Over the past few decades, commercial buildings have become a focal point in the fight to minimise the global carbon footprint because they consume a lot of energy due to the increased use of cooling, heating, ventilation systems, lighting and computers. Some companies even use cleanrooms, which require up to 50 times more energy than non-classified spaces.

This means that commercial buildings, although unable to choose whether they use fossil or renewable energy as they are subject to the grid’s supply, have a lot to gain and contribute by using more renewable energy sources. In the near future they may not have a choice as commercial buildings face evolving regulation that either incentivizes owners to make the sustainable move or requires them to do so.

Although fossil fuels remain a prominent power source due to their replacements’ intermittency, Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) will solve this unreliability problem and propel buildings and businesses in the right direction. Here’s how.

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Virtual power plants to the rescue

It’s already widely acknowledged that sustainable energy is the future for power, with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) recently declaring long-term energy storage “the most pressing utility scale needed in the next decade” – the ability to store energy from renewable resources for later use is the answer.

VPPs have been around for the better part of 40 years. They give the ability to harness sustainable energy by bringing together multiple energy sources, also referred to as Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), such as solar panels, electric batteries, wind turbines.

The VPP then forms a system based on supply and demand that can be controlled according to the current grid needs so that it can avoid consuming power when it’s expensive and limited to consuming power when it’s cheap and abundant, all the way to providing power back to the grid when supply is limited – all in the hope of reducing the grid’s reliance on fossil fuels.

Some of the above mentioned energy resources are only relevant during the daytime (for example, solar panels) and become less efficient on cloudy or rainy days; wind-based energy depends on the fluctuating airflow, wave energy relies on ocean waves to generate electricity, and hydropower utilizes the gravitational force of falling or flowing water.

So there is some justification for businesses to hesitate in relying more on renewable energy sources, which they deem as unstable. Considering that a single hour of downtime can cost organisations over $100,000 from lost revenues and reputational damage, businesses are rightfully hesitant to rely on these solutions without fossil fuel backup.

However, although the grid currently runs in a one directional way and renewable energy sources are less consistent individually – when they become part of an extensive network of devices that supports a building’s energy needs around the clock, regardless of the time of day or weather conditions, they create a consistent and reliable energy supply alternative.

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VPPs: Multiple energy sources, multiple advantages

In our ‘smart’ age, the new generation of VPPs present a far more efficient way of using renewable energy. Today’s VPPs live up to their promise by eliminating integrating more resources into the grid, leveraging its flexibility, enabling greater share of renewable energy sources thus optimizing the grid’s capacity so it can do more with less.

This means that the VPPs are able to perform two activities. The first is control demand flexibility, the easier of the two, which turns off power demand when the grid is overworked. The second is to provide a supply service by supplying power back to the grid in exchange for lower rates, flat fees or similar.

Through these services, the risk of relying on sensitive sources is minimized and the ability to provide a continuous supply of energy based on actual demand is strengthened. Simultaneously, at times when supply is high, onsite or ‘ behind the meter’ energy storage solutions ensure that the surplus energy isn’t lost but stored to be utilised when needed.

Commercial buildings can then be part of a grid that provides a smart, reliable, cost-effective solution that considers both the planet’s and their business’ needs. Additionally, buildings can choose whether to include their energy assets as part of the VPP network, such as EV charging, and help the grid become more stable.

By doing so, VPPs enable commercial buildings to contribute to a greater solution together with the climate-responsible grid, to do their best without taking unreasonable risks, creating an energy ecosystem that is better for businesses, communities, and the planet.

As VPPs advance, so does our ability to move away from harmful energy resources and offer future generations a more sustainable approach. Doing so without asking businesses to sacrifice their ability to plan ahead and meet revenue goals is critical.

As the load on the grid is expected to grow exponentially in the coming months and years, now is the time to scale up and move forward to make the VPP part of the solution. The time is ripe to give VPP its time to shine.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Yoram Ashery has been the CEO of storage tech company Nostromo Energy since May 2021, specialising in managing technology companies, designing and executing international go-to-market plans and leading business development and complex financing and commercial transactions.

According to the regulator, domestic DSR, which entails consumers adjusting consumption in response to the needs of the energy system and being rewarded through reduced bills, is a key element in achieving Government plans to decarbonise.

New market reforms and regulations are being developed in the UK to manage the expanding domestic DSR market, underpinned by digitalisation and decentralisation, which enables better monitoring and response to grid activity.

However, for domestic DSR to work at scale, states Ofgem, it also needs large scale consumer participation. Ofgem is thus seeking input from energy sector stakeholders on how to facilitate the transition to consumers becoming flexible energy consumers.

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Marzia Zafar, deputy director of digitalisation and innovation at Ofgem, said: “domestic demand side response is about optimising the way we consume energy, so it works best for a decarbonised energy system and consumers. The key to unlocking high consumer uptake is making it both attractive and easy to participate in.”

“It is not Ofgem’s role to specify what this domestic DSR journey should look like, but it is important that it is not left to chance.”

According to Ofgem, it’s anticipated that in the UK there will be many different ways for consumers to engage with Domestic DSR both manually and via automation.

The simplest and most common method of engagement, they add, is expected to be automated DSR, whereby consumers configure smart devices with default off-peak time settings, optimising consumption against time-of-use tariffs and choosing to have a third party manage their participation in flexibility markets.

Zafar added that “as the regulator, we are seeking input from a wide range of stakeholders including those working in industry, the providers of smart home and transport assets, consumer representatives and other parties’ interested in flexibility.

“This will help build a shared vision of what the emerging domestic DSR customer journey should look like and how to make that vision a reality.”

Ofgem’s inquiry comes in as energy demand in the country continues to grow with the proliferating number of clean tech assets, such as EVs and electric heating systems, coming online and adding stress to the UK’s electricity grid.

The call for input is now open and will close on Friday 29 September 2023.

The Digital Infrastructure Energy Flexibility (DIEF) pilot project will bring together a consortium of project sponsors responsible for funding, research outcomes, coordinating artificial intelligence competitions and onboarding buildings onto a digital platform in the hopes of developing flexible demand tech.

