Polar Works-Benefits of

The Polar Works Inlet Air Cooling system offers a wide range of benefits, to address the many challenges faced by today's power generation industry.

Technical/Operational Benefits
Financial Benefits
Environmental Benefits

Polar Works IAC System Surpasses Other Technologies

Polar Works is developing a proprietary inlet air cooling technology that provides much greater efficiency and output than previous methods have offered. Our desiccant-based Polar Works IAC System, which addresses high latent heat loads, has three key advantages:

It is more effective in humid climates than evaporation systems
It is more economical in humid climates than other refrigeration systems
It reliably achieves much lower inlet air cooling temperatures, nearly flat-lining performance for virtually every operating hour of the year

Polar Works' new technology brings the elements of the North Pole (cold and dry) to a gas turbine. By offering a dry technology, with relative humidity less than 65%, the Polar Works IAC System prevents icing in the inlet duct and the turbine bell-mouth. Other existing cooling technologies result in air humidity near 100%, which limits air temperatures to above 40°F (4.4°C), and in many cases to above 50°F (10°C).

More Power, All Year

The Polar Works IAC System can achieve air temperatures well below freezing. This not only increases the amount of power available on a hot summer day, but it also dramatically extends the operating season of the system. A typical inlet air cooling system is turned off at least half of the year, and the remaining time it often operates at less than half load. This translates into a system capacity factor of less than 25% overall. In contrast, the Polar Works IAC System exceeds an annual average capacity factor of 50%, with the potential to exceed capacity factors of 75%. For base-loaded plants, this means more kW-hours dropping to the bottom line, with each new kW-hour coming in at a lower Heat Rate. For Merchant plants, this means a better Economic Dispatch Order and the ability to forgo duct-firing.

Turn-Key Installations

Polar Works will design, specify and construct turn-key Polar Works IAC Systems. Green-field construction projects will find this technology appealing to build into their operations from the start. In addition, the increasing demands of the Merchant market make the Polar Works IAC System a wise choice for back-fit to existing utility and IPP gas turbine plants. Because our technology is specified for air temperatures as low as 0°F, we can install a system at any time of the year and still make plenty of extra power right away.

The Polar Works B/O/O Model

With the Polar Works Build/Own/Operate (B/O/O) model, we offer an existing gas turbine plant the opportunity to have a team of power plant professionals design, build, and operate the desired inlet cooling addition. Why? Because we believe that an inlet cooling system, when properly designed, more nearly approximates a new capacity addition rather than a capital improvement project. This means that a large inlet cooling project should be treated as if you were building a new power plant, and should be financed in the same way.

Polar Works doesn't simply arrange for off-balance sheet financing or leasing. Rather, we provide a refrigeration service. In determining the appropriate model, we can use your existing Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) as a starting point. Each Polar Works B/O/O plant is set up as its own legal and operating entity, enabling us to attract diversified, low-cost financing for each project.

Environmentally Advantageous

The Polar Works IAC System offers many advantages from an environmental standpoint:

Allows incremental peaking duty for newest, cleanest gas turbine plants
Reduces need for stand-alone peakers, limiting "stack sprawl"
Displaces older, dirtier technologies when most critical, during the summer "smog alert" days experienced during heat waves
Displaces duct-firing requirements in combined cycle plants
Increases cycle energy efficiency, reducing pollutants as a factor of power output