August 26, 2016

CASTRO ANNOUNCES $3.27M FOR SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROJECT

San Antonio, TX – Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) announced a $3,279,208.00 grant from the Department of Energy (DOE) for the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI). The DOE funding will support an SwRI project to make coal-based power generation more efficient, cleaner, and less expensive. SwRI is collaborating on the project – entitled “Pre-Project Planning for a Flameless Pressurized Oxy-combustion Pilot Plant” – with ITEA S.p.A., Jacobs, the Electric Power Research Institute, General Electric Global Research, and Peter Reineck Associates.

“As our nation continues to develop new energy alternatives, it’s prudent we also ensure our current energy sources are as efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible as possible,” said Rep. Castro. “While coal is a finite resource, it continues to play a role in powering the United States. SwRI’s project will help take our nation’s use of coal into the 21st century, and I’m proud its received this substantial DOE grant to further this innovative work.”

SwRI’s project will advance technology that increase the performance, efficiency, and availability of existing and new fossil fuel–based power generation; support national goals for the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions; and help facilitate the safe and sustainable use of the nation’s abundant fossil energy resources.

“Oxyfuel combustion has the potential to provide carbon emissions-free, high efficiency electricity in next-generation advanced power plants,” said Danny Deffenbaugh, vice president of SwRI’s Mechanical Engineering Division. “SwRI continues to develop key technology components to make this clean and inexpensive power possible.”

DOE selected the SwRI’s project to complete preliminary designs of pilot plants based on advanced combustion systems. SwRI’s work will accelerate the scale-up of coal-based advanced combustion power generation technologies capable of 90 percent CO2 capture with substantially improved cost and performance. The pilot plants will be at least 10 megawatts-electrical (MWe) in scale or equivalent and contain design features that will be assessed prior to commercial-scale demonstration. Technical and economic analyses will also be conducted at commercial-scale to evaluate the ultimate cost and performance relative to DOE goals.

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