Flexible demand, states CSIRO, is an alternative to the traditionally rigid energy network infrastructure, offering a way to lighten the load on the grid during busy periods. However, the flexible demand approach is still nascent and requires new technologies, market processes and ways of engaging with energy users.

The DIEF pilot will address these issues, whereby up to 200 buildings, selected by the consortium will be connected to CSIRO’s Data Clearing House Platform (DCH), which will act as the digital infrastructure for the project.

DCH is a software platform for owners and operators of existing or new commercial, industrial, government and mixed-use developments to connect with service providers to solve common data-related problems.

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CSIRO’s energy director, Dr Dietmar Tourbier, said the DIEF project would help improve the viability and uptake in flexible demand, delivering benefits to consumers and industry alike:

“Flexible demand is critical because it ensures grid stability, reduces costs, supports increasing renewable energy integration and enables a more sustainable and efficient energy system.”

The project will allow property owners within the pilot to share data and build innovative software applications for sophisticated management of building carbon emissions.

Property owners will be able to identify opportunities for energy flexibility and productivity improvements resulting in reduced operating costs and energy use.

The data collected during the trial will be used to inform Government on the creation of a flexible demand policy and asset register.

Commented CSIRO chief research consultant for energy, Dr Stephen White: “This technology will not only allow people to get data out of their buildings and make it accessible to their service providers, but they will also be able to receive data from external providers such as the electricity market and the Bureau of Meteorology.”

Of the 200 buildings to be connected, the DCH expects to gain access to devices that consume over five megawatts of power from the grid, up to 0.08% of total demand in NSW. The power usage of these devices can be intelligently controlled to match up with periods of high renewable generation.

The DCH Platform forms part of CSIRO’s developing Smart Energy Mission which is focused on building Australia’s next generation of integrated and equitable energy systems.

Members of the NSW consortium who are sponsoring the project include CSIRO, the NSW Government, Amber Electric, DNA Energy, EVSE Australia, Nube iO, Property and Development NSW, RACE for 2030 CRC, UNSW, UOW, and Wattwatchers.

The project was funded with an AU$3.75 million ($2.43 million) grant from the NSW Government, under the Net Zero Plan Stage 1: 2020-2030. The remaining funding (cash and in-kind) was provided by consortium members and in-kind funding from CSIRO.

Through a partnership with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), Sunrun said it quickly reached maximum enrollment and energy capacity goals of 7,500 new and existing residential solar-plus-storage systems, which adds up to 30 MW for its Energy Efficiency Summer Reliability Program, also known as Peak Power Rewards.

The programme quickly expanded to 8,500 customers and 34 MW, respectively.

The programme provides flexible energy to support the grid every evening from 7pm to 9pm during the months of August through October, when high temperatures challenge California’s grid to meet peak energy demand.

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California is among the top five states with the most hours of power disruption, according to Sunrun.

“I’m happy to participate in Sunrun and PG&E’s Peak Power Rewards programme. I’m glad that my battery provides clean energy to the grid while also protecting my family during blackouts,” said Dan Exelby, a Sunrun an PG&E customer in Santa Rosa.

“I think it is great that my battery is supporting the grid and promoting energy sustainability for California.”

Eligibility for Peak Power Rewards requires Sunrun solar + battery customers in single-family homes to have an interconnection agreement with PG&E and not be enrolled in other demand response programmes.

Customers will receive an upfront payment of $750 and a free smart thermostat for participating.

Originally published by Sean Wolfe on Power Grid.

The companies’ fleets of solar and battery storage solutions will participate in the Battery Emergency Demand Response programme in Puerto Rico, which is being called the first distributed power plant programme in the nation that specifically focuses on rapid emergency response to ensure the grid remains stable.

Through the programme, backup power will be tapped into from residential solar and storage systems when the island’s ageing oil- and gas-fired power plants fail or when electricity generation issues arise that could lead to rolling blackouts.

According to a Sunrun-issued press release announcing their participation, Puerto Rico leads the US in total hours of electricity outages; millions of residents experienced more than 300 million hours of power disruptions in 2022.

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Earlier this year in June, tens of thousands were without electricity as the island reached a record-breaking heat index of 125°F (51.7°C), knocking an oil-fired power plant out of service.

The distributed power plant programme was formed in response to the island’s repeating outages, giving the utility provider on the island access to flexible and cost-effective power from residential energy resources to alleviate pressure on the power grid during periods of peak demand.

When the grid is under stress, and as requested by Puerto Rico‘s distribution and transmission operator LUMA, participating systems will be instructed to discharge battery storage to the site or to the grid, reducing overall demand on the grid, minimising blackouts, and keeping the power on.

Anticipated dispatch and customer compensation

The programme is anticipating 75 to 125 dispatch events in the first year with an average duration of two hours.

Through their participation in the grid balancing emergency programme, customers from Sunrun and Sunnova will be compensated for use of the energy.

Sunrun participatory customers, who will receive a pay-for-performance payment estimated at hundreds of dollars per battery, are expected to number in the thousands. In the event of a local power outage, states Sunrun, batteries enrolled in the programme will retain enough backup energy to meet personal, essential needs.

Sunnova customers’ batteries, states the company, will never be discharged below a capacity level of their choosing. At the end of the year, participating customers would be credited by Sunnova for the energy produced by their batteries during these events.

According to Sunnova, the average residential customer may receive up to $1,000 annually for their participation, depending on their battery size and configuration, and final programme details.

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“The unfortunate reality of an unreliable local electrical grid and frequent power outages has plagued Puerto Rico for far too long,” commented said William John Berger, CEO of Sunnova.

“Luckily, a new era of energy stability and empowerment is here. By harnessing the energy stored in batteries during times of high demand or emergencies, homeowners can actively contribute to grid stabilisation and be rewarded for their valuable contribution, all while benefitting electricity consumers across the Island.”

Stated Sunrun CEO, Mary Powell: “It’s exciting to see the progress being made on the island with officials and grid operators embracing home solar and storage as playing a key role in making sure Puerto Ricans have access to clean, affordable and resilient energy, especially as we enter hurricane season.

Colorado-headquartered Redaptive, an energy-as-a-service provider, launched the digital platform, which tracks and analyses building energy use data to provide insights for facility managers, energy professionals and utilities.

