Biogas is set to play an important role in powering the future, providing a solution to energy crises where other sources of renewable energy like wind and solar can prove inconsistent.
Today, generator technologies exist to harness the power of biogas to deliver climate-friendly, energy-efficient and reliable energy across a number of industries.
What is biogas?
Biogas is a clean, sustainable and renewable solution to providing power, produced from raw materials like plant, food and agricultural waste, landfill and sewage. By collecting the gaseous waste materials we don’t use elsewhere, we can create both heat and power using a cogeneration system. This power can be stored locally or fed into the national grid, helping us contribute to the energy transition.
Depending on which raw materials are used in its production, biogas can be created virtually CO2-neutrally and completely naturally. What’s more, deriving biogas from materials that are already available provides an energy source that is highly economical.
At Rolls-Royce, our mtu biogas generator solutions help industrial customers generate their own stable, reliable and affordable power supply even in the event of grid outages. To date, we’ve supplied more than 4,000 Series 4000 gensets that can harness the power of biogas and other natural gases for combined heat and power (CHP).
Delivering even higher efficiency with new biogas gensets
In Chaiyaphum, Thailand, the family-run starch production business Tongjit has been using our previous Series 4000 gas genset model to source their own heat and electricity since 2019. This year, Tongjit is receiving our latest model Series 4000 genset – one that draws upon the proven success of previous models to set new standards for efficiency, power density and life cycle costs.
Despite its more compact footprint, the new 12-cylinder variant delivers just as much power as the 16-cylinder variant of its predecessor while consuming a lower volume of biogas. With a new 20-cylinder engine installed, the family will now be able to power the entire factory and save hundreds of thousands of pounds per year.
A timely solution for industry
The new Series 4000 genset is arriving just in time to coincide with the upcoming harvesting season, primed to make the most of any agricultural crop waste and deliver enhanced energy generation for the Tongjit factory.
Likewise, the new and even more robust engine performs to a consistently high level, even in extreme temperatures, humidity or altitude, making it a perfect fit for the factory’s locale.
For Tongjit, being able to produce starch with renewable energy is a huge selling point for their customers. Its ease of operation and reliability also mean that it can keep business running even if grid power fails.
Over time, the new Series 4000 biogas genset will continue to deliver value. With a lifetime of up to 84,000 operating hours before needing a major overhaul, the new genset is breaking records and creating cost-savings of huge importance to factory owners and plant operators.
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