Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Distributed Generation shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Distributed Generation offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Distributed Generation at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Distributed Generation? Wrong! If the Distributed Generation is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Distributed Generation then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Distributed Generation? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Distributed Generation and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Distributed Generation wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Distributed Generation then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Distributed Generation site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Distributed Generation, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Distributed Generation, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
Distributed generation generates
electricity from many small energy sources. It has also been called also called
on-site generation,
dispersed generation,
embedded generation,
decentralized generation,
decentralized energy or
distributed energy.
Currently, industrial countries generate most of their electricity in large centralized facilities, such as coal power plants,
nuclear reactors, hydropower or combined cycle.
These plants have excellent economies of scale, but usually transmit electricity long distances. Coal plants do so to prevent pollution of the cities. Nuclear reactors are thought too unsafe to be in a city. Dam sites are often both unsafe, and intentionally far from cities. The coal and nuclear plants are often considered too far away for their waste heat to be used for heating buildings.
Low pollution is a crucial advantage of
combined cycle plants that burn natural gas. The low pollution permits the plants to be near enough to a city to be used for district heating and cooling.
So-called inherently safe
nuclear reactors such as the pebble bed reactors and
molten salt reactors have no proven safety advantage: They are unlikely to be safe enough to be deployed near cities, nor to be used for process waste heat generation either.
Distributed generation is another approach. It reduces the amount of energy lost in transmitting electricity because the electricity is generated very near where it is used, perhaps even in the same building. This also reduces the size and number of power lines that must be constructed.
Typical distributed power sources have low maintenance, low pollution and high efficiencies. In the past, these traits required dedicated operating engineers, and large, complex plants to pay their salaries and reduce pollution. However, modern
embedded systems can provide these traits with automated operation and clean fuels, such as sunlight, wind and
natural gas. This reduces the size of power plant that can show a profit.
The usual problem with distributed generators are their high costs.
The one exception is probably microhydropower. A well-designed plant has nearly zero maintenance costs, and generates useful power indefinitely.
One favored source is Photovoltaic modules on the roofs of buildings. These have high construction costs ($2.50/W, 2007). This is about fiftyfold higher than coal power plants ($0.047/W, 2007) and 40-fold higher than nuclear plants ($0.06/W, 2007). Most solar cells also have waste disposal issues, since solar cells often contain heavy-metal electronic wastes. The plus side is that unlike coal and hydropower, there are no pollution, mining safety or operating safety issues.
Another favored source is small
wind generator. These have low maintenance, and low pollution. Construction costs and total safety are also manyfold ($0.80/W, 2007) more per watt than large power plants, except in very windy areas. Wind towers and generators have substantial insurable liabilities caused by high winds, but good operating safety.
Distributed
cogeneration sources use natural gas-fired
microturbines or reciprocating engines to turn generators. The hot exhaust is then used for space or water heating, or to drive an absorptive chiller for air-conditioning. The clean fuel has only low pollution. Designs currently have uneven reliability, with some makes having excellent maintenance costs, and others being unacceptable.
Cogenerators are also more expensive per watt than central generators. They find favor because most buildings already burn fuels, and the cogeneration can extract more value from the fuel.
Some larger installations utilize
combined cycle generation. Usually this consists of a
gas turbine whose exhaust boils
water for a
steam turbine in a Rankine cycle. The condenser of the steam cycle provides the heat for space heating or an absorptive chiller. Combined cycle plants with cogeneration have the highest known thermal efficiencies, often exceeding 85%.
In countries with high pressure gas distribution, small turbines can be used to bring the gas pressure to domestic levels whilst extracting useful energy. If the UK were to implement this countrywide an additional 2-4GWe would become available. (Note that the energy is already being generated elsewhere to provide the high initial gas pressure - this method simply distributes the energy via a different route.)