The solution, called Redaptive ONE, assesses building performance with the hope of simplifying sustainability reporting and helping to maximise energy savings.

According to Redaptive, the metering and data dashboard provides a window into consumption across building portfolios, which they claim saves on average 50% on reporting costs and time to gather and interpret the data, in addition to saving between 5%-15% on utility spend.

First Redaptive installs meters to measure electricity, water and gas usage enabling visibility into critical energy consumption for facility managers to make informed improvements.

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The platform’s release is followed by implementation across 18 locations, managed by WPT Capital Advisors, in five months.

In a press release announcing the solution, Spender Gerberding, a partner at WPT Capital Advisors, commented: “With Redaptive’s metering solution and the Redaptive ONE platform, our team can easily track and monitor consumption data, by building, across our entire portfolio for water, gas and electricity.”

Gerberding added how, through the solutions, inconsistent consumption patterns were quickly detected and alerts automatically sent “that ultimately create safer, healthier buildings by identifying leaks and building systems that are running at off-peak intervals.”

According to research released earlier this year – Building energy performance monitoring through the lens of data quality: A review – on the importance of smart meter data for energy performance, data quality reporting had been found to be fragmented and limited, although its importance is undeniable across sectors.

According to Redaptive, the platform can also enable access to consumption data for ongoing environmental, social and governance (ESG) and GRESB reporting without the leg work of collecting and deciphering utility bills from tenants.

The launch of the platform followed a $250 million fundraise with CPP, Honeywell, CBRE, Linse Capital and others.

The amended Energy Efficiency Directive will set energy-saving targets for both primary and final energy consumption in the EU.

With the directive, member states will have to collectively ensure a reduction in energy consumption of at least 11.7% at EU level by 2030.

A monitoring and enforcement mechanism will accompany this objective to make sure member states deliver on their national contributions to this binding EU target.

EU Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson welcomed the adoption: “Another milestone has been achieved today towards completing the Fit For 55 objectives. Our increased ambition and stronger measures on energy efficiency will accelerate the energy transition.”

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With the directive, EU countries will now be legally required to prioritise energy efficiency in policymaking, planning and major investments.

EU countries also agreed to almost double their annual energy savings obligation in the coming years.

Under the recast directive, EU countries will be required to achieve an average annual energy savings rate of 1.49% from 2024 to 2030, up from the current requirement of 0.8%, driving energy savings in critical sectors like buildings, industry and transport.

With the definition of energy poverty included in the legislation, EU countries are compelled to prioritise energy efficiency improvements for vulnerable customers, low-income households, and individuals in social housing, including within the scope of the energy savings obligation.

Public sector

The recast directive aims to strengthen the role played by the public sector in enhancing energy efficiency practices.

A significant advancement, states the European Commission, is the introduction of an annual energy consumption reduction target of 1.9% for the public sector as a whole. The annual 3% buildings renovation obligation is being extended to all levels of public administration.

Energy Performance Contracts will be prioritised in the implementation of energy efficiency projects in the public sector, whenever possible. Public bodies will continue to consider energy efficiency requirements when making decisions regarding the purchase of products, buildings and services.

Businesses operating in the EU will be able to benefit from assessments of their energy use practices, with energy management systems becoming a default requirement for large energy consumers exceeding 85TJ of annual energy consumption and will be subject to mandatory audits in the event of non-compliance.

Enterprises with an energy consumption above 10 TJ will have to perform an energy audit and prepare an action plan for the different recommendations.

Data

The agreement also introduces a reporting scheme of energy performance in large data centres, promoting transparency and optimisation of energy efficiency potential.

Given the importance of digitalisation and data centres, the directive introduces an obligation for the monitoring of the energy performance of data centres.

An EU-level database will collect and publish data, which is relevant for the energy performance and water footprint of data centres with significant energy consumption.

Heating, workforce and financing

The new legislation promotes local heating and cooling plans in larger municipalities.

Based on the revised definition of efficient district heating and cooling included in the legislation, minimum requirements will be gradually tightened in the coming years towards achieving a fully decarbonised district heating and cooling supply by 2050.

EU countries will also need to ensure that certification and qualification opportunities are available for energy efficiency-related professions.

The agreement supports energy efficiency financing provisions to facilitate investments, including from the private sector, which has a key role to play given the limited public resources available for the clean energy transition.

EU countries are tasked with promoting innovative financing schemes and green lending products, ensuring wider access through transparent investment. Enhanced reporting on energy efficiency investments will improve accountability and transparency.

The Council’s endorsement follows the one given by the European Parliament earlier this month and marks the final step in the legislative process that started in July 2021 as part of the ‘Fit for 55’ package.

As part of the Clean Energy for all Europeans package, the Energy Efficiency Directive underwent significant amendments in 2018, introducing updated energy efficiency targets of at least 32.5% by 2030, based on 2007 projections. Additionally, an extended energy savings obligation was implemented, specifying annual energy savings targets for EU countries during the 2021-2030 period.

The Commission’s proposal for a second revision (a recast) of the Energy Efficiency Directive was put on the table in July 2021 as part of the Fit for 55 package. This proposal included an energy efficiency target of 9% compared to the 2020 reference scenario, asserting the important role to be played by energy efficiency in Europe’s efforts to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions.

The ten ‘demonstrator’ projects have secured new funding under the beta phase – demonstrating their application after successful feasibility studies and proofs-of-concept – within Ofgem’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF).

Led by energy networks alongside partners in research, tech and innovation, the UK projects include technologies delving into hydrogen integration, flexible use of energy, AI and weather data systems to predict risks and faults to enable connections to the grid for increasing amounts of offshore renewable power.

The projects include:

1. CrowdFlex

The CrowdFlex project, led by National Grid ESO, aims to explore household energy flexibility as a national resource to help decarbonisation.

The project will evaluate the use of flexibility over when and how energy is used to help align demand to generation, improve network coordination and reduce stress on the system.

The project aims to build a forecasting model of domestic demand and flexibility, based on large-scale consumer trials, with the objective of establishing flexibility as a resource and informing new product design.

