Palo Alto, Calif. - September 13, 2002 - Distributed energy resources, the various on-site power generation and storage devices collectively known as DR, offer many potential benefits for the electricity system of the 21st century. But before these benefits can be realized, a number of difficult technical, regulatory, interconnection, business, and environmental issues must be resolved. The Electricity Innovation Institute (E2I), an affiliate of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), has launched a public/private partnership initiative to address these issues and allow the DR market to grow and thrive...(more)
"Distributed resources can be valuable not only to traditional energy customers looking for greater power quality and reliability, but also to the power providers, who will save on building and infrastructure costs," says T.J. Glauthier, president and CEO of E2I.
Glauthier explained that although viable DR technologies are currently available, deployment has lagged far behind the expectations of users, vendors, and venture capitalists. The reason for this is that installation and integration into the power grid is not always easy, inexpensive, straightforward, or even predictable. The DR initiative aims to solve these issues as rapidly as possible through the collaborative efforts of key public and private stakeholders.
Two key program areas will be addressed by the partnership. The DR Interconnection & Market Integration initiative will look at overcoming market barriers and developing better nterconnection practices. The Environmental Benefits/Impacts initiative will define and address environmental issues associated with DR deployment. Each program area consists of a group of projects that collectively will address the gaps and achieve the partnership's objectives.
"By leveraging the financial and human resources of a partnership, we can accomplish more than a single organization," said Robert Gee, E2I's vice president for development and partner relations. "Clearly, the consensus of opinion of a large number of diverse stakeholders carries greater weight in the public domain than a single voice."
Representatives from utilities, original equipment manufacturers, venture capitalists, regulators, universities, state and federal government, environmentalists, and end-users are expected to benefit from the collaboration and are invited to participate.
For more information about the E2I DR Partnership Initiative or a copy of the prospectus on how to participate, contact Robert W. Gee at (202) 293-6184, rwgee@e2i.org or visit www.e2i.org.
The Electricity Innovation Institute (E2I), an affiliate of EPRI, is a new nonprofit public-benefit organization that conducts strategic, breakthrough R&D in energy-related science and technology. Bringing together public and private resources, E2I and participating stakeholders support and direct science and technology innovation in electricity technologies to provide clean, efficient and reliable electricity for the 21st century. Visit the E2I website at www.e2i.org.
EPRI, headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif., was established in 1973 as a non-profit center for public interest energy and environmental research. EPRI's collaborative science and technology development program now spans nearly every area of power generation, delivery and use. More than 1,000 energy organizations and public institutions in 40 countries draw on EPRI's global network of technical and business expertise. For information about EPRI's programs, visit the EPRI Destinations website at http://www.epri.com/destinations/
