Assemblymember Joan Buchanan recently announced that Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory was awarded $600,000 from the California Energy Commission to develop a low-cost nitrogen oxide (NOx) sensor for small distributed generators.

Funding for the approved project comes from the Energy Commission’s Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) program. The low-cost, highly sensitive sensor will be able to measure very low emission levels of NOx and can seamlessly integrate with NOx pollution-control systems.

“The project will help develop technology that can be used to more cost-effectively reduce emissions in California,” Buchanan said.

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore will develop a NOx sensor for small distributed generators that find it difficult to achieve required control levels. Existing NOx sensors lack the accuracy and precision needed to help control or monitor emissions from small natural gas-fueled engines.

The researchers plan to build on their success in developing automotive NOx sensors to customize them for stationary distributed generators. Prototype sensors will be built and tested in simulated environments in the laboratory before final testing in operating generators.

The California Energy Commission’s PIER program supports public interest research and development that helps improve the quality of life in California by bringing environmentally safe, reliable and affordable energy services and products to the marketplace.