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Certainly the subject of distributed resources is not new to our magazine's pages. In the very first issue of P&E the subject was broached to our readership in two articles, the first covering nonrenewable sources by Püttgen, MacGregor, and Lambert and a second devoted to renewable sources by Rahman. Those seminal articles were placed to set the stage for follow-up focused articles related to the subject. There have, to date, been a number of these articles, but the subject itself is deemed of sufficient importance to have been selected by the P&E Editorial Board for focused coverage in 2004.
The generally recognized definition of distributed resources is those resources, either renewable or nonrenewable, that integrate into electrical distribution systems. In North America today there are strong prospects for adopting distributed resources, but experience tells us that few are converted into buyers. Apparently, the bottom line, economic savings, alone is not sufficient. Mixed into the equation are parameters such as ongoing maintenance, environmental permitting, and fuel cost escalation. Electric utilities can proactively encourage or discourage the option and, surprisingly, it isn't often necessary for utilities to offer cheaper or more reliable options to dissuade the adoption of the distributed energy solution, as other approaches can be equally effective.
Surely there are specific times when energy users are more likely to consider a distributed energy solution. These occur not only in the aftermath of major blackouts, such as the recent
outage that hit the Northeast United States and Canada, but at other less obvious times. Such opportunities are time limited, as their effects attenuate rather quickly.
Editorial Board member Andrew Hanson kindly "volunteered" to be the major domo of the issue and will introduce the feature articles in his Guest Editorial column, which cover photovoltaics and their application in power systems, optimization of distribution planning, and the requirements associated with and the necessity to "island" these facilities.
Lessons Not Learned?
The 14 August 2003 blackout is surely still very much on the front burner and its analysis remains paramount to our profession. The fourth feature article in this issue, Les Pereira's "Cascade to Black," is a well thought out look at the similarities between the 14 August 2003 blackout and the Western System collapse of 1996 and the lessons that have, and have not, been learned as a result. Pereira maintains that the interim report that has been issued on last year's blackout has not dealt with key issues that affect system reliability, which prevents proper solutions from being offered.
It's Also Good
for the Bottom Line
In his Business Scene column, "More Than Enviro-Friendly," Said Al-Hallaj provides an intimate look at renewable energy and its potential impact in the United States. He studies the trends in renewable energy resources (wind, photovoltaics, biomass) to determine their compatibility with mainstream power as well as their ability to mitigate environmental factors. He challenges the renewable energy industry to wean itself off government subsidies. He concludes that the United States can no longer limit its energy sources to cost and availability but must consider the environmental parameters as well, and he argues for an energy policy that is free from reliance on imported energy sources and for technical and market development that will result in greater revenue and job creation in the United States.
The Future of
Information Exchange
The finale of the two-part Techtorial "Data Integration/Exchange" is presented in this issue. Authors Kezunovic, Abur, Edris, and Sobajic present a paradigm for assigning business values to data and information produced while processing energy. They define business opportunities that may result from the integration of data and exchange of information. Resulting strategies may allow for new benefits and more efficient utilization of data and information.
Early Road Warrior
The electric car has a place in the history of our profession, and in a very interesting and detail-laden article our historian, Carl Sulzberger, takes us back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries in this initial installment of a two-part series on the subject. I must confess that I was unaware that electric cars were once the dominant player, surpassing both steam and gasoline-powered vehicles. With hindsight, it is perhaps unfortunate that more effort was not expended in those days to develop the wherewithal to move forward with electric-driven motor vehicles. The article presents detailed technical analyses of the promise and the problems associated with each of these different power sources and the background of the ultimate final piece of the picture, which drove the decision toward the gasoline-powered vehicle. The piece also details the personal and professional relationship between Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. The concluding part of the article will detail the peaking and demise of the electric powered vehicle and will appear in an upcoming issue.
Changing Course(s)
Harry Roman's In My View column, "Reengineering Education," represents a challenge to engineering education professionals to take a long, deep look at the product they are offering, which he finds wanting. He contends that the system we have today is not producing productive engineers because they are not being trained in "real word" conditions. He is proposing a redesign of the curriculum to a five-year work/study program, which will produce a B.S. (engineering) and an an M.S. (technology management). In addition, he recommends the inclusion of a professional course series presided over by industry professionals to complement the pure academic aspect of engineering education theory with application. It is a provocative thought and I welcome your reactions. (m.olken@ieee.org).
They Like Us
On a final note, IEEE Power & Energy Magazine has been awarded the "Merit" (third place) award in the "Magazines" category of the 2003–2004 Society for Technical Communication (NY Metro Chapter) Technical Publications competition. The competitors were judged on content, design, and editing of their respective publications.
It pleases me to share this recognition with Managing Editor Brian Benbrook and Art Director Janet Dudar, whose contributions made this award possible. I also wish to recognize Janice GaNun for her role in starting up our publication prior to leaving the employ of IEEE.
