http://www.powermag.com POWER Mag en-us 2012 Wed, 8 Feb 2012 14:58:25 EST At home and abroad, U.S. military microgrid and smart grid projects are driven by energy security concerns. The pace of such projects, however, can be slow, and the potential for civilian grids to benefit from lessons learned and technologies developed for these important installations may be limited.... http://www.powermag.com/distributed_generation/4228.html Sun, 1 Jan 2012 0:00:00 EST Electricity grids are slowly getting smarter. Simultaneously, the use of distributed generation is increasing. Though smart grid advocates tout the ability of a smarter grid to enable greater deployment of distributed resources, the benefits could flow in both directions.... http://www.powermag.com/distributed_generation/3558.html Fri, 1 Apr 2011 0:00:00 EDT Thule (“Two Lee”) Air Base is a 254–square mile base located in a coastal valley in the northwestern corner of Greenland, within the Arctic Circle. The base, the U.S.’s northernmost military installation, is nestled between mountains and surrounded by icebergs and glaciers as far as the eye can see.... http://www.powermag.com/distributed_generation/3464.html Tue, 1 Mar 2011 0:00:00 EST The concept of a smart grid may have been born in the U.S.A., but it's hitting an adolescent growth spurt just about everywhere else first. Meanwhile, in the U.S., both the regulators and companies that see great potential in a smarter grid are realizing that making substantial smart grid progress will first require making both people and policies smarter. There’s one exception, one piece of the smart grid, that could face fewer obstacles to adoption, and that’s because it offers more obvious and visible benefits to its users: electric vehicles (EVs).... http://www.powermag.com/distributed_generation/3265.html Sat, 1 Jan 2011 0:00:00 EST A 9.5-MW gas engine unveiled by GE this October for decentralized, independent power producers in remote, hot, or high-altitude regions features a 48.7% electrical efficiency and promises to reduce lifecycle costs by lowering fuel consumption.... http://www.powermag.com/distributed_generation/3203.html Wed, 1 Dec 2010 0:00:00 EST The University of California, San Diego has been accumulating awards for its savvy use of a constellation of power generation and energy-saving technologies. The campus already controls a fully functioning microgrid—including a cogeneration plant—and, as befits a research institution, is constantly looking for new ways to make its energy system smarter. This “living laboratory,” as campus leaders like to call it, demonstrates what it takes to build a smarter grid and why the effort is worth it.... http://www.powermag.com/distributed_generation/3104.html Mon, 1 Nov 2010 0:00:00 EDT Microturbine technology has evolved from early systems of 30 kW to 70 kW to today’s systems, which can have individual ratings of 200 kW to 250 kW. Packages up to 1 MW are now available that can be assembled into multipac units for projects of 5 MW to 10 MW. These modern units are packaged with integrated digital protection, synchronization, and controls; they produce high combined heat and power efficiencies; and they are capable of using multiple fuels.... http://www.powermag.com/distributed_generation/3105.html Mon, 1 Nov 2010 0:00:00 EDT “Smart Power Generation at UCSD” explains how the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) is maximizing the value of combined heat and power. However, like any other grid-controlling entity large or small, the campus has to match generation and load. Its two Solar Turbines gas turbines operate in baseload mode 24/7 while the cogeneration side of the plant maximizes the value of “waste” heat and electricity that isn’t needed to serve immediate load by generating steam and chilled water for campus heating and cooling.... http://www.powermag.com/distributed_generation/3136.html Mon, 1 Nov 2010 0:00:00 EDT This summary of results from a recent Platts/Capgemini survey of North American utility executives looks at what respondents had to say about all things related to the smart grid. Nearly half of respondents' utilities have a smart grid strategy in place, while the other half said their utility has one in development.... http://www.powermag.com/distributed_generation/2872.html Wed, 1 Sep 2010 0:00:00 EDT "It’s déjà vu all over again," said Yogi Berra. The Hall of Fame catcher could easily have been predicting the coming resurgence of natural gas – fired generation. Yes, a few more coal plants will be completed this year, but don’t expect any new plant announcements. A couple of nuclear plants may actually break ground, but don’t hold your breath. Many more wind turbines will dot the landscape as renewable portfolio standards dictate resource planning, but their peak generation contribution will be small. The dash for gas in the U.S. has begun, again.... http://www.powermag.com/distributed_generation/2357.html Fri, 1 Jan 2010 0:00:00 EST