Project partners include Amazon Web Services, Octopus Energy, OVO Energy, Element Energy, National Grid Electricity Distribution, Southern Electric Power Distribution, Centre for Net Zero and OHME Operations UK.

Under the beta phase, the project has been awarded £18.6 million ($23.9 million).

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2. Digital Platform for Leakage Analytics

The Digital Platform for Leakage Analytics project, led by Cadent with Guidehouse as technology delivery partner, aims to demonstrate a prototype for how data, analytics and innovative sensors can be used to identify, locate and predict gas leaks in the gas distribution network.

The system is hoped to enable real-time alerts about critical leaks, more accurately analyse and model leakage data across the network and take quick and effective action.

Project partners include Northern Gas Networks, Wales & West Utilities, National Gas Transmission and Southern Gas Networks.

Under the beta phase, the project has been awarded £9.5 million ($12.2 million).

3. HyNTS Compression 

Led by National Grid Transmission, the project will investigate the compression of hydrogen for use in energy networks.

It will test repurposing of existing compression equipment to determine if it could be used for 100% hydrogen transmission. 

Project partners include Cardiff University, Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery, Northern Gas Networks, Southern Gas Networks, DNV Services UK, Premtech and Cullum Detuners.

Under the beta phase, the project has been awarded £33.3 million ($42.8 million).

4. Intelligent Gas Grid

Led by Southern Gas Networks, the project will investigate the use of weather data and AI to monitor and control gas networks, including the optimisation of pressure management, detection of faults and assisting the injection of green gas into the network.

Project partners include Cadent Gas, Northern Gas Networks, Wales & West Utilities, National Grid Gas, Utonomy and DNV Services UK.

Under the beta phase, the project has been awarded £6.1 million ($7.8 million).

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5. Predict4Resilience

Led by SP Transmission, the project will investigate using data from historical faults, land cover, weather and surveys to improve the forecasting of network faults and risks.

Project partners include the University of Glasgow, SP Distribution, SIA Partners UK and Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution.

Under the beta phase, the project has been awarded £4.5 million ($5.8 million).

6. Predictive Safety Intervention

Led by Southern Gas Networks, the project will investigate the use of AI and data to prevent safety incidents.

Project partners include Cadent Gas, Northern Gas Networks, National Grid Gas and FYLD.

Under the beta phase, the project has been awarded £1.1 million ($1.4 million).

7. Velocity Design with Hydrogen

Led by Southern Gas Networks, the project will investigate the use of hydrogen in gas distribution networks.

Project partners include Cadent Gas, Northern Gas Networks, Wales & West Utilities, National Grid Gas, Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers and DNV Services UK.

Under the beta phase, the project has been awarded £5.9 million ($7.6 million).

8. HyNTS Deblending for Transport Applications

Led by National Grid Gas, this project will investigate the blending of hydrogen for heavy transport refuelling stations into the gas network.  

Project partners include Element Energy, Cadent Gas, Northern Gas Networks, Wales & West Utilities, Southern Gas Networks, DNV Services UK, Element 2 and HyET Hydrogen B.V.

Under the beta phase, the project has been awarded £9.9 million ($12.7 million).

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9. Network-DC

Led by Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission, Network-DC is investigating the connection of offshore wind to DC (direct current) networks in coastal communities.

The project will look at the use of DC breakers to allow many wind farms to connect to a DC network, reducing the number of coastal converter stations for economic and environmental benefits.

Project partners include the University of Edinburgh, Carbon Trust Advisory, National Grid ESO and the SuperGrid Institute.

Under the beta phase, the project has been awarded £5.5 million ($7 million).

10. Incentive

Led by Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission, the Incentive project looks at technologies for managing offshore wind generation.

The project will investigate innovative control and energy storage for ancillary services in offshore wind, coupling storage with offshore wind farms to provide grid stability services, such as inertia i.e. when turbines are not generating.

Project partners include the University of Strathclyde, National Grid ESO and the Carbon Trust.

Under the beta phase, the project has been awarded £922,333 ($1.2 million).

The SIF is a five-year programme from Ofgem for projects in the UK, with up to £450 million ($577.4 million) available to promote projects driving energy network innovation.

Projects are funded progressively in three ‘agile’ stages – discovery, alpha and beta – to ensure focus on the right areas and minimise risk.

Discovery projects are short feasibility studies, alpha are longer proof-of-concept projects and beta projects are large-scale demonstrators.

The SIF programme’s second round of projects is currently underway; 53 feasibility studies have completed their initial Discovery Phase. A third round is due to open for feasibility study proposals in the autumn of 2023.

Funding will be provided incrementally and is dependent on key milestones being met.

The study, from the Manufacturers Association (MAKE UK) and software company Sage, found that almost two-thirds of the companies that had adopted digital technologies were making energy savings.

Half of them reported savings of between £10,000 and £100,000 ($12,850 – $128,500) in the past 12 months, while most of the rest reported savings below £10,000 that were nevertheless still significant to their balance sheet.

Moreover, the companies reported other benefits beyond energy savings, including labour and non-labour elements such as water savings and less material wastage.

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“Britain’s manufacturers have long been at the forefront of digital innovation globally and they have taken significant steps to cut carbon emissions and move towards net zero,” comments Stephen Phipson, CEO of MAKE UK, calling on the government to help to drive the process forward.

“Government needs to help them move forward faster by committing to a national rollout of the industrial digitalisation programme Made Smarter across the UK and expand its remit to include industrial decarbonisation.”

Made Smarter was formed as a public-private platform to connect manufacturers to digital tools and skills to advance their business operations.

While the traditional wisdom is that electrification is the key to decarbonising industry and manufacturing, the study shows that digitalisation is also a significant contributor.

Almost half of companies surveyed said that digitalisation has been their firm’s top driver of productivity improvements, with production processes streamlined and tightened up.

Multiple digital technologies are being deployed. In particular, manufacturers are using new data analytics tools, new data capturing tools and supply chain management tools to decarbonise.

Data analysis has also proved popular with manufacturers to help them drive energy efficiency and decarbonise their businesses with over a third of companies surveyed highlighting this as being helpful to their business.

