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Resources
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Distributed Energy ResourcesDistributed energy resources have the potential to solve many of the nation's most pressing electrical power issues. Traditionally, our power requirements have been satisfied by the production of energy in large, centralized facilities such as coal, nuclear, hydropower or gas powered plants. Though these plants have excellent economies of scale, the side effect of their mass production efforts is the long distance transmission of energy to the intended point of consumption. This creates waste and inefficiency throughout the nation’s power grid.Distributed energy resources, or distributed generation, is an entirely different approach to power production and transmission. This type of system greatly reduces the amount of energy lost in transmitting electricity because the electricity is generated very near where it is used, many times in the same building. This also reduces the size and number of power lines that must be constructed. If the power source is a cogeneration, or CHP unit, there may also be opportunities to reclaim exhaust heat for space or water heating, or to drive an absorptive chiller for air-conditioning. The Cooling, Heating and Power Technologies Program Team at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory works in the development of systems to explore the opportunities and adoption of distributed energy resources. Our efforts are geared to one common goal: cutting wasteful energy use while saving money. To find out more about our team or our research please contact us. |
