By Jason Rodriguez, CEO and Director of Research, Zpryme
Jason Rodriguez, CEO, Director of Research, Zpryme
Currently, distributed generation plays a very limited role in the U.S. electric grid. However, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA projects U.S. commercial sector distributed generation capacity to increase from 1.9 GW in 2009 to 6.8 GW in 2035. A key driver of this growth will be state Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS provisions for wind, solar and other distributed generation sources. Currently, 16 states and Washington, D.C. have included provisions for solar and distributed generation in their renewable portfolio standards.
«Distributed generation has the potential to help us sustainably and securely meet our growing energy demand,» said John McDonald, Director, Technical Strategy Policy Development, GE’s Digital Energy business. «However, most of today’s infrastructure is unable to maximize the benefits of renewable resources, such as wind and solar. Grid capacity constraints and congestion can act as a barrier to full utilization, and renewable variability can cause reliability challenges at relatively high levels of penetration.»
«In addition, the current grid was not designed with multi-directional power flow in mind to support distributed generation. Grid modernization technologies are essential to realize the great promise of renewable energy sources and distributed generation. With the innovative solutions available today we can improve grid efficiency and reliability, eliminating the electrical ‘waste’ that contributes to line congestion. Two-way power flow, sophisticated controls, and grid automation technologies can help bring wind, solar and other alternative energy solutions safely into the distribution grid and move it where it’s needed when it’s needed. Renewable power can become as mainstream as coal is today, thereby reducing carbon emissions, natural resource depletion, and dependence on foreign oil,» McDonald added.
Benefits of Distributed Generation
Distributed generation offers many benefits to the current electrical grid. The main benefits of distributed generation include increased grid reliability, energy efficiency, security and environmental improvements. Distributed energy increases the reliability of the grid because electricity is used close to where it is generated. Excess energy can be used to enhance the grid during times of need and it can be configured to meet demand. Distributed generation improves energy efficiency by allowing on-site generation to meet local need and for re-routing to distributed resources during times of need, such as during outages. In addition, it offers improved security options in times of catastrophes or terrorist attacks. Further, a more distributed system offers a safety net where outages in one area can be addressed through distributed resources.
According to smart-grid pioneer Andres Carvallo, EVP and Chief Strategy Officer at Proximetry, distributed generation will also play a key role in advancing energy storage technologies.
«As new distributed energy technologies evolve and proliferate in their adoption (e.g., solar PV, electric vehicles, etc., energy storage will become a key indispensable component of the new two-way power flow distribution smart grid designs that will be needed to support residential and commercial customers,» Carvallo explained.
Traditionally, distributed generation was limited to PV solar and wind technologies. Not only have these two genres been expanded, as more efficient thin-film solar technology, and smaller, more powerful wind turbines have been introduced, but new types of distributed generation have been developed. Two projects demonstrate the potential benefits of distributed generation — the University of California San Diego and the New York State Center for Future Energy Systems.
The University of California San Diego
The University of California San Diego (UCSD is an example of an efficient micro-grid serving a local community. Founded in 1960, its distributed generation system supplies 85 percent of all of its energy needs. Overseen by the Jacob’s School of Engineering, the system saves the university more than $8 million annually.
UCSD utilizes co-generation through a power plant that has a 30 MW natural-gas-fired combined heat and power (CHP system. It has earned the EPA’s Energy Star CHP award and offers high efficiency and low emissions to comprise the bulk of energy production for the university. The university utilizes PV solar energy first installing 1.2 MW and then expanding their PV array to 2.0 MW. The array is comprised of several types of solar PV panels suited to the location of their installation: conventional flat panels, sun tracking, concentrating PVs and energy storage. UCSD also employs a 2.8 MV fuel cell, providing for 8 percent of all of its energy needs. The fuel cell converts methane gas from the local Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant into electricity without combustion. Finally, UCSD utilizes solar thermal energy from a 300 KW plant for the last component of their distributed generation energy system.
The University of California at San Diego’s distributed energy system is so successful that it has allowed the University to be a model for the local community and form a partnership with the City of San Diego, GE, San Diego Gas and Electric, and Clean Tech San Diego to turn the city of San Diego into one of the first smart cities in the United States. It now serves as a model of how to utilize energy from multiple sources to meet a community’s energy needs.
The New York State Center for Future Energy Systems
The New York State Center for Future Energy Systems (NYSCFE is a research laboratory in New York State founded in 1983. Its main focus is to identify and test ways to make energy more efficient and expand the available renewable energy technology. It does this by conducting research into many different types of distributed generation, as well as utilizing the energy in its facilities.
NYSCFE has focused on increasing the energy efficiency and reducing the costs associated with photovoltaic technology. This includes multi-wavelength stacked photovoltaic arrays, thin-film and organic and inorganic compounds for the solar cell materials, as well as thermo-photovoltaic. NYSCFE has been working on a large array of fuel cell technology, including nano-materials, bio-fuel cells, sensors, bi-polar plates, and systems engineering. The center is creating more advanced fuel cell systems and components as well as next-generation technology and development practices. The research being conducted on thermal energy is focused on the ways to alter the process of collection and conversion to produce higher results.
Nano-scale technology is being developed using new materials and processes. Wind turbine research is being conducted to increase efficiency and production potential, such as turbine blade design, power conversion, creating integrated wind turbines, using synthetic jets, and increasing control and stability of multiple turbines. NYSCFE is also working with the Smart Lighting Engineering Research Center and the Rensselaer Lighting Research Center to produce new technology that will offer more efficient lighting potential, increase energy efficiency, and reduce the need to build new power plants. Finally, new materials and nano-materials are being tested to offer more efficient energy storage for distributed generation needs.
The research currently being conducted at NYSCFE will lead the way in new technological developments to increase the efficiency and reliability of distributed generation in the future. In addition to the Applied Research departments, NYSCFE has established the Center for Advanced Technology (CAT, which participated in the State of New York’s $109 million investment in CAT programs. The entire CAT investment program generated more than 5,000 jobs, increased sales of partners by $1. 6 billion, and saved companies $700 million.
Challenges Remain
Distributed generation has many challenges to overcome before it can move from an introductory technology, to a growth-oriented technology. However, it offers enormous potential, especially when taken from many different types of sources, as demonstrated at the University of California San Diego and the New York Center for Future Energy.
What is clear from both projects is that utilizing distributed energy sources can provide enormous benefits both to the communities it serves and to the utility that serves them.
About the AuthorJason Rodriguez spearheads strategy and market research projects for clients in the clean-tech, renewable energy, smart grid, semiconductor, automotive, mobile device and IT industries. Recently, Rodriguez has led the development of significant industry reports on smart appliances, V2G, advanced metering infrastructure, demand response technology, consumer smart grid attitudes, private and public networks, electric vehicles and renewable energy for the smart grid. Rodriguez has held prior roles as an analyst in the energy industry for Pedernales Electric Cooperative Inc. , Verizon Wireless, the Institute for Business Home Safety, and the Center for Economic Development Research at the University of South Florida.
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