A view of distributed generation in a changing utility industry

Conference · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:170406

Muller, R R; Hirschenhofer, J H ^[1]

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1. Gilbert/Commonwealth, Reading, PA (United States)

Distributed generation is an area of increasing significance to the electric utility industry. It is important that the fuel cell community possess a perspective of the evolving relevant issues facing utility companies, customers, and developers with respect to distributed generation. These issues include the changing regulatory environment, the competitive nature of today`s electric utility industry, and the costs and benefits of grid interconnection at the distribution level. Understanding and monitoring these issues as they evolve will serve as a useful background as the fuel cell community develops commercialization strategies. This paper addresses, as an introduction, these important issues. The basic reason today`s electric utility industry is becoming competitive is more efficient generation technologies are combining with a changing regulatory environment which increasingly allows and encourages competition, particularly in the area of generation development. As this new marketplace continues to emerge, distributed generation technologies will need to compete against other technologies in order to survive. The course and goals of this change are now in the process of being hammered out through negotiations and agreements within the regulatory community. Similar deregulation occurred in the gas, telephone, and airline industries and there is no reason to expect that it will not continue to evolve in the electric utility industry. Anticipating and responding to these changes will impact the likelihood of success for utility companies, customers, and developers alike in the future marketplace.

• DOE Contract Number: AC01-93FE62704
• OSTI ID: 170406
• Report Number(s): CONF-950729--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
COMPETITION
CONSTRAINTS
DISPERSED STORAGE AND GENERATION
ELECTRIC POWER
ELECTRIC UTILITIES
FUEL CELL POWER PLANTS
GAS TURBINE POWER PLANTS
INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
INVESTMENT
ON-SITE POWER GENERATION
PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SUPPLIES
POWER TRANSMISSION
QUALITY ASSURANCE
REGULATIONS
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
US PUBLIC UTILITY REGULATORY POLICIES ACT
WIND POWER PLANTS