Successful operation of distributed generation systems requires controls that can integrate building load, electric generator, and grid information in near real time to produce optimal set points for the generator and the HVAC system(s) in the building(s) served by a given generation system. This paper discusses recent developments for distributed generation control in commercial buildings in the context of the U.S. utility industry. Several examples using different building types in different geographical regions of the U.S. are used to show how optimal and near-optimal control provide an economic benefit above simple threshold control. The examples are selected to illustrate the technical approach to system control using typical system characteristics and costs; every system in every location will have its own unique set of control criteria. The objective of this article is to describe the approach, not to solve specific problems.
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August 2003
Technical Papers
Recent Developments in the Control of Distributed Electrical Generation Systems
Peter S. Curtiss,
Peter S. Curtiss
1221 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO 80302
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Jan F. Kreider
Jan F. Kreider
Kreider and Associates, LLC, 1221 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO 80302
also University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309
Search for other works by this author on:
Peter S. Curtiss
1221 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO 80302
Jan F. Kreider
Kreider and Associates, LLC, 1221 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO 80302
also University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309
Contributed by the Solar Energy Division of THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS for publication in the ASME JOURNAL OF SOLAR ENERGY ENGINEERING. Manuscript received by the ASME Solar Energy Division, December 2002; final revision, March 2003. Associate Editor: A. Reddy.
J. Sol. Energy Eng. Aug 2003, 125(3): 352-358 (7 pages)
Published Online: August 4, 2003
Article history
Received:
December 1, 2002
Revised:
March 1, 2003
Online:
August 4, 2003
Citation
Curtiss, P. S., and Kreider, J. F. (August 4, 2003). "Recent Developments in the Control of Distributed Electrical Generation Systems ." ASME. J. Sol. Energy Eng. August 2003; 125(3): 352–358. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1592539
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