By Ken Silverstein | EnergyBiz
With the unofficial start of summer now underway, utilities are beginning to sweat over how to increase reliability without breaking the bank. What to do?
Distributed generation is getting a close look. Proponents like the idea because those on-site generators are cleaner and more efficient. Indeed, self-sufficient industrial complexes can take a load off the transmission grid, which minimizes the chances of brownouts for everyone else while allowing utilities to avoid having to buy expensive power during peak periods.
Ah, but it’s not so easy. Costs and technology are still hurdles. The target: Businesses that need a continuous power source. Dow Chemical and General Motors, for example, have combined to fuel one of Dow’s plastic’s facilities in Texas, with an eye toward powering an increasing share of that facility.
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If you’d like to discuss energy issues, contact Court Rich, Co-Chair of Rose Law Group’s Renewable Energy Department at crich@roselawgroup.com
