Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

The final section of the report will reflect upon the broader implications of an ever- increasing penetration of DERs on the existing grid. DERs are a potentially disruptive force that many suggest will fundamentally alter how we as a society produce, distribute and consume energy. A greater degree of societal resiliency is just one of the many benefits that advanced penetration of DERs may bring. New York State, through its Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) proceeding, is leading the way in a thorough re-examination of the design of energy markets. I. Community Resiliency and Distributed Energy Resources DER encompasses a broad set of electricity generating technologies, energy storage technologies, load management technologies and energy efficiency. There are many definitions of DER that are in use. A recent staff report by the New York Public Service Commission defined DER as behind the meter resources [that] could include energy efficiency, predictive demand management, demand response, distributed generation, building management systems, microgrids, and more. 2 Distributed generation (DG), which are sources of electricity generation, are typically interconnected to a utility's distribution system and located at or near customers' homes or businesses. Microgrids are defined by the U.S. Department of Energy as a group of interconnected loads and distributed energy resources (DER) with clearly defined electrical boundaries that acts as a single controllable entity with respect to the grid [and can] connect and disconnect from the grid to enable it to operate in both grid connected or island mode. Microgrids can include facilities that: (1) generate electricity, heating and/or cooling; (2) distribute the energy generated; and (3) manage energy consumption intelligently in real time. 3 The definitions of DER converge around several features. They are located at or near the buildings, businesses, and homes that they ser ve. They are typically (though not always) interconnected to a utility and most of ten at the distribution system level. They are "smaller" in scale, with "smaller" being defined from as little as 1 Kw, to perhaps as much as 20,000 kWs. Power that is routinely generated and consumed at or near buildings, campuses, hospitals, essential municipal facilities or factories can provide an extra measure of reliability to the site itself, and if connected in the right manner, it can serve other buildings proximate to the site. There has been growing interest, particularly since experiences of Superstorm Sandy, in utilizing onsite power, distributed generation and distributed energy as a component of a community resiliency strategy. There are a number of forms that onsite distributed generation might take; solar photovoltaics, (PV), wind turbines, biomass, combined heat and power (CHP) systems and emergency or backup generators. Battery and thermal energy storage are additional technologies that might be utilized to provide power at a site. Energy storage technologies capture for later use electrical or thermal energy generated from intermittent resources (e.g. PV and wind), or excess energy from the operation of a CHP facility. 30

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