Princeton University says its facilities department earlier this fall successfully operated its campus energy plant boilers and gas turbine cogeneration system on soy-based biodiesel.

Energy plant manager Ted Borer said it was the first of its kind in New Jersey for stationary boilers and marked the first time in the world that biodiesel has been used to fuel GE’s LM1600 gas turbine, which originally was developed as the engine for the Stealth Fighter and the Navy FA-18. At Princeton, the turbine is used to generate steam for heating and 15 megawatts of electric power for the campus.

Results are being evaluated to see if biodiesel is a viable alternative to the ultra-low sulfur diesel that currently is used when natural gas supplies are unavailable, but Borer said: “We’re very encouraged by the early results of the test.”

For more, see the Princeton Weekly Bulletin.