The Answer to the Energy Problem
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Distributed Power!
When it comes to energy independence, something is excellent in the state of Denmark.
Before John McCain and Barack Obama say another word about America’s energy future, maybe they should go to Denmark.
Denmark has done what other countries only dream of doing: achieved energy independence. While Europe’s overall energy imports rose 2.4% in 2006, Denmark’s energy imports fell to -8%. In fact, the European Union as a whole scores 54% on the scale of energy dependency. Denmark scores -37%.
“Denmark is the model that the United States should be following,” said Steve Pullins, executive director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Modern Grid Initiative.
How did they do it? Distributed energy.
Unlike traditional “centralized” systems, distributed energy relies on small power-generating technologies like solar panels or ultra-efficient natural-gas turbines built near the point of energy consumption to supplement or displace grid-distributed electricity.
Consumers cannot only draw power from the grid, but can feed power into it as well. For instance, homes equipped with solar-power panels could feed unused electricity back into the grid, adding to the total available supply.
Other related technologies like demand response, consumer-side controls and energy storage are expected to play an equally important role in distributed-energy networks. The key feature of a distributed system is so-called “smart metering,” which allows power to flow in both directions.
In 2005, Denmark’s distributed-energy networks generated nearly half the country’s electricity while cutting carbon emissions by nearly half from 1990 levels. In July, Denmark announced plans to deploy the world’s most extensive smart-grid infrastructure, which could make distributed energy the country’s primary source of electricity before long.
In the U.S., the movement faces constraints from a familiar place: power companies. Distributed energy aims to decouple profits and consumption so that power companies have a greater incentive to invest in energy-efficiency technologies that drive distributed-energy networks. Changing that relationship is even more critical than technological innovation.
Read the full article on www.forbes.com/energy
