GE has delivered the first of two units of a battery-gas turbine hybrid system for Southern California Edison (SCE) that would help it to meet immediate energy demand in the US state of California.

Branded as the LM6000 Hybrid Electric Gas Turbine (EGT), the system supports SCE’s increasing renewable power capacity by giving quick start and rapid ramping capabilities when required.

The Hybrid EGT features a 10 MW/ 4.3 MWh battery energy storage system that can provide immediate power with GE’s LM6000 aeroderivative gas turbine of 50MW capacity.

It was developed by GE and SCE to meet the varying energy requirements in California which had pledged to source 50% of its electricity from renewables by 2030.

According to GE, the Hybrid EGT unit maintains a balance between variable energy supply and demand. It would cover for the increase in power consumption which usually happens in the evenings when the sun sets and solar power production dips while customers return home and switch on lights and appliances.

GE Energy Connections grid solutions president and CEO Reinaldo Garcia said: “As the electrical grid network continues to evolve, with more intermittent renewables being added every day, products like the Hybrid EGT can help smooth out the delivery of electricity.

“Storage and the ability to quickly push power to the grid also play a key role in emergency situations, dispatching energy immediately to the grid ensuring that we are able help keep the lights on for everyone.”

A control system has been integrated in the Hybrid EGT to smoothly blend the energy output between the battery and the gas turbine.

The battery’s storage capacity has been particularly designed to give sufficient time coverage to let the gas turbine to start and achieve its designated energy output.

This, as per GE, will help the system when in stand-by mode to avoid the necessity to burn fuel and consume water and at the same time generate power as and when demand increases.

Image: GE and Southern California Edison debut world’s first battery-gas turbine hybrid. Photo: courtesy of General Electric.