Small is profitable: the benefits to right sizing of national electric resources

摘要

The book 'Small is Profitable: The Hidden Economic Benefits of Making Electrical Resources the Right Size' describes the 207 ways in which the size of 'electrical resources' - devices that make, save, or store electricity - affects their economic value. It finds that properly considering the economic benefits of 'distributed' (decentralised)electrical resources typically raises their value by a large factor, often approximately tenfold, by improving system planning, utility construction and operation (especially of the grid), and service quality, and by avoiding societal costs. The actual increase in value, of course, depends strongly on the case-by-case technology, site, and timing. These factors are so complex that the distribution of value increases, across the universe of potential applications, are unknown.