The current electricity grid in North America is due for a major overhaul. Replacing and expanding the delivery infrastructure and generators is projected to cost staggering amounts. Add to this that the cost of GHG abatement is envisioned to entail heavier burdens such as with clean coal
technology and carbon sequestration of stack exhausts. The requirements for matching supply to demand and stabilizing voltages is primarily dependent on fast-response fossil fuel plants and natural gas has been increasingly the fuel of choice. New North American gas supply is produced primarily by fracking and some analysis indicates that GHG emissions are on a par with coal.
The old paradigm of centralized large generators connected to loads by long transmission lines that was founded over a century ago is giving way to an entirely different approach, sometimes referred to as the Smart Grid. Already, the generation of electricity from wind and direct solar competes with
coal and natural gas plants. The cogeneration technology makes use of heat that is normally wasted at central thermal generating plants. These technologies are ideally suited for distributed generation near or at the load as opposed to remote centralized plants sending power over great distances. In order for solar and wind to be the backbone of supply, there will need to be energy storage as well as dispatchable load and bio-fueled generation. With two-way communications between demand and supply, it is possible to match assets in an optimum fashion similar to information and commerce
exchanges on the internet. The localization and networking of utility assets enables there to be much more efficient use of distribution and transmission capacity along with reduced line losses, greater frequency and voltage stability, and system resilience to power disruptions or unplanned shutdowns.
If this is indeed the formula for rebuilding a robust, affordable, sustainable energy system, then the role of the building industry is paramount to its execution. As the sites for most of the required infrastructure, buildings should be designed to integrate all components that are feasible and
appropriate to the site. Rather than targeting net zero annual energy demand, the target should be deploying the maximum support for a distributed energy asset network. This is a specific application of holarchic structure that mirrors natural ecology whereby mutual exchanges of energy at the local
level supports the resilience and efficiency of the larger system.
Greg Allen 6 November 2013