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POWER-GEN International 2016: The Power to Change

The greatest minds in power generation gather once a year for the world’s largest forum for power professionals. 

The Power to Change

By Russell Ray, Chairman, POWER-GEN International

The greatest minds in power generation gather once a year for the world’s largest forum for power professionals. It’s called POWER-GEN International, where experts throughout the world have been meeting for 28 years to discuss the mechanics, chemistry, operation and regulation of power generation.

More than 21,000 industry professionals from around the world will be gathering in Orlando, Florida, for POWER-GEN International 2016, Dec. 13-15 at the Orange County Convention Center. During the three-day event, the most innovative and cost-effective solutions for maintaining, operating and building new power generation will be shared with attendees.

More than 1,400 exhibiting companies from every sector of the industry will be showcasing their products and services on the exhibit floor. The exhibition opens at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday following the keynote session.

Jeff Holmstead, a leading climate change lawyer and former EPA assistant administrator in the Bush Administration, was one of 300 experts who spoke at POWER-GEN International in 2015.

POWER-GEN International offers a wealth of networking opportunities with leading professionals and key decision makers. More than 200 speakers will share their thoughts on trends, technology and project development in 43 conference sessions. A wide range of topics, from data analytics to gas turbine design, will be discussed by high-ranking regulators, developers, power producers and industry representatives.

The keynote session on Dec. 13 will feature four high-ranking executives, including Alex Glenn, president of Duke Energy Florida; Rick Halil, senior vice president and general manager of Energy at Burns & McDonnell; and Willi Meixner, chief executive officer of the Power & Gas Division at Siemens AG.

This year, POWER-GEN is coming to Orlando with four co-located events: Nuclear Power International 2016; COAL-GEN 2016; Renewable Energy World International 2016; and the GenForum. That’s five conferences and four exhibitions under one roof. Altogether, more than 300 speakers will be featured in nearly 80 conference sessions during the week.

At POWER-GEN, 36 conference sessions will be held under eight tracks: Emissions Control; On-Site Power; Plant Performance; Gas Turbine Technologies; Energy Storage; Industry Trends/Competitive Power Generation; The Digital Power Plant; and Power Project Financing.

“This year, we see a lot of papers on inlet conditioning,” said Bonnie Marini, director of Power Plant Product Line Management at Siemens Energy and co-chair of the Gas Turbine Technologies track at POWER-GEN. “We’re really expanding the scope of the track and covering a lot of different topics addressing changes in the market.”

Here’s a sample of some of the sessions that will be offered: “Energy Storage Trends and Case Studies;” ELG Compliance Strategies, Options and Technologies;” “Small and Medium Gas Turbines;” “Applications in Combined Cycle; “Advancements in O&M Practices;” “Latest Combined Cycle Designs;” “Making CHP Work for You;” “Boiler Operation & Performance;” Risk Management in Modern Project Financing;” and “Data Analytics and the Plant of Tomorrow.”

Six mega-sessions are also scheduled. “Large Frame Gas Turbines,” “The Digital Power Plant is Disrupting Traditional Power Generation. What is it and Where is it Going,” “Operating Generation Assets in the New Variable Renewable World,” “Coal-Hybrid Power for Resilient Generation,” “On-Site Power Trends,” and “Power Project Financing.”

POWER-GEN International is the largest gathering of power professionals in the world. Attendees will see or hear about new technologies that promise to change the way the industry generates power. Several sessions will center on the promise of energy storage, an emerging market driven by new mandates and demands for cleaner energy.

“We’re going to be talking about case studies around what people have done, what did they learn and what was the value?” said Raj Chudgar, president of Viridity Energy and co-chair of the Energy Storage track at POWER-GEN. “We’re going to have a session around financing and policymaking. The two big issues around energy storage are how much does it cost and how do I actually operate under the parameters of the regulatory bodies. We’re going to have a whole session around different technologies and uses. All energy storage is not the same. It’s key for us to provide this breadth and depth of orientation”

Here are some of the things you’ll learn if you attend POWER-GEN this year:

  • Why Reciprocating engines are becoming increasingly popular for utility-scale power projects.
  • How more sensors and new analytics software are going to help power plants reduce costs, increase sales and boost efficiency.
  • How heavy-duty gas turbines, in combined cycle mode, are going to achieve 65 percent fuel efficiency, up from 61 percent today.
  • Advancements in energy storage technologies and how close they are to commercial viability.
  • The benefits and drawbacks of hybrid power pants.
  • Clean Power Plan compliance challenges and the likely or unlikely scenarios surrounding this controversial rule.

four TECHNICAL TOURS

Technical tours of four power generation facilities will be offered to attendees on Monday, Dec. 12:

  • The Sanford Power Plant, a combined cycle plant north of Orlando near Lake Monroe, features four combustion turbines with a capacity of 170 MW each. Altogether, the four HRSGs recover enough waste heat to produce a nominal 320 MW.
  • Cane Island Power Park, a 710-MW natural gas-fired plant near Intercession City, is equipped with four gas turbines from GE, including an aero-derivative simple cycle turbine used primarily as a peaking unit.
  • The Wind Service Training Center Orlando features the latest wind turbine technologies from Siemens. The equipment is used for hands-on safety, technical and professional development training.
  • Orange County Convention Center PV Solar Installation, a 1.1-MW photovoltaic array on the roof of the North-South Building of the convention center. The $8 million project was placed online in February 2010.

PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS and CEU Credits

Attendees of POWER-GEN International can also choose from 31 Competitive Power College pre-conference workshops on Sunday Dec. 7 and Monday Dec. 9.

Some of the workshop topics include: “Effective Project management for the Power Project professional,” “Gas Turbine Fundamentals,” “Turbine Generator Failures and How They Can be Prevented,” “Cogeneration Power Plants: Case Studies of Successes and Failures,” “Power Project Opportunities in Brazil,” “Asia Pacific Power Generation Market: Strategic Review & Forecast,” and “HRSG Fundamentals.”

In addition, POWER-GEN attendees can earn CEU credits through exclusive training courses on valve installation, boiler control systems, boiler burner management, and thermal spray coating methods. For a complete list of CEU training courses: http://www.powergen.com/conference/training.html?cmpid=abmaemail.

Several sessions at POWER-GEN will be devoted to the industry’s transition to power fueled with natural gas and renewable resources. In 2015, renewable resources accounted for almost two thirds of new generation placed into service in the U.S. This trend will continue, which means gas-fired plants must be faster and more flexible to effectively offset the inherent fluctuations of renewable power.

In addition to speed and flexibility, POWER-GEN speakers will be exploring new methods and strategies for maximizing net fuel efficiency. Air quality control system upgrades for existing coal-fired plants and operation and maintenance practices for nuclear plants will continue to be chief staples of our conference program in 2016. What’s more, we will be taking a closer look at the technologies driving the digital transformation of power generation.

See you in Orlando!

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