Keywords

Abstract

There is a great deal of interest in distributed generation (DG) technologies to reduce electricity generation and distribution costs, while improving reliability of service. This paper explains the economic benefits of fuel cell DG. Although several existing technologies can provide DG on a scale suitable for commercial customers, fuel cells are cleaner and quieter than gas turbines and engines. Compared to solar and wind power, fuel cells are more reliable and dispatchable, attributes that are needed to deliver distributed economic benefits.

Paper

Download this paper as pdf: 26_294.pdf

Panels of the 2002 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings

Panel 1. Residential Buildings: Technologies, Design, Performance Analysis, and Building Industry Trends

Panel 2. Residential Buildings: Program Design and Implementation

Panel 3. Commercial Buildings: Technologies, Design, Performance Analysis, and Building Industry Trends

Panel 4. Commercial Buildings: Program Design and Implementation

Panel 5. Utility Issues

Panel 6. Market Transformation

Panel 7. Information and Electronic Technologies: Promises and Pitfalls

Panel 8. Human and Social Dimensions of Energy Use: Understanding Markets and Demand

Panel 9. Energy and Environmental Policy

Panel 10. Program Measurement and Evaluation