Are you running your data center with reciprocating engines? Here’s something you need to know: We have a cleaner, more modern technology that can power even the largest data center—today, and in the future—with a significantly smaller carbon footprint, all while complementing renewables. Meet GE Vernova’s aeroderivative (aero) gas turbines.
No matter what type of data center configuration you have, we have an aero gas turbine that can work for you. Our solutions include temporary power to keep you online during your data center test phase.
Global data center growth is creating energy load, carbon footprint, and reliability issues for utilities. In our first FAQ video, GE Vernova’s Ihab Chaaban explains how microgrid configuration allows power producers to control power demand without having to rely on the grid.
There are several ways aeroderivative gas turbines can help data centers contribute to decarbonization—from running them on natural gas to claiming carbon credits. In our second data centers video, GE Vernova data centers expert Ihab Chaaban provides the full story.
Here’s a hint: It might not be the same for each data center. GE Vernova’s Ihab Chaaban explore the many paths to reaching net zero—including hybridizing thermal assets with renewables and batteries. Watch our third data centers FAQ video!
GE Vernova’s aero LM packages run on a wide variety of fuels, including hydrogen, and they can be configured as dual fuel gas turbines when backup fuel is required. In our fourth data centers video, GE Vernova data centers expert Ihab Chaaban provides the full story.
There are efforts in the U.S. to create several hydrogen hubs with a goal to reach 100% clean electrical grid by 2035 and net zero carbon emissions by 2050. GE Vernova has been running aero gas turbines on blends of hydrogen and gas for years. Our aeros can be engineered and shipped to run on hydrogen or modified onsite.
Reliability is one of the pillars of the DC industry, so it’s a mission-critical application. Derived from our aviation engines platform, aero technology has reliability at its core. In addition, our aero packages have been already deployed in mission critical applications such as Hospital and Medical Centers. So, if we trust the aero turbines to power airplanes, we should trust them to power our data!
Yes. The scalability of our aero solutions makes them a good option for DC developers. They can start small with one of our LM2500 family packages, which produce 20-30 MW of power, and keep adding units as the DC loads grow. That option is available for even non-hyperscalers that anticipate a growth pattern in the years to come.
There are many aero scenarios that could apply to data centers. In terms of who owns the power generation assets, it’s either the data center or a utility, or an IPP could serve as proxy to cover the additional load that the DC would add.
In regions with unreliable grids, the aeros could be deployed as the prime source of power. They have a proven track record burning a diverse list of fuels, including natural gas, diesel, ethanol, and hydrogen.
They can also be deployed as backup power. Thanks to their fast starts (within 5 minutes), the units can take on the load smoothly during utility outages.
We could also add batteries for a faster response in the backup scheme. GE Vernova has been a pioneer in hybrid Enhanced Gas Turbine (EGT) technology where we deploy batteries and gas turbines in hybrid mode to support the utility’s ancillary services. Aeros could also be deployed in a hybrid microgrid configuration for greener solutions where decarbonization is a mandate.
All these scenarios could be deployed with the option to sell power to the grid and help reduce the investment payback period. There is also an interest in deploying our TM2500s for temporary power to bridge any utility gaps, or even cover a data center’s power needs during testing and commissioning.
Diesel generators have been serving the data centers segment for years, and they were a good fit at the time. But in today’s 5G world, with cloud computing and online activity leaving a carbon footprint, diesel is not a sustainable solution. It could still be relevant in some cases, but when we get to the point where Megabytes and MWH are at the higher side of the curve, there’s a need for a more efficient solution—especially in areas where real estate is an issue or decarbonization targets are pressing. Aeros are more reliable than diesel, and they have dual fuel capability. So it’s time to think differently about how we can cover growing data center needs outside of the conventional backup umbrella.
This depends on many factors. If the aero unit is running and connected to the grid, it will react to events as they occur—regulating frequency or voltage or providing inertia when there's a sudden load variation. As for the price change, this will require a logic controller as an additional scope, with certain modules (hardware and software) to dispatch the aero asset based on those types of parameters—such as pricing if the unit is dispatched in real time markets. GE Vernova’s product portfolio includes a microgrid controller that serves these functionalities.
The top metrics used by the data centers industry are reliability, availability, redundancy, and cost effectiveness. Aero gas turbines are derived from aircraft engines, so they are the most reliable gas turbines in the industry. This reliability makes them a perfect fit for mission-critical applications like data centers that are subject to the Uptime Institute and similar reliability standards.
The growing power requirements of data centers are placing ever-higher pressure on utilities. See how GE Vernova can support data centers in generating reliable, flexible and cleaner energy.
After recent wildfires and drought conditions, California remains alert and prepared for energy emergencies. Anticipating a supply shortage if hydropower runs dry, the state’s Department of Water Resources (DWR) acted as procurement agent, commissioning four 30-MW GE TM2500 aeroderivative gas turbines.
Governor Newsom declared safeguarding the grid as imperative, but so was keeping it deeply green, as California sees massive success in meeting its own incredibly strict emissions rules. Honoring this with ingenuity, GE Vernova built in selective catalytic reduction scrubbers (SCRs) to the turbines for a markedly low NOx emission rating of 2.5 PPM (opposed to the average of 15). To date, this tech innovation with SCRs is the first of its kind.
Research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan has just named GE Vernova Gas Power its 2022 Customer Value Leader for our global data centers power solutions. The award was based on GE Vernova’s excellence in tracking and understanding the drivers that are impacting the data center environment, deep knowledge in gas turbine technologies, and innovative approach to addressing customer needs.
GE Vernova's aeroderivative gas turbines are known for their high efficiency, low emissions, durability, and high reliability—advantages that reciprocating engines can’t offer. Our gas turbines run on natural gas or a variety of other gases including biofuels, landfill gas, and combustible industrial waste gases. These gas turbines can ramp up to full power (and back down) in five minutes.
The LM2500 is the most reliable aeroderivative gas turbine in the world, featuring reliability consistently above 99.8%. Great for helping to meet needs where flexible power is required quickly and efficiently, the LM2500XPRESS 50 Hz and 60 Hz power plants feature a 34 MW simple cycle power output and up to 38% simple cycle efficiency.
Its start time for a simple cycle is fewer than 5 minutes, and its ramp rate is 30 MW/minute. The LM2500XPRESS is a modular and scalable, prefabricated, skid-mounted, pre-commissioned solution with reduced on-site installation and commissioning and a zero gas turbine water consumption requirement.
Recommended for mobile power applications available within three months and fast-track or short-term duration projects, the TM2500 50 Hz and 60 Hz solutions have a 33.6 MW average power output and 36.7% average net efficiency.
Its start time for a simple cycle is fewer than 5 minutes, and its ramp rate is 20 MW/minute. The TM2500 is a modular and scalable, prefabricated, skid-mounted, pre-commissioned solution with reduced on-site installation and commissioning and a zero gas turbine water consumption requirement.
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 41.4% net efficiency. Its start time for a simple cycle is less than 5 minutes, and its ramp rate is 30 MW/minute. The LM6000 offers 100% start reliability and >99% operational reliability, and availability. Its fast start allows operators to differentiate their dispatch capability, and its dual-fuel capabilities provide fuel flexibility and help customers meet emissions limits.
