Professor Goran Strbac, Imperial College
There are a number of drivers for change in terms of the present centralised electricity system, including: aging assets; connection of new forms of generation; new information and communication technologies; developments in transmission and distribution plant technologies; and demand side responses. Consideration to the merits of a centralised versus decentralised system is given and a number of key issues for distributed power are apparent, including: costs (with DG technologies tending to have relatively high capital costs; electricity industry issues (technical, commercial and regulatory); regulatory barriers (gaining planning permission); and a lack of reliable information. It is suggested that although the 2007 EWP highlights many of the key issues, it does not make the case for distributed energy.
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