Australia's SGC and French waste-gasification specialist SMO have jointly announced plans to deploy 50 units of solar-powered waste-to-energy systems in Australia. They aim to deploy 100 MW of systems within the next three years, with plans to scale the operation up to 1 GW within five years.
“Through an advanced plasma gasification process, the technology transforms a wide range of waste – from municipal solid waste to industrial refuse and biomass – into high-quality syngas while effectively capturing carbon emissions,” they said in a joint press release. “This process not only minimizes reliance on landfills but also generates renewable energy in various forms, such as electricity, green hydrogen, and ammonia, contributing to a low-carbon economy.”
The SMO solar-powered technology starts by pre-processing and removing non-processable materials. The processable material is then shredded, and a plasma gasifier uses high-temperature plasma torches to break down waste into its basic molecular components. In the process, syngas – a mixture of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and minor amounts of carbon dioxide – is produced and then purified.
“Depending on the specific configuration, the clean syngas can be used in several ways to generate electricity,” the companies said. “It can power internal combustion engines, turbines, or fuel cells, converting the chemical energy in the syngas into electrical energy.”
SGC noted that the project is expected to create more than 300 jobs in Australia and potentially supply clean electricity to more than 1,500,000 households. Once a 1 GW of capacity is reached, the companies claim they will be able to offset more than 5 million tons of CO2 emissions per year.
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