The Drivers for Distributed Electrical Resources
 
1.         Inefficient Configuration and Use of Existing Infrastructure Coupled with Accelerating Demand for High Quality Electricity
 
Existing electrical infrastructure is essentially configured for one-directional instantaneous delivery of power and energy from large central generation facilities. Energy is transmitted across long transmission runs, through increasingly smaller distribution systems to end users.
Furthermore, there has typically been no feedback, information or institutionalized motivating factors for customers to be aware of their power and energy usage and the consequences of their actions.
The outcome of this system and market operational approach has been that;
·        Overall systems have to be sized for maximum events plus contingency margin
·        These events may only occur for minutes per year
·        There have typically been weak market mechanisms to peak shave and level out demand cycles
·        There are billions of dollars of assets that are used only for minutes per year
·        Peak usage corresponds to peak temperatures which cause higher transmission losses and lower generation efficiencies
·        The opportunity is to level demand to a profile that optimises the operation of generation, transmission and distribution assets
 
2.         Systemic Fragility of Existing Infrastructure
The existing one-way flowing, concentrated and hierarchical generation, transmission and distribution systems are vulnerable to;
·        Single point accidental, equipment and capacity failures
·        Hostile attacks aimed at deliberate system failure
Attacks as simple as high powered rifle fire on transmission assets can cripple whole regions
·        Geographically concentrated or broadly occurring natural events and disasters including weather related, earthquake, tsunami, pandemic and other
·        Cascading failures due to the sequential nature of the network
These events are devastating to a society fundamentally dependent on reliable and high quality electrical resources. Cascading failures in power grids are well documented.
On August 10 1996 in Oregon a combination of hot weather and abnormally high electricity demand caused power lines to sag into trees and trigger a cascade failure of power stations, distribution substations, and assorted other infrastructure which affected power supplies to 11 states (CNN 1996). On August 14 2003 a similar train of events starting in Ohio triggered the largest blackout in North American history (U.S. Canada Power 2004).
There is a systemic brittleness to the existing approach of one-directional, highly concentrated and hierarchical generation, transmission and distribution.
The APEMS approach to creating resilience starts by assisting customers to be conscious and proactive with their needs. It provides optimum efficient solutions at the customer level and establishing load managed nodes that add to be optimised hubs that can optimise the existing distribution, transmission and generation infrastructure. 
 
Existing Approach
APEMS Approach
Relatively few but large units of generation and transmission
that are controlled to cater only to the aggregated load
Make the customers conscious of, and in control of the power and energy issues associated with satisfaction of their needs
Units clustered geographically close to each other but far from demand
Optimise the clustering of customer nodes into hubs of smooth and configurable power and energy profiles
Units interconnected rather sparsely with heavy dependence on a few critical links and nodes
Embed storage at the customer node and hub levels to achieve the required flexibility in timing between demand and supply and to buffer against system failures
There is an essentially one-way flow of energy from large remote generators, through large, long distance transmission runs, through distribution layers to the customer
Enable generation capability at the customer and hub levels
Interconnected units are formed into a synchronous system such that each unit’s operation depends heavily on the synchronous operation of others and failures can be propagated through the system wide
Richly interconnect the hubs to achieve a higher level of smoothing and configurability of power and energy profiles
Relatively very little storage to buffer the system so that failures tend to be abrupt rather than gradual
Enable two-way flow of real power and VAr between nodes, hubs, other hubs and the greater system
New capacity in the system tends to be developed in monolithic blocks that require long lead times, long term estimates of demand, significant overcapacity when first commissioned and typically significant major local impact
Configure the nodes and hubs to perform system buffering and enhance system robustness
The cause and effect issues are essentially hidden from the customers of electrical power and energy so they are unconscious of the effects that their electricity usage patterns have on infrastructure development, cost, resource usage and emissions
Operate the power and energy profiles of the nodes and hubs to optimise existing distribution, transmission and generation infrastructure
 
3.         Institutionalised Awareness and Push to Reduce GHG and Other Emissions from Societal Activity
APEMS is a Fundamental Enabling Technology for:
1.      energy efficiency measure implementation at the domestic and small commercial level and
2.      for the implementation of multiple small-scale low-carbon generation within the distribution system
Existing Approach
APEMS Approach
Relatively few large units of supply that dominate supply, are typically coal fuelled, relatively GHG intensive and require very predictable and long cycle operational profiles to be fuel and emissions efficient
Make the customers conscious of, and in control of the power and energy issues and associated GHG and other emissions associated with satisfaction of their needs
A secondary tier of gas and hydro powered supply units that are more GHG emission efficient and can be more readily and efficiently cycled in and out of service
Optimise the clustering of customer nodes into hubs of smooth and configurable power and energy profiles to reduce losses associated with inefficient use of generating units and transmission and distribution systems
A small but growing tertiary tier of small gas wind, biomass or other renewable units of supply that are more GHG efficient than the primary and secondary tiers but are typically less predictably dispatchable on an individual basis
Embed storage at the customer node and hub levels to achieve the required flexibility in timing between demand and supply and to buffer against system inefficiencies and losses
Long run transmission and distribution systems with inherent losses that are exacerbated by peak demands in hot weather
Enable generation capability at the customer and hub levels and facilitate the use of renewable and GHG efficient generation systems
Relatively very little storage to buffer the system so that peak demand must be met immediately
Richly interconnect the hubs to achieve a higher level of smoothing and configurability of power and energy profiles
The cause and effect issues are essentially hidden from the customers of electrical power and energy so they are unconscious of the effects that their electricity usage patterns have on infrastructure development, cost, resource usage and emissions
Enable two-way flow of power and VAr between nodes, hubs, other hubs and the greater system to optimise the efficient operation of the overall system to reduce losses and GHG and other emissions