An Economic and Energetic Framework for Evaluating Dispersed Energy Technologies

February 1981

Land Economics;Feb81, Vol. 57 Issue 1, p63

Academic Journal

Article

The article discusses an economic and energetic framework for evaluating dispersed energy technologies. The oil embargo of 1973 and the subsequent escalation of world energy prices stimulated public interest in decentralized power production using alternative energy resources. One popular direction, "soft path," would utilize technologies that rely on natural forces such as solar and wind power to augment or replace conventional energy resources and production facilities. There is considerable disagreement whether these resources can supply a substantial portion of the world's energy needs before the year 2000. However, it is generally accepted that user-operated dispersed energy technologies will be particularly appropriate for agricultural, residential, and developing nation applications due to the relative availability of unobstructed land, the simplicity of most dispersed technologies, and the options to match dispersed systems to specific onsite energy demands. In an evaluation of the viability of these alternative energy technologies, it is important to recognize that dispersed energy systems are not isolated units. Unlike conventional systems that are capable of producing a constant energy output (hydropower is an exception), dispersed system users must rely on an auxiliary energy source to satisfy energy demands during slack production periods.

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