🚀 go-pugleaf

In ne.general Howard Berkowitz <hcb@gettcomm.com> wrote:

> It's an interesting question whether distributed small generators should 
> also be considered a source of cogeneration,

Generally, cogeneration refers to generation of electricity by using a 
by-product of another process, usually heat.

 or the overhead of 
> financial data collection, safety and assurance of the grid, etc., make 
> it more of a per-building or even small-tract (office park, etc.) 
> solution.  Industrial cogeneration seems to have taken off in some areas 
> but not others.

> Another major concern is the technology level of the North American 
> electrical grid, coupled with regulatory changes.  In many cases, it has 
> become more economic for utilities to buy power than generate it. 

I'm not sure what you mean by "utilies".  These days, generation, 
transmission and distribution are handled by different companies.  The 
distribution companies are, in general, prohibited from owning generation 
facilities.  And again, generally, the distribution companies are 
required to accept interconnections from generators.

> There's nothing inherently wrong with that -- if, hypothetically, there 
> were a breakthrough in solar, then major power might come from the 
> Southwest.

> The technical problem is more subtle, in that much of the North American 
> grid is not designed for interconnection of utilitiee, as we have seen 
> in the technical analysis of regional blackouts. Factors include that 
> older regional grids use high-voltage alternating current (AC),

High voltage would be the transmission portion of the grid.

 with 
> often electromechanical switchgear,

What else could high voltage switchgear be other than air breaks?


 and the additional requirement to 
> match the frequency and phase of AC before interconnecting -- lest there 
> be dangerous surges.

It is crucial that the interconnecting generator be matched to the system 
it is connecing to.  How could it be otherwise?


 Newer, extremely high voltage systems are direct 
> current (DC) with solid-state switching and no frequency or phase to 
> match. DC also lends itself better to computer control.  

DC?  Where?  For what?

> Unfortunately, to upgrade the North American grid interconnection system 
> will have a cost in the tens of billions, at a time where competitive 
> utilities are extremely sensitive to cost.  Incidentally, some upgrades 
> will also harden the grid against high-tech terrorism.  So far, we 
> haven't seen major deliberate attempts, but there was a warning in one 
> of the more recent Northeast blackouts. While the Supervisory Control 
> And Data Acquisition (SCADA) networks for the power grid should be 
> totally isolated from the Internet, we had at least one incident of a 
> bored contractor attaching a SCADA computer to the Internet with 
> personal equipment, which allowed a virus to get into the electrical 
> SCADA system. 

Do you have a cite?  I searched Google News for SCADA Virus and found no 
articles.

 SCADA networks, incidentally, are critical to other 
> national resources such as oil & gas pipelines, water, etc., and 
> urgently need protection, probably on the order of moderately high 
> security military networks.
> > 
> > In the short run, conservation makes more sense than anything.

-- 
In the councils of government, we must guard against the 
acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, 
by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the 
disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. 
				-- Dwight David Eisenhower