Fired Up: Alumni Collaborate on Revolutionary Power Plant

In the Carnegie Mellon Today feature "Fired Up" by Melissa Silmore, the paths of alumni Paul Browning and Kerem Metin cross well after their time at CMU. Keenly aware of today's energy challenges, Browning and Metin have been collaborating on a revolutionary new power plant.

Enjoy an excerpt of the story below, and read the full story at: www.carnegiemellontoday.com. Photo by Ali Kabas

Fortuitously, in the spring of 2010, [Kerem] Metin and his father are invited to attend an exclusive presentation. GE has developed a revolutionary new technology for natural gas power generation and is eager to share it with select customers.

During the previous decade, there has been a huge change in the energy industry—the introduction of cost-effective renewable power sources—principally wind, with solar also becoming more viable. By definition, these sources are intermittent, available only when the sun shines or the wind blows. But we expect light when we hit a switch, so traditional sources like coal and natural gas must fill the gaps. Fortunately, natural gas power plants can cycle on and off in response. GE noticed many of its customers doing just that with increasing frequency. The problem is that ramping up and down decreases efficiency—or the percentage of burned fuel actually converted to usable energy. And as more fossil fuel is burned, the increased CO2 emissions cancel out the benefits of increased renewables.

In response, GE borrowed technology from its aircraft division, technology that allows a jet engine to rapidly shift from tarmac idle to full thrust for takeoff, both quickly and efficiently. They developed a power plant, a breakthrough they trademarked as FlexEfficiency 50. Its efficiency is unprecedented; it will ramp up at a rate of more than 50 megawatts per minute, twice the rate of today's industry benchmarks.

[Paul] Browning enthusiastically makes plans to unveil the product to potential developers: "Hey look, the world's got some big energy challenges. I'm running one of the world's biggest energy franchises and one of the people who has an opportunity to make a difference. It's a big part of why I come to work every day." Metin and his father travel to GE's shiny new Belfort, France, Technology Center for the presentation. They enter the meeting room with more than 100 others. Browning takes the stage. Everyone is keenly aware of energy issues that include cost, resource availability, environmental impact, and financial caveats. For example, natural gas is cleaner than coal, and environmentally conscious countries like Turkey offer incentives for the use of renewables.

Browning presents. The Metins are intrigued by FlexEfficiency 50 because they're looking for a power plant facility that integrates all three sources—natural gas, solar, and wind. It seems FlexEfficiency 50 may be the answer. Browning chats with them after his presentation and is equally intrigued. He has seen solar energy integrated into a natural gas power plant but never with the capabilities of his product. And natural gas, solar, and wind combined? It has never been done. The three men agree to continue the conversation in greater detail by scheduling a meeting at GE's headquarters in Schenectady, N.Y.

A few weeks later, Metin and his father arrive for the meeting and are whisked away to a conference room on the sixth floor of Building #37. There, they sit down with Browning and his heads of finance, marketing, and manufacturing. Browning starts to tell his visitors that the building was constructed years ago and is a significant landmark in Schenectady. Not one for small talk, Metin's father stops the tale halfway through. The younger Metin, filling the awkward silence, mentions that he lived in the United States when he attended Carnegie Mellon University.
"So did I!" exclaims Browning.

"When you're at that early stage in a deal and realize you've got that kind of personal connection, it actually makes a big difference," he says. "You go from being newly introduced strangers to people who share a common past. I honestly think it helped us take the next steps."

And those steps begin a marathon—from the early concept and technology development to financing the project valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars. "When you're doing a large, strategic deal, there are all sorts of things that can go sideways on you," Browning notes. During the next several months, dozens of meetings take place. Browning makes five trips to Istanbul. When sticking points arise, Browning and Metin huddle privately and come back with solutions, earning themselves the nickname "Carnegie Mafia." When the final "king of contracts" is finished, it's a whopping 7,900 pages and sits 2 feet high.

The 530-megawatt plant is expected to be operational by 2015 and combine the use of natural gas, solar, and wind energy. With renewable integration, they estimate an efficiency of 69%, approximately 20% better than the best existing facility, which in annual CO2 emissions equates to taking 12,000 cars off the road. It's a tremendous achievement in an industry that pours hundreds of millions of dollars to chase an extra percentage point in efficiency. Metin is proud to report that the project is also "financially strong. There are a lot of good ideas around the world," he says, "but if they're not financially sound, they're just good ideas."

GE and MetCap announce the deal in June 2011. Within two weeks, they give more than 100 interviews to worldwide media. Metin understands the interest. "This is working for a better world," he says. "We have to take charge of our future. I have two sons. One is a year old, the other is nine. What are we going to leave for them?"