The survey found that almost half of the manufacturers have implemented or are planning to implement plans to increase their energy efficiency, with just 16% having no plans.

Nevertheless, barriers to digitalisation remain, the survey found. These include the upfront investment costs and skills shortages.

Among the other recommendations is the introduction of a ‘Help to grow green’ scheme, with existing funds reshaped to become more accessible and including smaller funding levels, for example for energy audits and submetering.

The annual update of the IEA’s Tracking Clean Energy Progress online resource shows notable gains in the past year. Electric car sales reached a record high of more than 10 million in 2022, a nearly tenfold increase in just five years. Renewable electricity capacity additions rose to 340 GW, their largest ever deployment. As a result, renewables now account for 30% of global electricity generation. Investment in clean energy reached a record $1.6 trillion in 2022, an increase of almost 15% from 2021.

The transition to clean energy is occurring at different speeds across regions and sectors, however. For example, nearly 95% of global electric car sales in 2022 took place in China, the United States, and Europe.

Clean energy deployment is also occurring faster in some parts of the energy system – such as electricity generation and passenger cars – where costs have fallen and technologies are already relatively mature. Meanwhile, innovation is still needed to bring to market clean technologies for parts of the energy system where emissions are harder to tackle, such as heavy industry and long-distance transport. Positive steps on innovation have been made in the past few years, but further acceleration is needed to soon bring to market more low-emissions technologies for these areas, IEA says.

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The 2023 update of Tracking Clean Energy Progress tracks progress towards aligning the global energy system with a path to reaching net zero emissions by 2050. It does this by assessing over 50 different components, from sectors to technologies to infrastructure. The IEA also released the redesigned Clean Energy Technology Guide, an interactive digital database that allows users to visualize the readiness and geographical distribution of more than 500 different innovative technologies or components across the global energy system, along with the accompanying Clean Energy Demonstration Projects Database.

Although many sectors are not yet fully on track for international climate goals, the new analysis identifies crucial advances over the past year. For the first time ever, announced manufacturing capacity for electric vehicle batteries has reached levels sufficient to fulfill expected demand requirements in 2030 in the IEA’s scenario for achieving net zero emissions by 2050. This is backed by the momentum from industrial strategies such as the Inflation Reduction Act in the United States and the European Union’s Green Deal Industrial Plan.

Solar PV has been upgraded to “on track”, as its progress now aligns with milestones consistent with net zero ambitions. Solar PV generated a record of nearly 1,300 TWh in 2022, up 26% from 2021 and logging the largest absolute generation growth of all renewable technologies in 2022. The number of manufacturing projects in the pipeline for solar PV also saw massive growth in the context of widespread government support, especially in China, the United States, and India. If all announced projects are realized, global manufacturing capacity for solar PV will more than double in the next five years, outpacing 2030 demand in the IEA’s Net Zero by 2050 Scenario.

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Notable progress was made in the buildings sector – which has been upgraded from “not on track” to “more efforts needed” in the Tracking Clean Energy Progress three-tier rating system. Governments are increasingly introducing stringent building energy codes and performance standards, and the use of efficient and renewable technologies for buildings such as heat pumps and low-emissions cooling equipment is accelerating. Energy efficiency policies were also strengthened globally in the past year, such as in India, which enacted new policies for appliances, vehicles, industrial facilities, and commercial buildings.

Policy is advancing in many regions. Earlier this year, for example, Indonesia became the first country in Southeast Asia to establish a legal and regulatory framework for carbon capture, utilization and storage, and Namibia released a hydrogen strategy in late 2022.

Several technologies have seen breakthroughs in innovation since the last updates to the IEA’s Tracking Clean Energy Progress and Clean Energy Technology Guide. The world’s largest battery manufacturer announced it would begin production of sodium-ion electric vehicles batteries, an alternative battery chemistry that can help reduce reliance on in-demand critical minerals. Two large-scale demonstrations of solid oxide electrolyzers, a technology to produce low-emission hydrogen, started operating earlier this year. There have been positive steps in innovative clean technologies for aluminum refining and cement-making – both industries in which emissions are difficult to tackle. Furthermore, in early 2023, the first shipment of liquid carbon dioxide was taken from Belgium to be geologically stored off the coast of Denmark beneath the North Sea.

While progress can be observed across all of the 50-plus components of the energy system evaluated in Tracking Clean Energy Progress, the majority are not yet on a path consistent with net zero emissions by 2050.

Originally published by Sean Wolfe on Renewable Energy World.

UKRI, a government body that directs the spending of research and innovation funding from the science budget of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, is directing the £53 million to research into energy demand reduction, innovation in energy distribution and the integration of hydrogen into the country’s energy system.

Energy Demand Research Centre

£15 million ($19.6 million) from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Economic and Social Research Council will be directed to a new Energy Demand Research Centre.

The new national Energy Demand Research Centre, states the UKRI, will build an evidence base for understanding consumer behaviour, assessing the impact of socio-technical energy demand reduction measures and research mechanisms to improve energy efficiency.

The centre, based at the universities of Sussex and Newcastle, will investigate how domestic, industrial and transport energy demand reduction can be delivered on a local and national level across the UK.

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Supergen Impact Hubs

£17.5 million ($22.9 million) will be invested in three Supergen research hubs that will aim to boost innovation in energy distribution, both nationally and internationally as well as advance discoveries in renewable energy into new technologies.

Supergen Energy Networks Impact Hub

The Supergen Energy Networks Impact Hub is based at the University of Bristol.

The hub will investigate modernisation of energy distribution systems between suppliers and users to become a driving force towards a rapid, safe and just transition to net zero.

Supergen Offshore Renewable Energy Impact Hub

Based at the University of Plymouth, the Supergen Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Impact Hub delivers research to accelerate the impact of current generation and future ORE devices and systems.

Researchers will focus on innovation and new technologies in wave, tidal, solar and wind power.

Supergen Bioenergy Impact Hub

The Supergen Bioenergy Impact Hub, based at Aston University, will identify pathways for delivering bioenergy with wider social, economic and environmental benefits.

The hubs are funded by EPSRC, with the Supergen Bioenergy Impact Hub also receiving support from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

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Hydrogen hubs

£20 million ($26.1 million) will be invested into two hubs that deliver options to integrate clean and sustainable hydrogen into the domestic, industrial and transport energy systems.

