Full Title: Program on Technology Innovation: Electricity Use in the Electric Sector
Author(s): C. Gellings
Publisher(s): Electric Power Research Institute
Publication Date: November 1, 2011
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
While many utilities are encouraged by regulators to engage in end-use energy efficiency programs, few consider options to reduce energy losses along the electricity value chain, even though the electricity sector is the second largest electricity-consuming industry in the United States. Electricity used to facilitate power production, transmission, and distribution alone consumes approximately 11% of generated electricity. A number of technologies can be applied to reduce this electricity use.
This report addresses the energy currently expended in the form of electricity used for power plant auxiliaries and transmission and distribution losses. The report shows that electricity consumption in electric utilities can be reduced by up to 15% and describes some of the technical options available to lowering power usage, including the increased employment of variable speed drives in power plants and ways of improving transmission and distribution efficiency by reducing transmission and distribution losses. The report sketches out a strategic framework for realizing these opportunities.