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A GE 7FA gas turbine in a combined cycle plant at full power is better than 50% thermally efficient. A Diesel or Gasoline engine is no where near that effcient. If you can recover the exhaust heat and cooling water heat, and use it for heating something else, you could approach those effciencies. But there is only so much you need to heat when your electric demands are very high. There is also an issue of cost. 2 GE 7FA Gas Turbines in a Combined Cycle plant will produce about 500-550 mW. Cost is $120M-$150M. Installed cost is about $200-300/kW. Power producetion wheeled to my house is $0.10/kwh. My Generator has an 8 gallon tank, will produce 5kw for 6 hours. @$3.00/gallon, this is $0.80/kwh, just for fuel. If I were to switch that to Natural Gas, the cost would be about 1/3rd, or $0.25-$0.30/kwh.
Buying electricity doesn't sound so bad!
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James
The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the engineer adjusts the sails.- William Arthur Ward (1921-1994)
Red-beard for President, 2020
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