Development of Smart Cities
VIRTUE offers seamless integration into smart grid infrastructures and is forming an integral part in the development of smart cities. VIRTUE enables energy generated from renewable sources to be stored locally and more efficiently. VIRTUE is driving the evolution from the traditional provision of electricity to an integrated smart grid supply; resulting in lower energy costs, greater security and a transition to a low carbon economy.
Energy Storage; Integration into Smart Grid
The future electricity grid outlook will see traditional models replaced with a smart grid energy system; a highly connected system of responsive power generation from both suppliers and consumers which results in a clean, secure and reliable supply of electricity for homes, businesses and vehicles.
The incorporation of a smart grid electricity network, driven by energy storage, Demand Side Response (DSR), smart networks and interconnection will shape the future outlook of the grid, creating an ‘Internet of Energy’:
- Industrial: Business users are able to make cost savings by utilising energy storage to power industrial sites during peak charge periods without having to alter production patterns. Sufficient storage will also negate the need for backup generation to provide UPS.
- Cities: Smart cities of the future will encourage smarter living through greater connectivity and local micro-grid level energy storage to create environmentally sustainable urban developments
- Residential: With the advent of domestic smart metering, residential consumers will increasingly be incentivised to shift their energy consumption to non peak hours through domestic energy storage
- Vehicle Charging: Electric Vehicles (EV) will increasingly provide the transport of the future. Highly integrated and connected consumers will be able to use battery storage from their vehicles to provide backup energy to their homes
- Renewable Generation: Allied with an effective energy storage medium energy generated through renewable sources (ie. Wind & Solar) can be stored for discharge during peak demand times
- Utility Grid: Energy storage will increasing provide balancing services to local and national electricity networks, alleviating imbalances in supply and demand
Benefits of a Smart Grid Energy System
Integration into a smart grid energy system, based around new forms of flexibility will help to ensure customers bills are reduced and supply is secure. It will also avoid any unnecessarily required investment into network infrastructure and will reduce the need for a significant increase in reserve generation capacity along with lessening the requirement for back up thermal generation.
The integration of a smart grid energy system could:
- Reduce stress on network infrastructure by smoothing demand and making renewable generation more predictable
- Reduce the need for back up gas plants by shifting demand away from the peak tariffs and storing energy when demand is low and low carbon electricity is available
- Increase the proportion of electricity supplied that is renewable without increasing total renewable capacity
- Store renewable energy when it is not needed and shift demand to periods of renewable energy generation
- Provide a diversity of more efficient balancing options to the National Grid