Microgrids [distributed power generation]

Environmentally friendly renewable energy technologies such as photovoltaics and clean, efficient, fossil-fuels technologies such as micro-turbines and fuel cells are among new generating systems driving the demand for distributed generation of electricity. If combined heat and power at residential industrial plants or commercial buildings can be achieved the efficiencies can be higher than conventional central generation plants. The smallness of these new distributed generation along with the low voltages at the interface create a new class of problems which requires innovative approaches to managing and operating the distributed resources. One such concept is the microgrid.