Distributed Generation (DG) is generation of electricity by small-scale power plants located near the electric loads they serve.
Distributed generation networks act like peer-to-peer file sharing systems like bit torrent on the internet rather than the primitive internet and conventional grid with few centers of information and energy, respectively. DG is therefore much less susceptible to large-scale power outages caused by natural or the increasing number of manmade disasters that threaten national security.
Distributed generation is also known as i) Back-up Generation, ii) Stand-by Generation, iii) Cogeneration or Cogen, iv) Combined Heat and Power (CHP), v) Renewable Generation, and vi) Remote Power.
Types of Distributed Generation Technologies
- Microturbines -- Microturbines are small combustion turbines that produce between 25 kW and 500 kW of electric power and allow for the waste heat to be captured.
- Combustion Turbines
- Reciprocating Engines - Reciprocating engines use one or more pistons to convert pressure into a rotating motion they are the most common and most technically mature of all DG technologies.
- Stirling Engines- Stirling engines are classed as external combustion engines - sealed systems with an inert working fluid, usually air, helium or hydrogen.
- Fuel Cells - A fuel cell is an electrochemical device in which the energy of a chemical reaction is converted directly into electricity. By combining H2 fuel with O2 from air, electricity is formed, without combustion of any form. H2O and heat are the only by-products when H2 is used as the fuel source.
- Solar Photovoltaics - Photovoltaic (PV) systems convert light energy directly into electricity. Solar photovoltiacs are a technically feasibile and sustianabile solution to our future energy needs. Commonly known as “solar cells.”
- Wind Turbines - Wind turbines use the wind to produce electrical power