Permanent Distributed Load Reduction:A Bridge to Our Energy Future

摘要

Access to reliable, low-cost energy is essential to national security and remainingeconomically competitive. Permanent Distributed Load Reduction (PDLR) is achieved viadeployment of technologies at the point of use. Considering that up to 65% of prime energy islost in the process of generating, transmitting and distributing electricity using traditional means,PDLR are distributed throughout the system, they are permanent, and they are economical.Innovative technology to achieve PDLR is available in the form of high-performancelighting, wireless energy management control platforms and direct renewable solar day-lightingsystems. When integrated, these technologies can deliver capacity to the electric grid –particularly during peak hours with remote access real time data and control at one’s fingertipsvia mobile devices.The technology has been proven in more than 6,000 commercial and industrial facilitiesthroughout North America and has already delivered 574,000 kilowatts to the grid. The potentialof PDLR is staggering.If the inefficient lighting systems of the 455,000 commercial or industrial buildingsacross the U.S. not yet retrofitted, were replaced with high-intensity energy efficient lightingsystems, more than 55,000 megawatts of power would be displaced – the equivalent of 111 coalfiredpower plants.As much as 81,000 megawatts (more than 160 power plants) of capacity could bedelivered through the integration of energy-efficient lighting systems with wireless energymanagement controls and solar day-lighting technology. The cheapest power plant to build isthe one that’s never built. PDLR is a low-cost grid capacity solution that is the bridge to ourfuture.This work is an expansion of a previously published concept paper. From the originalconceptual idea introduced in 2010, the following demonstrates a practical application of theimportant PDLR concept.