Distributed Power Resources Activity at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

摘要

This paper presents an overview of current and upcoming work at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory? (PNNL) in the area of distributed power resources. The concept of distributed power resources goes by many different names in the literature today, e.g. "distributed generation", on-site generation, "distributed utility", etc. The narrowest definition of the concept is small-scale power generation (typically less than 1 MW) located close to its point of ultimate use. It contrasts with the traditional large power generation plants that are typically located far from most points of ultimate power consumption. These small-scale generators may or may not be connected to the power grid, and they encompass a wide range of traditional and emerging prime mover concepts. Examples of distributed generation concepts include internal combustion engines, combustion turbines (large and small), fuel cells, photovoltaics and wind turbines.