Aggreko has shared its expertise in using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in mobile and modular power and called for improved supply infrastructure at 2019’s World LPG Association (WLPGA) Forum in Amsterdam.
The company was among a select group of 10 firms that presented papers to the prestigious conference, chosen from 33 applicants. At the forum, Aggreko was presented with a category award for best LPG applications, in recognition of its pioneering work in the sector.
LPG in the energy transition
Aggreko is one of the world’s few providers of LPG to power on a mobile and modular basis. Noreen Howat, Aggreko’s senior strategy manager, presented to delegates on the company’s use of LPG in a range of use cases, demonstrating how it can play a role in the transition to a low-carbon economy.
There is a great opportunity for LPG to act as a bridging fuel in the energy transition, as it provides power with lower emissions than would be achieved with the use of traditional fuels such as diesel or heavy fuel oil (HFO).
Low carbon footprint
LPG offers a lower carbon footprint while achieving the certainty and security of energy supply
LPG, therefore, offers end users the opportunity to lower their carbon footprint, while achieving the certainty and security of energy supply associated with thermal generation. The cost of the fuel can also be considerably lower than that of diesel.
These benefits can be compounded when LPG generators are combined with Aggreko’s hybrid solar and storage solutions, which further reduce the overall system's cost of operation and emissions.
LPG-to-power projects
Aggreko is currently looking at a wide range of LPG-to-power projects in some of the most remote regions throughout the world from utility-scale mobile generation on the island of St Croix in the US Virgin Islands to the possibility of providing LPG power to companies in Russia’s oil and gas sector in Siberia.
Each project presents specific challenges, but Aggreko’s experts work tirelessly to address the specific requirements of each customer and create bespoke power solution packages.
Barriers
As LPG infrastructure is still developing in many markets, it can be difficult to find the right partners
Despite the benefits of LPG, there are several barriers to uptake. One of the most pressing is the current lack of supply infrastructure. As LPG infrastructure is still developing in many markets, it can be difficult to find the right partners who can deliver large-scale to end users.
Aggreko is therefore calling on the industry to increase investment in supply infrastructure which can cater to much bigger offtakes than the industry is currently used to, and has stated its commitment to working with the wider WLPGA to help build a global LPG supply chain.
holistic power solution
Noreen Howat, Senior Strategy Manager at Aggreko, said, “There has never been a greater level of interest in LPG to power. LPG fits within the global energy transition and has a host of benefits including lower carbon emissions and lower costs, and the use of a rental model means our customers can avoid a large CAPEX outlay. Aggreko has vast experience with flexible, temporary, and scalable infrastructure and it is our ambition to develop global virtual pipelines and connect them with local power grids."
"Furthermore, a rental model can make the use of LPG more attractive to our customers, as Aggreko handles all stages of deployment, operation and maintenance, and demobilization. This allows us to offer our customers a holistic power solution under the umbrella of one OPEX payment.”
