Modeling a distributed energy system for California electricity production through 2050

Recent research shows that combining distributed generation (DG) with renewable resources will reduce fossil fuel dependency and carbon dioxide (C02) emissions. This thesis presents a framework to evaluate the benefits of DG in terms of C02 emission and transmission line losses with respect to the use of centralized power production through 2050. Due to availability of complete data, Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) in California is the main focus of this thesis; however other utility companies such as PG&E, SDG&E and SCE are also discussed. The test results based on SMUD show a decrease of about 11% to 4% in line losses when a 500 MW DG is placed at the consumption site. This thesis also shows that by adding a 40 MW DG at the central location, C02 can be reduced by 71% when compared to current standard business practices. By adding 40 MW DG every year near consumers, SMUD can eliminate inhouse electricity generation thus completely eliminating C02 emissions by 2034