A golden opportunity for distributed power generation amid Covid-19 to enhance grid resilience and reliability issues

Source: · POWER TECHNOLOGY · | October 26, 2020

Source: Power Technology

Today’s state-of-the-art electric power supply and delivery systems comprise a complex array of electrical components including power generation, transmission, voltage control, and power delivery with multiple points of supply and use. Technology advancements have diversified the grid, adding new sources of generation, and improving stability of supply. A recent report ‘Thematic Research: Distributed Power Generation’ released by GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, reveals that Distributed power generation (DPG) offers a high potential to support customers’ power quality and reliability needs and hence attains a significant value. The system of DPG refers to modular power generation at or near customer sites and loads. It can provide increased economic value to the customer as well as to the overall power grid. The deployment of DPG technologies will increasingly lead to a decentralised energy system within which distributed generators will help meet local power demand or requirements through the network.

The development of renewable energy sources has evolved in relation to the rising interest in distributed generation systems that are formed through the integration of diversified energy resources. The integration of these diversified energy resources with decentralised generators can be concentrated in a ‘virtual plant’ also known as a “microgrid”, in order to enhance efficiency. Recent developments in the power systems demonstrate a marked shift in the way electricity will be distributed and supplied across networks in future. Power systems are now moving from centralised to decentralised distribution systems, and storage solutions in order to attain their on-site electricity requirements.