Distributed Energy Generation
Published on : Monday 30-11--0001
In the case of distributed energy generation, energy is generated near where it is used. Examples of distributed energy generation are the use of bagasse for heat or electricity in sugar mills, solar panels on homes for electricity, solar water heaters in homes for heating and use of biomass at village levels to generate electricity using gasifiers and gensets.
As the world moves towards more renewable sources of energy, distributed energy generation will become more widespread in India. Consider the following:
- India has about 20 million agriculture pumps which are grossly inefficient. Of these 20 million, 5 million runs on diesel which makes them very costly to operate. There is an opportunity to create distributed sources of energy which can power these diesel pumps on a standalone basis.
- India has huge Agri-waste (600 million tonnes) which can be used locally for power generation using either biomass gasification or bio-methanation route.
- There are some locations in India that are suitable for producing power from small hydro stations.
- Landfill gas and electricity generation from organic waste is another area where India could utilize existing waste resources for generating energy at a local level.
While the above are the advantages of utilizing distributed sources for producing energy in India, there are some bottlenecks in the way of using distributed energy sources in a big way.
- Capacity factors can be low for smaller versions of some renewable energy sources – for instance, micro wind, while good, in theory, suffers from low capacity factors making it impractical at this point
- The cost of many renewable energy sources for DEG is not yet low enough. It still costs Rs 16-17 to generate one kWh of electricity using solar PV. When the household is getting the same at Rs 4 from the utility, it is next to impossible to convince them to use a DEG! Incentives such as those proposed to be provided by the National Solar Mission appear to be more intended for large-scale users of renewable energy sources. Unless equivalent benefits accrue to small and micro users, distributed energy generation will not be adopted on a large scale.
- Low Awareness – Awareness of renewable energy sources is very low in India. As a consequence, even fewer realize that there are distributed sources of energy that their households or small scale businesses could make use.
Distributed Energy Resource is a combination of environment friendly energy generation unit to form a large Unit enough to power a locality such as Combined Heat power also known as cogeneration or trigeneration, Fuel Cells, Hybrid power systems (solar hybrid and wind hybrid systems), Micro combined heat and power, Microturbines, Photovoltaic systems (typically rooftop solar PV), Reciprocating engines, Small wind power systems, Stirling engines. Space Technology is fuelling the growth of Distributed Energy Generation in a whole new way. The technology powering satellites and space stations now being used to power up the locality have increased the chances of this technology accepting worldwide with cheaper bills and being environment friendly as well.
Distributed Energy Generation core strength lies in creating smaller energy sources without disturbing the already existing bigger. A power station on every city block, making the long-distance transmission and its associated losses irrelevant is the main feature of DEG in technology. A lot of small power plants with the mass production effect will drive down the cost. Smart micro grids and small power plants that are using renewable energy work well on landscapes.
Big power plants - whether they are based on fossil fuels, nuclear energy, or renewable energy - are expensive to build and have very long payback periods. Build several smaller plants based on renewable sources, can easily decommission them a little at a time and adopt new technologies.
Role of Distributed Energy Generation in Automation
Automation and distribution energy systems have a great role to play in the future. Distribution automation systems majorly use sensors, remote terminals and computer software to seamlessly integrate varied but intermittent sources of energy. This electricity includes solar, wind, geothermal and biomass into the power grid, and reduce the risk of system failure.
Another advantage of distribution automation is that it automatically identifies and isolates network power outages and, in a matter of milliseconds, switches to new feed sources to insure power quality and continuity. Thus, transmission systems with DA become more “self-healing” than ever, using computer controls to perform the switching that previously was done manually.
Known brands in the field of Distributed Energy Generation
Ansaldo Energia
Ballard Power Systems
Bloom Energy
Capstone Turbine Corporation
First Solar
Trends in India
The global distributed energy generation market is dominated by various well-established large vendors and is highly fragmented. During the forecast period, various small-scale vendors are expected to enter the market, seeking support from large corporations.
Growth Pattern And Expansion Plans
Advancements in technology and connectivity are enabling energy users and producers to take an active role in the energy marketplace.”
Distributed energy generation will be the key to integrating various power generation sources across countries. Governments worldwide have set targets for distributed energy generation. For instance, Brazil launched its ProGD program in 2015 to achieve 23 GW of solar distributed energy generation by 2030; to accelerate this development, the Brazilian Government reduced the taxes on solar equipment. Similarly, India has set a target of 30 GW solar distributed energy generation by 2022. These targets, even if not met 100%, will still be resilient enough to provide a boost to the global distributed energy generation market during the forecast period.
Innovations Ahead In Distributed Energy Generation
In the future, electric power distribution utilities will need to plan, operate and innovate in a variety of new ways to contend with the changing nature of electricity system resources and opportunities. A distributed energy future leads to changing paradigms, changing needs in planning and innovation by distribution utilities, and changing regulatory directions. The changing paradigm encompasses two-way power flows, local integration and balancing, functional control of distributed resources, the changing nature of the boundary between transmission and distribution systems, the changing nature of resources and customers, and new business models. Changing needs in planning and innovation include handling two-way reversible power flows; interconnecting storage and electric vehicles; controlling flexible-demand resources; distribution system monitoring, analysis and modelling; renewable energy output forecasting; smart inverters; and data networks, analysis, and storage.
Distribution systems have been planned around two main principles: forecasting changes in customer load and planning upgrades and extensions on that basis; and anticipating equipment replacement needs as equipment reaches the end of its useful life. These planning questions historically had to be addressed only for the purpose of passive one-way delivery of energy from the high-voltage transmission grid to the end-use customers. Distribution system design and planning was thus quite standard and changed little over the decades. Distribution utilities did not necessarily need to be innovators, just good forecasters, and planners, and could focus primarily on safety and reliability.
In the future, distribution utilities will need to plan, operate and innovate in a variety of new ways to contend with much higher penetrations of distributed energy resources, and consequent two-way power flows and added reliability challenges. Moreover, demand response, storage, smart inverters, micro-grids, and a host of other emerging technologies are appearing on the “customer side of the meter” in new ways, posing further challenges for planning and management. Distribution utilities will be required to monitor, collect, analyse, and use data in new ways, and will be required to analytically model their distribution systems to a degree far beyond current practice. Moreover, utilities will be required to use a wide variety of information and communication technologies to achieve the necessary integration of all of these elements.