Escalating demand for power continues to challenge the nation’s electricity delivery system. Electricity shortages, power quality problems, rolling blackouts, and price spikes are endemic. To meet the country's need for high-quality, reliable electricity,
Distributed Energy Resources (DER) offers a faster, less expensive alternative to the construction of central power plants and high-voltage transmission lines. Smaller in comparison to a typical central station power plant, DER provides unique benefits that are not available from centralized electricity generation including modularity and flexibility. Typically relying on natural gas or renewable resources, DER provides clean, on-site power where required and in the amount needed. President Bush has unveiled the Clear Skies Initiative aimed at reducing air pollution from central power plants by 70% by the year 2018. This goal will be realized, at least in part, through the utilization of DER systems.

Combined Heat and Power (CHP) is an integral part of a DER program to maximize return on investment. CHP, or cogeneration, refers to a system that generates both electricity and thermal energy. These integrated systems are much more efficient than conventional energy technologies, with up to 80% of energy generated being used on-site. The thermal energy output of the system can be used for processes such as building heating and cooling, steam generation, and in other industrial or commercial functions.

Electric Reliability is an important concern for today's power grid and the loads that it serves. Computer equipment, in particular, is sensitive to electric reliability problems. The ubiquity of computers in today's manufacturing environment means that high electric reliability is becoming important to a wide number of commercial and industrial firms. An eight millisecond power interruption can send a system crashing, requiring hours to recover lost data, if data can be recovered at all. It is estimated by the electric industry that, nationally, power outages and disturbances cost the U.S. economy between $104 billion and $164 billion annually.

Transmission and Distribution (T&D) reliability includes both local and regional network reliability. Competition and market forces have created an explosion of power transactions that are causing the grid to be used in ways for which it was not designed. T&D reliability programs support energy system reliability, flexibility, and emergency response capability.

Communication, Control and Sensor (CC&S) technologies optimize the off- and on-grid operations of distributed energy components, subsystems, and systems. Through these enabling technologies, various DER hardware and software components can be aggregated into an integrated operation with scalability to meet individual user, facility, and utility requirements. Enhanced information flow and system control capabilities support the practice of demand-side management.

L&A Advantage

L&A support has taken the form of Program Planning, Technical Proposal Development, Due Diligence, Federal Grants and Market Analysis. Typical DER-related technologies in the L&A portfolio include fuel cells, reciprocating engines, turbines, microturbines, high-availability systems, energy storage, communications controls and sensors and superconductivity.

L&A has secured significant federal resources for DER-based programs across the following industries and end-use sectors:

• Telecommunications
  
• Steel
  
• Health Care
  
• Pharmaceutical
  
• Commercial Retail
  
• Hospitality
  
• Semiconductor Manufacturing
  
• High Tech Web Hosting
  
• Higher Education
  
• Military
  
• Transportation

L&A team members have extensive program and business management experience in Energy Plant Systems including:

• Gas turbine/combined cycle CHP plants
• 500KV T&D project to improve the reliability and availability for a power distribution system
• Regional Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System (SCADA) for electric utilities
• Distributed process control and simulation systems for chemical, oil and gas plants and electric utilities