Georgia Tech (GT) and the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) have joined hands to establish the Georgia Tech ‘Center for Distributed Energy’ (GT-CDE) under the leadership of Professor Deepak Divan to focus on fast emerging needs in the area of a distributed electricity infrastructure.
Key drivers for this initiative are:
- The electric power infrastructure is undergoing dramatic and rapid change. Drivers of change include – declining cost of renewable generation; increased security threats; policies that encourage economic and energy efficiency; and utility participation in energy markets.
- The Internet of Things, involving sensing, communications and data management for distributed assets, does not address distributed autonomous operating ‘energy ’ devices that are needed for real-time control in physically coupled environments, such as the power grid.
A new approach is needed to handle this Internet of Distributed Energy Things (IDET). CDE is positioned to be a leader in the development and deployment of distributed energy solutions.