Distributed generation

From Swikipedia

Introduction

Electricity generation plant that is connected directly to distribution networks rather than to the high voltage transmition systems (the National Grid). It includes much renewable generation (eg wind farms) as well as LZC technologies that generate electricity.

Brief Description

For a large and dispersed rural country, decentralized power generation systems, where in electricity is generated at consumer end and there by avoiding transmission and distribution costs, offers a better solution. Gokak Committee had gone into details about the concept of decentralized generation to meet the needs of rural masses. The main recommendations of the Committee are as under:

1. The concept of Distributed Generation (D.G.) has been taken as decentralized generation and distribution of power especially in the rural areas. In India, the deregulation of the power sector has not made much headway but the problem of T&D losses, the unreliability of the grid and the problem of remote and inaccessible regions have provoked the debate on the subject.

2. The D.G. technologies in India relate to turbines, micro turbines, wind turbines, biomass, and gasification of biomass, solar photovoltaics and hybrid systems. However, most of the decentralized plants are based on wind power, hydal power and biomass and biomass gasification. The technology of solar photovoltaics is costly and fuel cells are yet to be commercialized.

3. In so far as the 18,000 villages in remote and inaccessible areas are concerned, the extension of grid power is not going to be economical. Decentralized plants based on biomass, gasification of biomass, hydel power and solar thermal power and solar photovaltaics are the appropriate solution for these areas. As regards the remaining unelectrified villages, the responsibility should rest primarily with the State Governments. The Govt. of India would, however, act as the facilitator to them.

4. As people in many of the electrified villages are very much dissatisfied with the quality of grid power, such villages also encouraged to go ahead with the Distributed Generation Schemes. These should also be the responsibility of the State Governments.

5. Though India has made considerable progress in adopting technologies based on renewable sources of energy these are not yet capable of commercial application on a large scale.

6. Association of Village Panchayat with Village Level Committees is important for the success of the programme. The fact that the Rural Electric Cooperatives which were established in the 80.s for distribution of power supplied by the SEBs incurred losses need not deter us from trying them out again as these did have some positive features.

References:

http://www.powermin.nic.in/generation/distributed_generation.htm