Smart Grid

Increasing demand for electricity continues to stress an aging power infrastructure called the grid. Oil and coal fired power plants provide a majority of North America's electricity and on average 2/3's of that electricity is lost in transmission before we get to use it. Adding more load to the existing grid only increases the losses resulting in more oil and coal being used.  

The best areas for utility sized solar and wind farms are not located close to service large markets. Federal and State power authorities and regulators have spent the last 30 years trying to find a ways to connect these large renewable energy projects onto the nations electrical grid with little success. Extensive upgrades to the grid are badly needed. Connecting expensive renewable power to a grid that loses 2/3 of it's power in long transmission would not be practical. The link below published in the National Geographic is a great article to read the history and challenges ahead to fix the grid. 

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/07/power-grid/achenbach-text/3

However, power authorities are planning to install new computer systems to quickly pinpoint power supply problems to reduce the number of power outages and lower their repair costs. Untold billions of taxpayer funded resources will be spent to make the grid "smarter" but may only make a small improvement to the overall efficiency issue of long distance power transmission. The only good grid is a local grid.  

A "Smart Grid" using digital technology has the ability to reach inside your homes and businesses through a “Smart Meter”. The electrical power authorities will be able to monitor and control Smart Appliances or Smart Devices such as thermostats to reduce electrical demand on the grid. Alternatively or additionally, multi-rate pricing for peak period power usage will help convince consumers not to use their high-energy appliances during peak demand periods. 

Many people assume living off the grid requires large investments in renewable generators such as solar panels. However, living and working off the grid or using less grid power has never been more affordable. ALTEN believes an energy buffer is key to achieving grid immunity for a lot less cost. ALTEN is committed to strengthening the outer edges of the grid using ALTEN’s Buffer system.

Solar power on it's own has difficulty being commercially viable without "feed-in" tariffs or government subsidies. ALTEN's Buffer strategy uses a hybrid system of smaller amounts of power from the grid, renewable sources and ALTEN's DC generator. Energy from all sources is "stored in" and "distributed from" batteries. Intermittent energy shortfalls are buffered by the ALTEN DC generator, seamlessly. Stored battery energy balances a DC power network within each metered location.

How Does ALTEN’s Buffer System Work?

 ALTEN is committed to strengthening the outer edges of the grid by adding redundent energy systems in each metered location to support a local electrical grid.

The first step to is to switch large electrical appliance loads to high efficient natural gas appliances. Natural gas is an abundant North American fuel source with very little processing and delivery cost. Large scale bio-gas made from waste materials are being mixed with natural gas in the same distribution network. If natural gas is not available, liquid propane works just as well until natural gas arrives in your community. Below are appliances to consider changing to natural gas when they are due for replacement. 

• Cooking Appliances (Cook Tops, Ovens, Stoves)
• Space Heaters (Forced Air Furnace, Infrared Space Heater)
• Air Conditioners (Natural Gas Heat Absorption Chillers)
• Clothes Dryers
• Refrigerators and Freezers
• Hot Water Heaters (Tank & Tank-less)
• Grills 
• Fireplaces
• Back-up generators

After switching large electrical appliances, the only items left to power with electricity are lighting and small appliances such as microwaves, pumps, fans, and other electronic devices. To reduce power consumption further, follow the tips below:

• Light bulbs should be changed to LED or CF lamps with appropriate shut off controls
• Install automatic sensors to control lighting wherever possible
• Don’t forget to add automatic controls to turn off all electronic equipment when not in use

Once the appliance and lighting refit is complete, confirm the lower level of electrical consumption by examining your next utility bill. Typically, a two or three bedroom home with four people could have a monthly electrical consumption of less than 200 Kwh’s (Kilowatt Hour) using the plan described above.

How ALTEN can help?

To get completely off the grid, 200 Kwh’s of monthly electrical consumption must be replaced by renewable generators. Solar and wind generators should be sized to provide the (6.67Kwh) daily power needs.  Deep cycle batteries are needed to hold at least 24 hours of reserve power from the renewable generators. An ALTEN DC generator is used to support the batteries as a supplimentary/backup charging system. Larger renewable power systems may generate excess power that could be sold back to the utility if a system is connected to the grid.  

See the example of battery storage capacity calculations in Amp hours (Ah) below.

12V Battery Bank

200 Kwh’s monthly energy ÷ 30 days = 6.67Kwh/day ÷ 12Vdc = 555 Ah battery storage capacity.

24V Battery Bank

200 Kwh’s monthly energy ÷ 30 days = 6.67Kwh/day ÷ 24Vdc = 278 Ah battery storage capacity.

Grid power should only be used to recharge batteries and power AC loads during low off peak utility rates. (if at all!) 

ALTEN DC generators are a reliable cost effective solution to provide a seamless balance of power for grid connected and off grid energy platforms. ALTEN DC generators buffer any power outages and renewable energy shortfalls without over-sizing battery storage capacity. 

ALTEN DC generators provide:

• Seamless renewable energy integration
• Seamless backup energy integration
• 70% less fuel versus AC generator backup
• Extended generator life cycles
• Reduced renewable power investment
• Reduced battery storage investment
• Intelligent communication and monitoring systems
• Reliable and dependable USA made equipment

After reading this, we are sure you can see how ALTEN DC generators is a simple cost effective solution, if not contact us.  or call us toll free at 888.662.5836.