Onsite Power Generation of Renewable Energy

What is Intelligent onsite power generation?

Intelligent onsite power generation systems represent a significant evolution in how organizations and communities manage their energy needs, especially for those seeking off-grid solutions or operating in remote areas. These systems go beyond simple backup generators, integrating advanced technologies and alternative energy services directly to the site to create resilient, efficient, and often sustainable independent production of electricity right where it’s needed.

At their core, intelligent onsite power generation systems involve producing electricity directly at the point of consumption, rather than relying solely on a centralized utility grid. What makes them “intelligent” is the incorporation of several key features:

Integrated Renewable Energy Sources:

They often combine various forms of renewable energy, such as solar (e.g., parabolic solar collectors to concentrate sunlight and generate heat) , and potentially wind or hydropower, minimizing reliance on fossil fuels.

Advanced Energy Storage:

Crucial for managing the intermittency of renewables, these systems include sophisticated energy storage solutions using thermal storage produce electricity on demand.

Smart Control and Management Systems:

These systems use real-time data and predictive analytics to optimize power generation, consumption, and storage and can intelligently decide when to generate power, when to store it, and when to draw from it.

Modular and Scalable Design:

Intelligent onsite systems are built with modular components, allowing them to be scalable based on specific power demands.

100% Decentralized Operation:

They operate as self-contained microgrids, providing energy, independence and resilience and are not dependent on a larger, potentially vulnerable, grid infrastructure.

Why Onsite Power?

Companies or organizations, especially those looking for off-grid power generation or operating in remote areas, would look to use intelligent onsite power generation systems in several scenarios:

Achieving True Off-Grid Independence:

To completely detach from the centralized power grid, these systems offer a robust and reliable alternative. They eliminate reliance on grid infrastructure, making the user “their own utility”.

Operating in Remote or Underserved Locations:

In areas where grid infrastructure is non-existent, unreliable, or prohibitively expensive to extend, intelligent onsite systems provide the only viable path to consistent power.

Enhancing Resiliency and Power Security:

Organizations in areas prone to natural disasters, grid outages, or cyber threats can benefit from the enhanced resilience of self-contained power.

Reducing Operational Costs:

The long-term operational costs can be lower due to reduced or eliminated transmission fees and protection from fluctuating utility rates.

Meeting Sustainability and Green Energy Goals:

For companies committed to environmental stewardship, these systems offer a path to 100% renewable power production, significantly reducing harmful emissions associated with conventional generating plants.

Addressing Grid Infrastructure Delays and Constraints:

In areas with growing power demand, where utility grid expansion is slow or costly, onsite generation removes these constraints, allowing businesses to expand without waiting for grid upgrades.

Powering Critical Facilities:

Essential services such as hospitals, data centers, and controlled agriculture facilities require uninterrupted power. Intelligent onsite systems provide the continuous, stable power needed for these critical operations, ensuring uptime and preventing data loss or crop spoilage.

Providing Scalable Solutions for Growth:

As a company or community grows, its power needs can increase. The modular nature of intelligent onsite systems allows for easy expansion in increments as needed, supporting long-term economic development.

In essence, intelligent onsite power generation systems offer a comprehensive, forward-thinking solution for reliable, sustainable, and independent power, making them ideal for any entity that cannot, or chooses not to, depend on a traditional centralized power grid.

Biz-Reps and Texzon | Q3 Power Solutions

Biz-Reps and Texzon Utilities work with our clients to identify and provide onsite power generation to support business growth and economic development while removing the constraints of grid infrastructure delays and construction setbacks.

Our Q3 Power empowered by Texzon Utilities is a reliable and game-changing technology that generates 24/7 baseload power. We’re not only harvesting heat through proven technologies, but also providing robust electricity generation which helps promote a more resilient U.S. grid infrastructure when we partner together. We offer commercialized technologies, which reduces costs and procurement lead-times. Q3 Power with Thermal Energy Storage is a scalable, reliable, and sustainable onsite energy generation system.

