Ella Culton Centralized vs.

Decentralized Energy 1/25/16

The future vision of renewable wind energy is split in two directions; that of a centralized

energy source like Deep Water Wind and that of a decentralized source like the one described

during Rob Baxter’s presentation. Centralized energy is defined as energy that is produced at one

large location (such as one large wind turbine) and is then transported to the consumer. On the

other hand, decentralized energy is energy that is produced close to where it will be used, such as

on the top of building to power that same building. Both forms of producing energy have

positives and negatives to their use.

To begin, this source would help to produce a considerable amount of energy for the

energy grid. As a result, the energy grid would have a higher percentage of clean energy and

would thus be generally more environmentally friendly. In addition to this, there would be only

one location to manage instead of many locations (from individual use). While one location

would mean a larger number of buildings affected if the location were damaged, it also means

that the problem could be fixed faster as the focus would be on one place. Moreover, a

nationwide “supergrid” could move renewable energy such as wind energy from places where it

is cheaper to areas where renewable energy is more expensive or where there are limited

resources. Furthermore, if there is a higher electricity demand in a country or region, a

centralized system would be advantageous based on lower costs.

On the other hand, centralized energy sources do take up a lot of land, which many

landowners may dislike. The object, a wind turbine perhaps, can be invasive and in that location

long term. To add on to this, the centralized system has become outdated, and is much less

efficient than a newer, decentralized system. To explain, a little bit of energy is lost every time it
is transported from one location to the consumer. This is because as energy transformations

occur, such as from mechanical energy to heat energy, some of the energy is transformed into

another form, possibly radiant energy, which is not used. Further, certain aspects of a larger

system can cause those living or working nearby to object. To clarify, shadow flicker, or when

the moving blades of a wind turbine cast repetitive shadows on the ground and immobile objects,

can cause headaches and extreme stress. In some scenarios, the flicker can scare cattle as well.

Clearly, this would upset people and put them off from wanting to use this form of renewable

energy.

At the same time, decentralized energy sources provide a less invasive and futuristic

option for renewable energy. In addition, these small systems power all of the energy needs of

one household and do not put power into the energy grid. A home or business owner has

complete control over their energy consumption, helpful for those who want to lessen their

carbon footprint. Even more so, decentralized systems are much smaller, and less visible. That is

to say that issues such as shadow flicker would be greatly decreased with this system. Unlike the

centralized system, this energy source system decreases wide spread power outages, a positive

for the populace. The individual aspect to this type of system has economic benefits for the

homeowner as they can save vast amounts of money in the long run by using this instead of a

centralized system. Furthermore, our expert speaker, Rob Baxter, explained how his

decentralized system was ahead of its time, as it had only been used more frequently in the past

few years and provides a new way to look at renewable energy sources. Most importantly,

renewable energy is more compatible to a decentralized energy source.

 However new and revolutionary the decentralized system may be, it is still more

expensive to install this form initially compared to a centralized energy source. Unfortunately,

not every family in the country would be able to pay that initial price, creating a massive road

block for progression of this energy source. Additionally, if there were to be an issue with

multiple decentralized sources it would take longer to resolve the issue for all homes or

businesses than if there was only one large location to fix. Moreover, our current system of

energy is a centralized energy system. As a result it would take many years of hard labor to

convert an entire country to this new system. In the meantime, the country would be in a state of

“limbo” with part of the country dependant on a decentralized system and the other on a

centralized system. Overall, there are not many disadvantages to a decentralized energy source as

many scientists agree this system would be better for a country powered on renewable energy.

To conclude, the debate on which energy source should be used around the world is still

continuing, and is hard to find a definitive answer. Both have ample positives and negatives to

their use. We as a nation must decide how the future of renewable energy will be, based on the

information gathered and observed. Either way, we must make the change to renewable energy

soon, before global warming creates greater consequences the world cannot overcome.

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