US utility American Electric Power and G.A.S. Capital Inc have formed a joint venture company, AEP Gas Power Systems, to manufacture and market 1.2 MW gas turbine generators under the name Innovator. They are aimed at the cogeneration, remote site and back up market, and will be based on a Lycoming turbine, a compact, reliable unit extensively adapted from a Vietnam-era helicopter engine.
AEP GPS are mainly looking at the demand for flexible, medium sized generators that can be transported easily and erected at speed for the industrial and distributed generation markets. The Innovator, which fires liquid or gaseous fuels, can be shipped in standard containers and assembled within a month from order date. It can also respond quickly in electrical terms – it can take on the load in 30 seconds. The company claims that its simple design from proven components promotes reliability and low first costs. And its flexibility is such that it can be installed in a cogeneration configuration or programmed for peak shaving, cutting in automatically at times of high demand, high tariff.
