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Resources
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Distributed GenerationDistributed generation (also known as distributed energy generation, distributed energy resources) offers solutions to many of the nation's most pressing energy and electric power problems. The recent rolling blackouts, rising energy costs, and power quality issues have created a renewed interest in finding alternate ways to tackle our nation’s power generation and distribution challenges.Most industrialized countries generate the bulk of their electricity in large centralized facilities, such as coal, nuclear, hydropower, or gas powered plants. These plants are generally located close to their fuel source but must transmit generated electricity over long distances to reach the end-user. Long range power transmission results in a substantial decrease in efficiency through line loss. Distributed generation takes an alternate approach. By generating electricity close to the source of consumption, transmission loss is significantly reduced. This results in power that is more stable and requires fewer, smaller power lines. Additionally, on-site power generation can take advantage of cogeneration or CHP systems to capture and use waste heat from the generation process to use for water or space heating. 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 generation. To find out more about our team and our research please contact us. |
