Implementation of a System for the Analysis and Evaluation of Advantages of Distributed Generation

This paper presents a research activity at the Industrial Engineering Department of the University of Perugia, Italy, aimed at the development of a software tool (Co.Gis^®) based on the use of interactive vectorial maps which allows to help the design and selection of a distributed generation system. The software is aimed at helping the user in the selection of the main characteristics of distributed generation systems by means of a methodology that calculates the avoided losses on the electrical grid and many other economical and technical indicators. The software can also be used to quantify the environmental benefits, to help in the feasibility studies of distributed generation systems and to manage the data and to control groups of small generation systems (Virtual Power Plant). The geo-referenced database of the present co-generation systems has been constructed on the Italian territory, with 1606 installations and approximately 12.000 MWe installed electric power. A complete database, which also includes all the other non-cogenerative distributed generation systems installed on the territory of Umbria, a small region in center of Italy, was prepared. This database is a powerful tool to characterize immediately the type of users that use cogeneration plants, to know the requirements of the market and to characterize and propose innovative energy conversion systems. Another characteristic is the possibility to perform feasibility studies of cogeneration systems. This instrument allows a significant simplification of the technical-economic evaluation procedures for the installation of an industrial or civil cogeneration system. The feasibility study can be combined with the calculation of electrical losses on the electricity transmission grid. The calculation of the avoided electrical losses, in terms of avoided CO₂, offers a valid instrument to evaluate the environmental impact of different electrical generation systems and shows the advantages offered by distributed generation in the traditional generation park in Italy.