Distributed Generation for Utilities

February 23, 2003 – Vol.7 No.48

DISTRIBUTED GENERATION FOR UTILITIES.

One way for utility companies to build needed generating capacity - without building more large scale power plants - is to enter the distributed generation business. That is, install numerous, small grid-connected power plants that provide energy to the homes and businesses where they are installed as well as provide surplus electricity to the grid for all customers to use.

The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) of New York has announced it will purchase 45 fuel cell generators from Plug Power. Twenty-five of these will be installed at the company’s fuel cell demonstration site in West Babylon, New York, and 20 of them will be installed in homes to provide heat and power. Together the 5-kilowatt fuel cells will effectively add 225 kilowatts to LIPA’s generating capacity portfolio. A 5-kilowatt supply is more than ample for most homes. LIPA has not said if any excess power from the residential units will be fed back into the grid - but it could.

LIPA has also installed a handful of Plug Power fuel cell generators at other locations on Long Island such as a MacDonald’s (tm) restaurant. Visit LIPA at http://www.lipower.org/and Plug Power at http://www.plugpower.com/ .