Algebra Explorations Astronomy Biology Chemistry ... NEXT >> Power to the People: The Time Might Be Right for Distributed Electrical Power Generation We may be moving into an era when most new electrical power is generated at or near our homes. Power lines For more than 100 years, most of the electricity used in the United States has been generated in large power plants, each one typically providing enough power to serve nearly a million people. There are two main reasons for this: - It has been cheaper and more efficient to build and operate one large power plant than a number of smaller plants producing the same total amount of energy; and
- Electric power can be shipped long distances over large, high-voltage AC transmission lines with relatively low losses.
However, because of recent changes in technology and increasing concerns about protecting the environment, we may be moving into an era when much, if not most, of the new electrical power is generated at or near our homes. What are the new technologies? There are four relatively recent developments that are already making a major change in the production of power. Renewables Once again, there is rapidly growing interest in generating some electrical power on-site with renewable energy sources like solar panels and wind turbine generators. Because of state subsidies and higher electricity prices, these systems can pay back their high initial cost in five to ten years. Moreover, as the sales of these systems increase, the price has been dropping, and the efficiency of the systems is improving. For most homeowners with a roof that is suitable to hold solar panels, the most economical arrangement is to purchase a system with a maximum output of 2 to 2.5 kilowatts. This will produce more electricity than many homes need during bright sunny days, so that the extra electricity can flow back onto the power grid, making the electric power meter actually runs backward. Then at night and on cloudy days, the homeowner draws power as usual from the grid. With today's electricity price structure, this system is worth serious consideration. | |
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