Critical Power: Power generation systems in high-performance buildings
December 7, 2023
Electrical engineers must consider many factors when designing power generation systems. Safety, maintainability, efficiency, code compliance, and economics play crucial roles in determining the topology of a power generation system. Specific requirements for power vary based on building occupancy type, facility use and critical function.
When designing power generation systems, engineers must ensure that the products and the building electrical systems that they support are appropriate for the specific application. They must make decisions regarding the type of power (alternative, traditional or combined heat and power) system sizing, load types, whether generators should be paralleled, fuel and/or battery storage, switching scenarios and many other criteria.
Learning objectives
- Understand the overall impact of generating system design decisions on the environment, sustainability and energy conservation.
- Learn about characteristics of high-performance buildings that are affected by generator system designs.
- Become familiar with elementary noise-management concepts.
- Review case studies that showcase power generation system implementation.