DISTRIBUTED GENERATION 2. Desert power. Four of the five massive MAN 20V32/44CR diesel engines that will power a new cement plant in Saudi Arabia wait for installation in the laydown area. Courtesy: MAN 3. Island power. The new Pointe Jarry diesel power plant in Guadeloupe is significantly cleaner and more efficient than the plant it replaced. Courtesy: MAN Jeddah and the Al-Sadiya Mountains near the kingdom's west coast (Figure 2). The plant will be powered by five 11.2-MW MAN 20V32/44CR diesel engines, which feature HPCR technology and sophisticated electronic controls to maintain peak fuel efficiency and low emissions. The cement plant is far from the national grid, so the MAN engines will serve as its sole source of power. Diesel was also chosen for its traditional advantages of reliability and rugged technology, which are important for a site that sees 50C heat and regular sandstorms. Though the engines are being adapted for the harsh climate, they need little of the advanced cooling and environmental controls that would be necessary for a gas turbine-based plant. Fuel costs, as well, are much less of an issue in a country with ample fossil fuel resources. This plant is expected to begin operations in 2016. A larger plant MAN completed in July, the 210-MW Pointe Jarry project on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, illustrates how far diesel generation has come in recent years (Figure 3). Compared with the plant it replaced, Pointe Jarry uses 15% less fuel and emits 85% less NOx as a result of improved technology and the addition of an SCR system. Retrofitting more advanced systems onto existing gensets can also reap significant dividends. Wärtsilä recently handled a projCIRCLE 24 ON READER SERVICE CARD October 2015 | POWER www.powermag.com 53http://www.powermag.com