UK-HyRES Hub

The UK Hub for Research Challenges in Hydrogen and Alternative Liquid Fuels (UK-HyRES) is led by the University of Bath.

It aims to become an international leader in hydrogen research and to deliver practical hydrogen and alternative liquid fuel technologies that are safe, acceptable and environmentally and economically sustainable.

HI-ACT Hub

The Hydrogen Integration for Accelerated Energy Transitions (HI-ACT) Hub is led by Newcastle University.

It will evaluate routes to effective integration of hydrogen into the wider energy landscape, addressing interactions with electricity, natural gas, heat, and transport. By considering a whole systems perspective, the research shall identify where hydrogen offers most value.

Each hub has been awarded £10 million ($13 million) in funding by EPSRC.

The law will set energy-saving targets in both primary and final energy consumption in the EU.

With the directive, member states will have to collectively ensure a reduction in energy consumption of at least 11.7% at EU level by 2030 (compared to the projections of the 2020 Reference Scenario).

A monitoring and enforcement mechanism will accompany this objective to make sure member states deliver on their national contributions to this binding EU target.

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By 2030, member states need to save on average 1.5% per year. The annual energy savings will begin with 1.3% in the period until the end of 2025 and will progressively reach 1.9% in the last period up to the end of 2030.

The saving targets should be met through local, regional and national measures, in different sectors – such as public administration, buildings, businesses and data centres.

Member of the EU parliament insisted that the scheme should in particular cover the public sector, which will have to reduce its final energy consumption by 1.9% each year.

Member states will also need to ensure that at least 3% of public buildings are renovated each year into nearly-zero energy buildings or zero-emission buildings. The directive also establishes new requirements for efficient district heating systems.

Member of Parliament Niels Fuglsang, who negotiated the Directive as rapporteur, said: “The energy crisis is not over. There is no guarantee that the next winters will be as mild as the last one. In the next seven years, we have to deliver the needed structural changes.

“I am very happy that we succeeded in pushing member states towards far more ambitious energy efficiency targets. This is crucial so that we no longer depend on Russian energy in the future and can meet our climate targets. Today’s vote is a great victory; it is not only good for our climate, but bad for Putin.”

Parliament adopted the legislation by 471 votes to 147 with 17 abstentions. It will now also have to be endorsed by the Council of Ministers before it can enter into force.

On 14 July 2021, the European Commission adopted the ‘Fit for 55’ package, adapting existing climate and energy legislation to meet the new EU objective of a minimum 55% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030

The package included the recast of the existing Energy Efficiency Directive, aligning its provisions with the new 55% GHG target.

The projects share a common objective to develop and deploy new business models and concepts which add value by leveraging integrated energy services.

Based on the principle that collaboration and innovation are key, they intend to pool resources and expertise to accelerate the energy transition, according to a statement from the EU’s Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency, which delivers the LIFE funding programme to support the delivery of the region’s sustainable energy policies.

“#SmartEnergyCluster projects focus on merging different energy services and incorporating non-energy benefits whilst overcoming market fragmentation and fostering cooperation. This inclusive approach bridges gaps and creates a common ground for business development across different segments.”

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The 19 projects are wide-ranging from InEExS, which is using blockchain technology to tokenise energy saving data, to EU-MORE, which is undertaking early replacement of old electric motors.

Others include Audit-to-measure, which is aimed to help companies translate energy audits into actionable measures, and BungEES, which is bundling and valorising energy efficiency services and flexibility on the demand side.

The others are BD4NRG, BIGG, Bright, Efficiency-as-a-Service, Energate, Flex, Fresco, i-nergy, Interconnect, Matrycs, Neon, Nudge, Probono, SmartSpin and V2market.

The statement continues that the #SmartEnergyCluster highlights the power of collaboration to drive and is a great opportunity to showcase ground-breaking LIFE projects with significant potential for improved energy efficiency, increased renewable energy use and enhanced system flexibility.

For more news about projects, visit the EU Projects Zone

“The cluster aims to inspire even greater collaboration, innovation and more widespread adoption of smart energy solutions by everyone involved in the sector and to pave the way for a smarter, greener, and more efficient energy system for all.”

Most energy insiders recognize that the transition to clean energy will require a large percentage of distributed energy resources (DER), particularly distributed solar PV, batteries, electric vehicles, grid-interactive buildings, and more. These DER will need to be dispatched as part of a system that asks them to both push energy to the grid and absorb it in order to keep the grid stable as it seeks to balance generation from large inverter-based resources, i.e. wind and solar power.

Today in the US there are grid operators and an energy market at the transmission level, but the distribution utilities have always focused on the (extremely complex) task of delivering energy that is reliable, safe, and affordable. In the future, that might need to change and the state of Maine is taking initial steps toward what that DER-heavy future might look like.

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In late June, Maine Governor Janet Mills signed legislation — LD 952: An Act to Create a 21^st-Century Electric Grid — that could modernize Maine’s electric grid.  

The bill directs the Governor’s Energy Office (GEO) to hire a third-party consultant to conduct a two-part study for the design of a distribution system operator (DSO) in Maine. A DSO would function in Maine much like the existing independent system operator of the New England region, ISO New England, whose role is electric grid operation, market administration and power system planning. 

Part one of the study evaluates whether it is possible to design a DSO in Maine to achieve a reduction in electricity costs for customers, improve electric system reliability and performance in the state and meet Maine’s climate goals and growth of distributed energy resources at an accelerated rate. If possible, and the GEO agrees, the consultant would then proceed to design the DSO. 

“LD 952 designs the future electricity grid Maine will need to achieve its climate goals, ensuring both cost efficiency and reliability for customers and the state’s economy,” said sponsor of the bill, Gerry Runte. “We are presently transitioning toward a smarter, digitalized grid that seamlessly incorporates local electricity sources. This transition was never anticipated by our current grid design, which has remained largely unchanged over the last 100 years.” 

