A definition for the purpose of the DECENT research project. In the scientific and energy community many views and names of decentralised generation (DG) exist: Other often used terms are “distributed generation” and “embedded generation”1. Further terms often used are “distributed energy resources” or “embedded resources”. Different aspects play roles in the perspective on the topic. The “resources” access widens the scope to energy management techniques like energy storage and demand side management, compared to the more restricted view on generation. Within the “generation” access some see an important distinction that the DG unit can be placed close to the actual power (or heat) demand, while others have rather the widespread use of (renewable) energy sources in mind, at the sites where they are usable which are not necessarily where the actual demand is. Other discussed factors are ownership, module size, interconnection to the power grid, grid interconnection voltage, grid interconnection level (transmission, distribution, customer side of the meter). However there is no generally accepted definition of DG, since the objective of the stakeholders are very different. While some focus on an academical definition for electrical systems, others focus on economical aspects of grid structures, others focus on development perspectives for nonelectrified regions and again others focus on environmental benefits.
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