogeneration
Power density: Up to 7 x the power density of reciprocating engines
Webinars
Hear from our experts
- Fast, flexible, sustainable power: Aeroderivative gas turbines for Munis & Co-ops
- Municipalities and Co-ops: Can you get more megawatts for your dollar?
GE’s portfolio of turbines for municipalities and co-ops
GE offers a variety of aeroderivative and heavy-duty gas turbines for small and independent providers like municipalities and co-ops. We’ve been improving them for 50 years, with 150 million operating hours worldwide. Learn more about our turbines and see which one’s right for you.
LM2500XPRESS aeroderivative gas turbine
Meet plant needs where flexible power is required quickly and efficiently. The LM2500XPRESS 50 Hz and 60 Hz modular gas turbines feature a 34-MW simple cycle power output and up to 39% simple cycle efficiency.
Its start time for a simple cycle is less than five minutes, and its ramp rate is 20 MW/minute. The LM2500XPRESS is a modular and scalable, prefabricated, skid-mounted, pre-commissioned solution. Enjoy reduced on-site installation and commissioning—and a zero water-consumption requirement.
LM2500 aeroderivative gas turbine
The LM2500 is the most reliable aeroderivative gas turbine in the world, featuring reliability-consistency above 99.8%.
Recommended for combined cycle, onshore and offshore power generation, mechanical drive, and cogeneration, the LM2500 features 21 – 34 MW simple cycle output. With up to 39% efficiency, it also accommodates a wide variety of fuels. It comes with optional clutch-less synchronous condensing.
LM6000 aeroderivative gas turbine
The LM6000 allows you to operate on a wide variety of fuels—including natural gas, LPG (propane and butane), isopentane, ethanol, diesel, and coke oven gas.
This allows you to quickly switch between fuels to save money, all without stopping or a reduction in power. It has a 45 – 58 MW net power output and up to 41.3% net efficiency. Its start time for a simple cycle is less than five minutes, with a ramp rate of 50 MW/minute. The LM6000 offers 99%+ start and operational reliability, alongside 98% availability. Its fast start allows operators to differentiate their dispatch capability, and its dual-fuel capabilities provide flexibility that helps meet emissions limits.
6B gas turbine
The rugged, reliable 6B heavy-duty gas turbine is a popular choice for refineries, natural gas liquefaction, CHP applications, and industrial power.
Its ability to operate in island mode makes the 6B excellent for remote installations and extreme operating conditions far from the grid. And with more than 1,200 units installed since 1978, it has a record of dependability. The turbine can ramp to 20 MW in less than five seconds and accommodate non-standard fuels in cogeneration and industrial power generation operations. It features a 44-MW simple cycle output and greater than 51% combined cycle efficiency. Its standardized architecture and pre-assembled packaging allow for a delivery cycle of 10 months from contract signature to commercial operation.
6F gas turbine
GE’s 6F gas turbines offer the superior performance, reliability, and flexibility typically associated with larger power plants.
The 6F packs a lot of power into a small package, offering durability and flexibility for harsh or remote environments. Whether it be for 50 or 60 Hz, the 6F maintains leading efficiency and exhaust energy for combined cycle and CHP performance. The 6F offers segment-leading 32,000-hour combustion and hot gas path inspection intervals.
CHP and cogeneration, and district heating
Manufacturers, municipalities, commercial buildings, and institutions including colleges, hospitals, and military bases use CHP to reduce energy costs, increase power reliability, and decrease carbon footprint. With the broadest gas turbine product portfolio in the industry, GE is uniquely positioned to provide its customers with the right products to provide the required ratio of power to heat for their CHP and cogeneration systems.
District heating service simplifies building operations, giving customers precise control over heating and providing flexibility to adapt as occupant needs change or building efficiency improves. The critical advantage of district heating is that connecting multiple buildings to a district system creates economies of scale that enable the deployment of more efficient, resilient local energy resources. This scale also enables integration of cleaner options like CHP, waste to energy, biomass, geothermal, and other renewables, which significantly reduce emissions to a level that would be unachievable on a building-by-building basis.
Aeros vs. recips
Derived from aviation technology, GE’s aeroderivative gas turbine portfolio features turbines that provide cheaper power, a better-quality grid, and cleaner power with lower emissions, when compared to reciprocating engines. Aeroderivative turbines can be installed quickly—in as little as a few weeks—to help alleviate frequent outages, making them especially well-suited for municipalities and co-op applications.