The GEO will present an analysis based on the consultant’s DSO design to the Legislature by Jan. 1, 2025. Otherwise, if the consultant finds it is not possible to design a DSO meeting the required objectives stated above, the GEO will present part one of the consultant’s study to the Legislature within 60 days of the completion of part one of the study. 

“If Maine wants to achieve its climate goals and ensure that its distribution grids are as economical and as reliable as they can be, and if Maine wants its electric grid to serve its citizens and attract new business to the state, it needs to adopt a different perspective as to how its electricity delivery system operates, is controlled and regulated,” said Runte. “This is not a far-off vision – the technologies to implement a modern grid are readily available. What’s needed is a solid plan, the will to execute it and the willingness to become a leader in grid modernization.” 

The new law will go into effect 90 days after final adjournment of the legislative session.

This article was first published on the Power Grid website.

With the energy consumption of the ICT sector set to approximately double by 2030 – globally the sector accounts for about 7% of consumption and is projected to rise to 13% by 2030 – the European Commission has the sector in its sights as part of its action plan for the digitalisation of the energy sector.

“Ensuring that the growing energy needs of the ICT sector are met in synergy with the climate neutrality objective is therefore an essential part of the twin green and digital transition,” the plan states, setting out a number of actions to address this issue.

One of these actions is a study and subsequent communication campaign on the responsible energy consumption of digital behaviours.

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The new study, which was undertaken by Ramboll Management Consulting and digital consultancy Resilio, thus fulfils the first part of this action point.

The ten common actions reviewed are:

• 1 hour of video streaming
• 1 hour of video gaming
• 1 hour of video conferencing
• 1 hour of music streaming
• 1 hour of social networking
• write, send and store an email
• download a 1GB file to a PC
• store 1GB of data in the cloud for 1 year,
• prolong the lifespan of a mobile phone from 3 to 5 years
• switch off the wi-fi router for 2 weeks.

Only the first five of these are directly comparable and range from averages of 0.024kWh for 1h of social networking to 0.128kWh for 1h of video conferencing.

However, overall the largest consumption goes to the wi-fi router switch off at 3.77kWh and the lowest is downloading a 1GB file to a PC at 0.004kWh, while prolonging the lifespan of a mobile yields the largest carbon benefits at 8.7kg CO2e per year.

The study, which also includes recommended best practices for energy saving with the actions, was based on a comprehensive literature review and life cycle assessment modelling.

The authors however acknowledge its limitations, with not all of the ten actions considered having been studied comprehensively.

They conclude nevertheless that while the energy impacts of digital behaviours might seem negligible when taken individually, they become considerable when performed repeatedly over time by each member of the entire cohort of users and overall are significant.

Energy savings can be achieved when more sustainable behaviours are adopted, they state, saying it therefore becomes important to raise users’ awareness about the impact of their individual digital behaviours and to encourage the adoption of such digital habits.

The programme, which is being implemented with support from the United Nations Development Programme in Moldova, marks the start of the sector’s digitalisation.

Over the next 12 months, approximately 35,000 smart meters will be installed with a nationally representative sample of customers and in public buildings countrywide.

Households will be selected according to geographic location, population density, household size, socio-economic status and level of energy vulnerability among others.

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“Through this pilot programme, we are starting an extensive process of digitalisation of the energy sector, smart meters being a necessary step for the introduction of differentiated tariffs for electricity based on the hour of consumption,” said Victor Parlicov, Minister of Energy, at the launch.

“The era of cheap energy has passed, so to reduce costs we need to be smart about how we consume energy.”

The data collected in the smart meter pilot will be used to develop new consumption and energy efficiency policies.

Following the pilot and subsequent analysis of the data, the hope is to expand the smart metering countrywide.

In addition to the smart meter pilot the UNDP reports piloting several other solutions that could later be expanded to the whole country, among them the EU-funded ‘Rabla for household appliances’ to enable energy consuming appliances to be replaced with energy efficient alternatives.

The UNDP has also reported an investigation carried out with customers of the supplier Furnizarea Energiei Electrice Nord, which found that those who received behavioural letters about excess consumption with energy saving tips ultimately reduced their consumption.

“The intelligent consumption of energy is one of the cheapest and most accessible ways to deal with high electricity bills and, at the same time, to reduce the dependence of the Republic of Moldova on certain imports,” commented Oleg Petelca, head of FEE Nord.

According to the report, published by the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA), European heat pumps sales grew by +38.9% in 2022. With 3 million units sold across Europe, the Association states this is a new sales record.

France, which yet again saw strong heat pump growth last year, was found by the report to be leading the way in terms of avoided greenhouse gas emissions through heat pumps, at over 16Mt. It is followed some way behind by Germany and Italy at over 5Mt avoided each.

Still not on track

Although the figures are promising, more is yet needed, states the Association.

In a press release announcing the report, they stated:

“If things were to stay this way, the buildings sector would be off track to decarbonise heating and cooling by 2050, as the EU climate law requires. This is because the playing field is still tipped massively in favour of fossil fuels, in terms of subsidies and taxation.

“However, the issue is very likely to be addressed soon by the European Commission in their upcoming EU Heat Pumps Action Plan, which should help make the situation fairer for clean solutions.”

Jozefien Vanbecelaere, head of EU affairs at EHPA, added that “heat pumps have a leading role to play to reach net zero emissions, but to bring them centre stage governments must give clear policy signals. They can do this by addressing distorted pricing which favours gas over electricity and supporting the EU Commission’s proposed phase out of standalone fossil fuel boilers.”

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European heat pumps figures

With approximately 120 million residential buildings in Europe, the report finds the heat pump market share in the building stock at over 16%.

According to the report, all heat pump markets across Europe experienced substantial growth. Specifically:

• The strongest relative gains were achieved in Belgium (+118.0%), Poland (+112.0%) and the Czech Republic (+105.9%).

• 87% of the European market volume was sold in only ten countries. The five biggest European heat pumps markets in 2022 were France (621,776 units sold; +15.8% growth vs. 2022), Italy (513,535; +35.2%), Germany (275,697; +59.0%), Sweden (215,373; +61.3%), and Poland (207,992; +112.0%).

• The biggest absolute gains were achieved in Italy (133,564), Poland (109,890), Germany (102,310), France (84,665), Sweden (81,875) and Finland (66,984).

