According to an article by Luther Turmelle in the New Haven Register, the Connecticut Municipal Energy Cooperative is considering a $30-million distributed energy project in Wallingford, CT. According to the plan presented to the town’s Public Utilities Commission, 20 diesel and natural gas generators would be placed in and around Wallingford. The hope is that the installation of these generators can help offset future increases in transmission costs and capacity charges. The generators are expected to produce between 2 and 2.5 megawatts of electricity that will then be purchased and installed over the next 12–15 months. The plan is to use the units to offset peak demand periods and, thereby, control costs.Cost control is one of the main reasons a power provider turns to distributed energy. In today’s rate environment, distributed energy sources can help a utility control future rate increases. Unfortunately, sometimes the costs involved in implementing a distributed energy scheme can outweigh the benefits. Often the most successful projects employ a holistic approach, taking into account of the full range of options and giving careful consideration to the all-potential impacts.
So what do you think? Does the inclusion of generators (or solar panels or wind turbines) as part of a large electric utilities power pan make sense? Can distributed energy and the electrical grid coexist, or are situations like the one in Wallingford just a flash in the pan?