Building a gas plant literally in the middle of a wind farm represents almost every trend underway in the energy sector today.

In this slideshow, GE Energy documents the groundbreaking of the CPV Sentinel natural gas plant that uses turbines to complement intermittent renewables like wind and solar. The CPV plant uses the LMS100, a quick-starting gas turbine that can back-fill wind supply.

On May 25, GE first introduced its new FlexEfficiency 50 Combined Cycle Power Plant, a different model for gas turbines to quickly cycle up to full power and operate at a very high 61% operating efficiency to allow for integration with renewables. When the wind stops blowing, the turbines can be quickly powered up to compensate.

For more information on the turbines, see: The Power Plant Designed For A Supercycle.