Cogent Energy Systems wins in NREL opp to demonstrate small-scale waste-to-energy in microgrids
In Virginia, Cogent Energy Systems emerged as a winner in a competitive selection process to work collaboratively with researchers at the Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) located in Golden, Colorado. This collaboration will enable Cogent to demonstrate the company’s HelioStorm gasification system for small-scale waste to electricity production in ESIF’s simulated microgrid environment. This is Cogent’s second partnership with NREL following an earlier agreement for testing synthesis gas produced by the HelioStorm gasifier.
Cogent’s small-scale waste-to-energy (WTE) technology was chosen from a large pool of applicants as part of NREL’s search for high impact projects that address the challenges of grid modernization in the United States. Cogent’s project will show how best to integrate WTE with multiple other technologies such as solar power, wind power and energy storage in a microgrid environment. An important goal for NREL is to find technologies that are scalable and can offer valuable lessons for national implementation.
The flexibility and modular nature of Cogent’s gasification technology allows it to meet this goal and makes it an ideal fit for small-scale waste-to-energy applications. The project is slated to begin this summer and will see the installation of a HelioStorm-based WTE system at the ESIF in early 2018. Using Cogent’s ultra-high temperature ionic gasification technology, the system will process waste materials into on-demand electric power. The Heliostorm WTE system performance will be validated using ESIF’s simulated microgrid test environment.
Category: Fuels
