THE RISE OF DECENTRALIZED ENERGY
The need for distributed energy solutions
There is a proliferation of Distributed Energy Resource (DER) adoption around the world, creating a network of decentralized generation sources that require more intelligent monitoring and control systems to operate effectively with the main power grid. Some examples of DERs are renewables, such as wind and solar, generators, storage devices, and electric vehicles (dynamic charging). There are several key factors driving the DER trend:
Portfolio
GOING GREEN
Many countries have made policy and regulatory changes, setting targets for the increase of green energy and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
SECURITY OF SUPPLY
As traditional fossil-fueled generation plants are reaching end of life or being retired, new generation sources are needed to cover primary energy needs.
NEW REVENUE STREAMS
Power producers are starting to take advantage of new commercial models, including peer-to-peer energy transactions.
DER AVAILABILITY AND AFFORDABILITY
As DERs become more cost effective, we are seeing the rise of the "prosumer", the traditional energy consumer who is now also a producer.
GOOD FOR BUSINESS
Benefits of a distributed energy solution
A comprehensive, modular distributed energy solution from GE can help provide several key energy and operational benefits, including:
WHY GE?
GE's custom approach
Taking a holistic, building blocks approach, GE works with customers to develop tailored solutions aligned to the customers’ key objectives. GE offers tiered project delivery options to fit a customer’s needs, from equipment and engineered packages all the way through to owning and operating a distributed energy solution on a customer’s behalf. We’ll work with you to determine the right delivery model for your business.
LEARN MORE
Microgrids and the Distributed Energy Transformation
Learn more about the rapidly changing global power system and the impact it has on creating more distributed, hybridized generation networks in a whitepaper from GE. These developing networks combine the most efficient central generation and new technologies to provide reliable, affordable, and sustainable electric power for factories, businesses, and communities around the world.
DOWNLOAD OUR WHITEPAPER
Customer success stories
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
The Challenge: Backed by funding from the Department of Defense, the Federal Solutions Group of Ameresco, Inc.—a leading energy efficiency and renewable energy company—undertook a comprehensive program to provide a cost-effective way to ensure military energy security, enhance the reliability of electric service to the base, and generate a new revenue stream for the government by selling ancillary services back to the grid.
The Solution: GE provided the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard with Microgrid Control Systems and a 500 kW/580kWh Battery Energy Storage System, which were integrated into the base’s existing on-site generation. The GE control system also included new metering and a Fast Load Shed system that allows the MCS to intelligently select the loads to shed and balance the on-site distributed generation.
The outcome: The shipyard performed two live tests simulating a base-wide commercial grid outage, and the GE solutions performed exactly as planned: The microgrid automatically shed nonessential loads and powered mission-critical systems.
Efficiency at Home: Applying GE technology at a GE plant
The Challenge: At GE’s steam and gas turbine manufacturing plant in Belfort, France, more than 3,000 employees are busy developing and testing massive turbines every day—requiring large energy fluctuations from 7 MW to 20 MW in short amounts of time. With intensely varying energy demand, the plant needs to operate with the highest possible efficiency—which wasn’t the case, as the plant dates back to the previous century.
The Solution: Plant engineers are applying the same type of data gathering and monitoring technology offered to customers across GE’s own Belfort plant. They started small, with plans to install 130 submeters to better measure power demands across the facility’s 46 buildings. The data from these meters is built on Predix, GE’s Industrial Internet platform, and will allow engineers to quickly identify areas of inefficiency to ultimately improve performance and save money.
The outcome: The Belfort facility is expected to reduce its energy consumption by 13% over the next 5 years, which translates to a total savings of about €400,000 per year by 2023.
Philadelphia Navy Yard
The Challenge: Philadelphia’s Navy Yard is a U.S. landmark dating back to the 1930s. With seven million square feet of industrial, R&D and office space, 145 companies, three Navy activities, and 13,000 employees, the Navy Yard’s energy needs are immense—and expensive.
The Solution:PIDC, Philadelphia’s public-private economic development agency, undertook an update of the Navy Yard’s energy infrastructure and brought GE to provide microgrid solutions—including gas power, solar, energy storage and a microgrid control room.
The Outcome: The Navy Yard will transition from complete energy reliance on the local utility to an onsite distributed power and energy generation system that is resilient, reliable, efficient, and cost-effective. The GE microgrid controller tracks energy costs day-to-day—and forecasts market prices in the near future—to maximize the onsite generation that can be used, which significantly reduces the Navy Yard’s demand charges. The GE platform also puts control in the hands of the local operator by allowing them to balance energy loads across all areas of the campus, from the Navy Yard and light industrial to commercial and retail.