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It is estimated that there are between 5 and 50 million species of
plants and animals existing on planet earth. We have
organisms that can survive temperatures that can boil an egg, and
animals that swim comfortably in freezing water. There are
grasses and cacti that can survive incredible droughts. Every
plant can be thought of as a tiny energy producer, and each animal or
bacteria a tiny recycling facility. This diversity ensures that
even if living conditions change dramatically, life will still
continue. Life exists everywhere, distributing energy production
over the widest possible area. If one part of the energy system
is destroyed, production continues in other parts. This design is incredibly stable and efficient, boasting an enviable track record of success - 3.8 billion years worth.
Many scientists have noted this track record and use natural systems
as models for all kinds of systems. This nature based thinking
has been used to design everything from ventilation systems to freeways
and software. Scientists are also applying the principles of
natural systems to how we produce and manage electricity.
Most electric power plants are very large facilities that serve huge
numbers of people from a single location. There is little
diversity in how energy is produced. Nearly 70% of the
electricity produced in the US comes from plants that burn fossil
fuels. Nuclear power plants contribute about 14% with
hydroelectric plants providing around 12%. Alternatives are
growing in use but still only produce a fraction of the big three.
When power generation is dependent on a single fuel source the
system is vulnerable to fluctuations in the pricing and availability of
that fuel. When power is sent over a long distance, significant
amounts of power are lost during transmission. If a single
location serves many customers then when there is a problem at the
location many customers are affected. This is a system that is
quite vulnerable to disruption and is highly inefficient.
Distributed Resources is another new concept modeled after natural
designs. This model says that using many small power plants to
produce electricity is more cost-effective and efficient with resources
than relying on large centralized producers. When
power is produced in many locations fewer customers are affected by
problems at any one plant. This kind of a grid is much more
stable and efficient that the current system and is much less
vulnerable to sabotage.
The US Department of Energy’s Distributed Energy Resources Division has a website www.eere.energy.gov/de
that describes how distributed systems are more efficient and stable
than large centralized systems. The DOE has studied several areas
where Distributed Energy Resources make up an electrical grid and have
consistently found increased efficiency and stability. In
addition, with this kind of a system it is much easier to phase in new
kinds of power generation such as renewable power stations in a variety
of sizes and configurations.
The Rocky Mountain Institute in Snowmass, CO has also compared the
efficiency and stability of various power production systems.
RMI’s research has found that for both energy production and energy
use, the smaller the facility or device the more efficiently it
produces or uses electricity. For more on this principle visit
RMI’s website http://www.rmi.org and look for the “Smaller is Profitable” section.
RMI also published a book entitled: “Small is
Profitable: The Hidden Economic Benefits of Making Electrical
Resources the Right Size”. This book lists 207 ways in which the
size of electrical resources affects their overall economic
value. Small is Profitable points out that many expenses are
hidden, like the peripheral costs of transporting larger items, and the
higher financial costs of larger capital expenditures.
If we were to follow Nature’s lead we would extend the concept of
Distributed Energy to include diversification. This would entail
coming up with as many different kinds of fuels and configurations for
energy production and distribution as possible (remember, Nature uses
more than 5 million different species to manage her energy
needs). The most efficient and stable designs would become the
dominant designs – if the market were allowed to operate freely.
Another advantage of diversified fuels and power generation is that
alternative fuels and technologies already on-line in other sectors of
the market could cover disruption in any one sector of the energy
market. This translates into stability, and ultimately
competitive advantage.
Taking this further, we could go beyond the concept of
building many small power plants, and use every building in the country
to generate power. Such as system might look something like this:
- Every home, building and facility would use renewable technologies
to produce as much of their electrical needs as possible. These
buildings would be wired to a local power grid where energy is
exchanged between producers according to real-time demand.
- Each community would have one or more small, highly efficient power
stations, preferably running on renewable resources, to provide extra
capacity and distribution to the local power grid.
- Each region would have its own grid that is interconnected to all
of the local community grids within the region. Each region would
have several small power stations to back-up the local grids, and
provide extra capacity and distribution in the event of a disruption to
any one part of the grid.
- The systems would be designed so that power can be exported to any
part of the regional grid, but that damage or loss in one sector would
not affect other sectors.
All of these measures could add dramatic efficiency and stability to
how we consume electricity. There are ancillary benefits of
decreased consumption. Since 70% of our electricity is produced
from the burning of fossil fuels imagine how much toxic waste and
pollution we could eliminate by following these models.
The folks at RMI remind us of one more lesson from Nature.
Everything in the Natural Ecosystem is part of the system. That
means that the role and effect of any one part of the system must be
compatible with the other parts of the system. This integration
translates into tremendous efficiency and stability due to the enormous
synergies generated. We would be wise to use an integrated
approach to designing or improving any of the systems or components we
use to manage our energy and natural resources.
We are fond of grand solutions. This is reflected
in the current US National Energy Policy which is almost completely
focused on building large centrally located facilities – most of which
will burn fossil fuels. It is interesting that this
strategy is in direct conflict with scientific findings from the US’s
own Department of Energy looking at the real-world results of
Distributed Energy Systems. Nature shows us that many small
solutions often outperform more grandiose schemes. Like many
great ideas these ideas are not new. Nature has been perfecting
them for centuries.
One person has commented on this article.  1. opinionI haven't checked all your sites so far, but those five I managed to look through really impressed me! How long are you in this business? There's always field for improvement, sure thing, but this is what a good site should be! J! Reactions • General Site LicenseCopyright ©2006 S. A. DeCaro |