See also
External links
- Decentralized Power as Part of Local and Regional Plans
- IEEE P1547 Draft Standard for Interconnecting Distributed Resources with Electric Power Systems
- Gas-Fired Distributed Energy Resource Technology Characterizations
- World Alliance for Decentralized Energy
- Biofuels and 2OC pressure energy recovery
Distributed generation generates
electricity from many small energy sources. It has also been called also called
on-site generation,
dispersed generation,
embedded generation,
decentralized generation,
decentralized energy or
distributed energy.
Currently, industrial countries generate most of their electricity in large centralized facilities, such as coal power plants,
nuclear reactors,
hydropower or
combined cycle.
These plants have excellent economies of scale, but usually transmit electricity long distances. Coal plants do so to prevent pollution of the cities. Nuclear reactors are thought too unsafe to be in a city. Dam sites are often both unsafe, and intentionally far from cities. The coal and nuclear plants are often considered too far away for their waste heat to be used for heating buildings.
Low pollution is a crucial advantage of
combined cycle plants that burn natural gas. The low pollution permits the plants to be near enough to a city to be used for
district heating and cooling.
So-called inherently safe nuclear reactors such as the
pebble bed reactors and molten salt reactors have no proven safety advantage: They are unlikely to be safe enough to be deployed near cities, nor to be used for process waste heat generation either.
Distributed generation is another approach. It reduces the amount of energy lost in transmitting electricity because the electricity is generated very near where it is used, perhaps even in the same building. This also reduces the size and number of power lines that must be constructed.
Typical distributed power sources have low maintenance, low pollution and high efficiencies. In the past, these traits required dedicated operating engineers, and large, complex plants to pay their salaries and reduce pollution. However, modern
embedded systems can provide these traits with automated operation and clean fuels, such as sunlight, wind and natural gas. This reduces the size of power plant that can show a profit.
The usual problem with distributed generators are their high costs.
The one exception is probably microhydropower. A well-designed plant has nearly zero maintenance costs, and generates useful power indefinitely.
One favored source is Photovoltaic modules on the roofs of buildings. These have high construction costs ($2.50/W, 2007). This is about fiftyfold higher than coal power plants ($0.047/W, 2007) and 40-fold higher than nuclear plants ($0.06/W, 2007). Most solar cells also have waste disposal issues, since solar cells often contain heavy-metal electronic wastes. The plus side is that unlike coal and hydropower, there are no pollution, mining safety or operating safety issues.
Another favored source is small wind generator. These have low maintenance, and low pollution. Construction costs and total safety are also manyfold ($0.80/W, 2007) more per watt than large power plants, except in very windy areas. Wind towers and generators have substantial insurable liabilities caused by high winds, but good operating safety.
Distributed cogeneration sources use
natural gas-fired microturbines or
reciprocating engines to turn generators. The hot exhaust is then used for space or water heating, or to drive an
absorptive chiller for air-conditioning. The clean fuel has only low pollution. Designs currently have uneven reliability, with some makes having excellent maintenance costs, and others being unacceptable.
Cogenerators are also more expensive per watt than central generators. They find favor because most buildings already burn fuels, and the cogeneration can extract more value from the fuel.
Some larger installations utilize
combined cycle generation. Usually this consists of a
gas turbine whose exhaust boils
water for a steam turbine in a
Rankine cycle. The condenser of the steam cycle provides the heat for space heating or an absorptive chiller. Combined cycle plants with cogeneration have the highest known thermal efficiencies, often exceeding 85%.
In countries with high pressure gas distribution, small turbines can be used to bring the gas pressure to domestic levels whilst extracting useful energy. If the UK were to implement this countrywide an additional 2-4GWe would become available. (Note that the energy is already being generated elsewhere to provide the high initial gas pressure - this method simply distributes the energy via a different route.)
See also
External links
- Decentralized Power as Part of Local and Regional Plans
- IEEE P1547 Draft Standard for Interconnecting Distributed Resources with Electric Power Systems
- Gas-Fired Distributed Energy Resource Technology Characterizations
- World Alliance for Decentralized Energy
- Biofuels and 2OC pressure energy recovery
Distributed Generation
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Distributed generation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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