Creating a Learning Laboratory: Lessons for United's Members and the Public About Distributed Generation

DISTRIBUTED GENERATION (DG) IS now marketed to residential electric consumers across the United States. Utilities have developed interconnection standards and procedures to safely connect these systems to the grid. By streamlining the DG interconnection process as part of the Energy Innovation campaign at United Cooperative Services (United), there are now over 60 member installations of wind and solar systems across its system in Texas. Furthermore, United has installed 13 different DG technologies at its offices in an effort to create a learning laboratory for its members and the public. In addition to providing public access to observe these systems in operation, detailed cost and true production data are available on United's Web site for cooperative members to use in making their own decisions about the value of DG. Establishing this learning laboratory has allowed United to gain valuable experience with current DG technologies, their energy production values, investment payback periods, and maintenance realities.