Frequently asked questions
Learn more about aeros for Munis & Co-ops
Grid
How do aeroderivative gas turbines support grid stability with renewable energy?
- GE Aeroderivative gas turbines help support the grid with their unique fast start time. These turbines have a start time of 5 minutes to full power, and fast ramp rates to support intermittent renewable power and help ensure a stable grid in times when renewables may not be available. They can also be powered down quickly as more renewables come online, helping utilities make the most of their low-cost assets.
- Thanks to protection technology within the generator, our aeroderivative units are designed to remain operational during events of high frequency imbalance. Because of their aviation heritage, they are also designed to avoid tripping in instances of full load rejection.
- Our aeroderivative gas turbines can also work as a sync condenser to generate or absorb reactive power, which helps regulate voltage levels in the electrical grid to provide dynamic reactive power support and voltage stabilization.
What is required to temporarily connect an aero unit into a local grid—gas and oil, DCS, switchyard?
- An aeroderivative gas turbine needs a fuel source (natural gas, hydrogen, diesel, etc.), air, level ground, and an interconnection point to the connect to the grid.
Industries
Are aeroderivatives well suited for cogeneration applications?
- Yes, and GE aeroderivatives have decades of experience providing heat and power to industrial users. Read our blog about our work with an industrial cogen customer, TECO, to learn more.
What size of gas turbine is typically used at the municipal level?
- It depends on the customer’s application and region. GE’s aeroderivative gas turbines range from 25MW to 113MW and can support industrial customers. Take a look at what we can do for combined heat and power (CHP) applications.
Can GE’s aero gas turbine support data centers?
- Yes. Please visit our data center web page for additional information.
Hydrogen and other fuels
What is the hydrogen-burning capability of your aeroderivative gas turbines?
- It depends on the type of GE aeroderivative gas turbine. GE currently has machines capable of up to 75% hydrogen with ongoing plans to develop 100% H2 capability by 2030.
Can GE’s aeros burn ammonia? If so, how much?
- We are developing our aeroderivatives to run on hydrogen, as well as hydrogen blends and biodiesel, as additional potential fuel sources to further decarbonize gas turbines.
Do these turbines run on both LPG and LNG?
- GE’s aeroderivatives can run on LPG and LNG (as long as the LNG is converted to gaseous natural gas). GE will need to review the specific fuel composition ratio to select the best product fit.
Efficiency
How can the efficiency of these small plants be improved?
- GE’s aeroderivative gas turbines can achieve greater than 40% simple cycle efficiency, thanks to their unique aviation heritage. Depending on the ambient condition, efficiency can also be increased by using an evaporator cooler or inlet air chiller.
- These numbers can be further increased by going into a cogen application or closing the loop in a combined cycle system.
What new technology is in the pipeline to lower emissions going forward?
- Our 100% hydrogen development will reduce CO2 emissions from the gas turbine to zero, especially when the hydrogen is sourced from a renewable source like green hydrogen.
Aeros vs. heavy duty gas turbines (HDGT)
In what instances is an aero unit a better fit than a heavy duty gas turbine?
- It depends on the type of customer application. Typically, when a customer is looking for a peaking application with frequent cycles, a “start to full power” start time of less than 10 minutes, requires ancillary services such as voltage regulation, frequency control and synchronous condensing capability for grid stability are areas where GE’s aeroderivative gas turbines can provide the most value.
- GE’s aeroderivative turbine packages are designed for speed and simplicity. The trailer mounted mobile TM2500 can be installed and commission within a couple of weeks. The LM2500XPRESS modular, prefabricated package can be installed and commissioned in 6 weeks. And the LM6000PF+ Velox package can be installed and commissioned in less than 12 weeks.
What are the advantages of aero gas turbines for peaking plant applications?
- High simple cycle efficiency.
- Fast start time of under 10minutes with an option of a 5-minute start time.
- Simple to low maintenance cost with very little lubricating oil usage compared to reciprocating engines.
- No need of pilot liquid fuel for combustion in dual fuel mode (unlike reciprocating engines).
- Compact solution allows for high power density—i.e. maximum power within a limited space.
- Less manpower required for operation and maintenance.
- Higher reliability (99%) and availability (>98%).
- Capability to use a variety of fuels, including high blends of hydrogen.
Contact us
Learn how GE can help your municipality or cooperative.
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