Distributed power generation and creating a 'virtual utility' to manage it

摘要

The way electricity is generated and distributed is about to undergo a change with the potential to transform its societal and environmental impact. Developing countries, in particular, but also numerous niche markets, are set to benefit from the 'virtual utility', in which clusters of dispersed power generators - often making use of alternative energy sources - are connected together in an intelligent and optimized network controlled by Web-enabled systems. As they are small, distributed generation systems can be built up incrementally, avoiding high first-time costs and allowing fast payback.