100% Decentralized Scalable Renewable Energy System that provides customized solutions for energy deployment and independence.

Types of Onsite Power Technologies:

Onsite power generation may use a diverse technology spectrum of technologies, two key technologies that play a significant role in Onsite power generation systems are parabolic tracking concentrated solar and thermal energy storage.

Parabolic Tracking Concentrated Solar (CSP)

Parabolic tracking concentrated solar power (CSP) systems utilize mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto a receiver, converting solar radiation into high-temperature thermal energy. This heat is then used to generate electricity.

How it works in onsite power generation:

Concentrating Sunlight: Parabolic trough collectors are the most common type of linear concentrator. These mirrors reflect and focus direct sunlight onto a receiver tube positioned along the focal line of the trough.
Tracking the Sun: “Tracking” is crucial for efficiency. Single-axis tracking systems allow the parabolic troughs to follow the sun’s movement from east to west throughout the day, ensuring that the sunlight is continuously focused on the receiver tube.
Heat Transfer Fluid: A heat transfer fluid (HTF), often synthetic oil or molten salt, flows through the receiver tube. As the concentrated sunlight heats the tube, the HTF absorbs this thermal energy, reaching high temperatures.
Steam Generation: The hot HTF is then pumped to a central power block. Here, it passes through a heat exchanger, transferring its heat to water. This process generates high-pressure steam.
Electricity Generation: The steam drives a conventional turbine, which in turn spins a generator to produce electricity. This is essentially the same principle used in traditional thermal power plants, but with solar energy as the heat source instead of fossil fuels.
Onsite Application: While CSP plants are often utility-scale, smaller, distributed CSP systems can be used for onsite power generation.

Thermal Storage (TES)

Thermal energy storage (TES) is the process of storing thermal energy for later use. This technology is a critical enabler for concentrated solar power and other intermittent renewable energy sources, allowing for dispatchable power generation even when the sun isn’t shining.

How it works in onsite power generation (especially with CSP):

Storing Excess Heat: When solar irradiation is high and electricity demand might be lower, the excess thermal energy collected by the parabolic troughs can be stored instead of immediately being converted to electricity.
Storage Mediums:
- Molten Salt: This is a widely used and effective medium. Molten salt can be heated to very high temperatures (up to 565°C or higher) and stored in large, insulated tanks for many hours.
- Other Materials: Other materials like ceramics (e.g., sand, bauxite) or even water in large tanks (for lower temperatures) can also be used.
Discharging Stored Energy: When the sun sets, or during cloudy periods, the stored thermal energy in the TES system can be drawn upon. The hot molten salt (or other medium) is routed back through the heat exchanger to produce steam, which then drives the turbine and generator to produce electricity.

Parabolic tracking concentrated solar provides the renewable heat source, and thermal energy storage provides the crucial flexibility and dispatchability, making onsite concentrated solar power a more reliable and economically viable option for continuous power generation.

Benefits of Onsite Power Generation

There are many advantages and benefits to companies and organizations that utilize onsite power generation and include the following:

Cost Savings:

“reduce reliance on the grid” , “dodge those pesky price hikes” , “reduced or eliminated transmission fees” [similar concept across pages, directly stated in previous analysis for Texzon Utilities], “hedge against rising electricity prices” , “decreased exposure to fossil fuel price volatility”.

Environmental Impact:

“reducing your carbon footprint” , “championing sustainability” , “reduce GHGs and other pollutants” , “produces no new emissions” , “displaces electricity produced from carbon-based fuels”.

Energy Independence/Resilience:

“staying operational during a power outage” , “keeps your business running whether the grid is up or down” , “safeguard critical operations” , “improve power quality and supply reliability” , “protect against grid-based electricity shortages or blackouts”.

Want More Information?

Discover how we use Adiabatic humidification in our CEA Vertical Farming Systems and Solutions by clicking here.

You can also talk with one of our experts about your project or application requirements and see how Biz-Reps can help your organization.