A Multifaceted View Of Distributed Generation Systems And Their Impacts

By Marcelo Algrain, Ph.D., Engineering Technical Steward, Electric Power Division, Caterpillar Inc.

The term Distributed Generation (DG) encompasses a wide range of electric power generation sources — from a residential rooftop photovoltaic resource to a large wind farm. Hence, the impact of DG varies significantly depending on the context with its neighboring utility. In parts of the world lacking major infrastructure, the impact of DG takes on major proportions. They create oases of power fueling economic growth, improving quality of life, and enabling basic needs that most of us take for granted. In other cases DG impact is not as dramatic, as they may be seamlessly integrated into the local utility making their presence somewhat stealthy, although their absence could be highly noticeable.

The aim of this paper is to raise awareness on the diversity of issues associated with DG applications. To that end, several DG installations are reviewed here within.