• The Nordic countries show the biggest market penetration for heat pumps in the building stock and also experience significant shares of the technology in the renovation sector.

• Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland grew by 40,092 units, although figures for the Swedish market in the report do not include the growth in air-air heat pumps.

• While Finland’s market is maturing, it revealed a significant growth perspective for Europe. If all countries had the same market penetration as Finland, they state, the annual sales number of heat pumps in Europe would be more than seven times bigger than today’s, resulting in 15 million units sold per year and – if maintained until 2030 – reaching a stock of 106 million units in that year.

• In aggregated terms, 19.79 million heat pump units were installed since 1996. This amounts to an installed thermal capacity of 173.6GW.

• All installed heat pumps produce 325TWh of useful energy, 205.2TWh of which being renewable. Their use saved 262.6TWh of final and 117.6TWh of primary energy.

For policymakers, states the report, the findings mark a good forecast, as it reveals significant untapped potential to reduce Europe’s energy demand for heating, cooling and hot water production.

However, they add that achieving it by 2030 would require an annual 21% growth rate and a tremendous effort with regards to framework conditions, efficiency requirements for buildings, upskilling of installers and planner/architect qualifications as well as the development of flanking measures.

Over in the UK

Responding to the release of the EHPA’s report was The Heat Pump Association, which are members of the EHPA, who commented on the report and its signals for the market in the UK.

Stated the Association: “The European Heat Pump Association’s latest market report showcases the positive impact heat pumps are having across Europe to mitigate emissions and grow European economies. We welcome these figures and believe the UK can afford to be equally ambitious provided the Government takes swift and decisive action to support the market.”

According to the Association, the UK is showing significant progress in its heat pump rollout, with the first half of 2023 projecting a sales growth of 10%.

However, they add that the country is still falling behind, “with one of the lowest heat pump penetration rates across Europe despite high forecasted growth.”

The Association related this back to the correlation between decreasing ratio of gas to electricity prices and increased heat pump sales; “it is concerning that the UK has one of the highest ratios of electricity to gas prices out of 27 countries analysed in the report.”

Charlotte Lee, chief executive of the Heat Pump Association, also commented: ” We believe the UK Government’s projected deployment target of 600,000 heat pumps installations per year by 2028 remains achievable provided it moves swiftly and decisively to introduce the Future Homes Standard, provide early clarity of a date for the full phase out of 100% fossil fuel boilers, and takes steps to reduce the price of electricity.”

According to the World Green Building Council, buildings are responsible for 39% of global energy-related carbon emissions; 28% from operational emissions from energy needed to heat, cool and power them.

The project’s goals are two-fold; to identify the impact of large-scale electricity sharing on grid management and to explore the potential incentives and obstacles for the development of similar initiatives.

Belgian retail investor Nextensa worked on the project alongside economic think tank Brugel, electricity and gas DSO Sibelga and energy solutions developer WeSmart to set up the energy community around Tour&Taxis, a former industrial site in Belgium, and at the Maritime Station, which includes the Station, its parking lot, the Park Lane and the Post Office.

The project has seen residents consuming locally generated solar energy since earlier this year in May. On the roofs of Gare Maritime, Tour & Taxis’ energy-neutral flagship, there are 10,000 solar panels generating 3,000MWh of renewable energy annually.

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Most of this energy has until now been consumed by the offices, commercial spaces, events and the Food Market located in the Gare Maritime – the surplus energy flowed directly toward the power grid.

This next stage of the project will evaluate energy sharing models, whereby a portion of the surplus energy is shared with residents, rather than being directed to the grid, at ‘an attractive rate’, stated Nextensa.  

In a press release announcing the project, Nextensa commented on the European Union’s Clean Energy Package, which sparked new forms of energy sharing across Europe.

“Central to this European energy strategy are the interests of consumers and the decentralisation of electricity production (…) Nextensa aims to demonstrate that non-professionals in the energy market can also play an important role in the energy transition that the European Union is pursuing.

Also commenting on the project was Marion Stabile, manager of the energy community and resident of the Tour & Taxis site as well as an administrative assistant in communications and HR at WeSmart:

“WeSmart, a company that specializes in setting up energy communities, will provide the necessary support and provide participants with a digital platform that will allow them to view their consumption and download their bills every month in a clear and transparent way.”

The pilot project will run until 2024.

This is according to Agne Toleikyte, project officer for the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, who announced findings of their The Heat Pump Wave: Opportunities and Challenges study, which will be released later this week.

According to their research, which analysed data from residential buildings on current and future energy trends, sales of heat pumps have grown significantly over the last decade.

Over the course of 2011 to 2022, they state, sales grew by 11%; by 2022 they boomed and this year alone saw 3 million sold in the European market, 90% of which were in the buildings sector.

Said Toleikyte: “Looking at the long-term scenarios to 2050, we see that ambient heat is emerging as a main energy source supplying space heating…However, if we look at the market share, we see that there are differences between some member states. In some countries, the heat pump represents a very low share of their heating supply.”

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The role of heat pumps within the energy sector has gained momentum over years due their superior energy efficiency over oil and gas boilers.

According to the World Green Building Council, buildings are responsible for 39% of global energy-related carbon emissions; 28% from operational emissions, from energy needed to heat, cool and power them.

According to the analysis, heat pump electricity demand will constitute 5% of total annual demand on the grid, increasing to 11% in Winter. They will also have a large influence on annual peak hourly demands.

Heat pumps here can be used as a powerful asset for energy management where, stated Toleikyte, demand response flexibility strategies, such as pooling them together as assets, can alleviate a considerable portion of stress on the power grid.

EUSEW is happening this week in Brussels, Belgium, from 20 to 22 June.

IRENA’s 1.5^oC scenario, in which the global average temperature increase is limited to 1.5^oC per the Paris Agreement, has the share of direct electricity in total final energy consumption globally rising over 50% by 2050, up from less than 25% currently – and as high as 73% in the buildings sector – indicating the huge growth in electric technologies that are required to achieve widespread decarbonisation.

This massive growth, with a tripling of global electricity demand by 2050 in the 1.5^oC scenario, both highlights the importance of energy efficiency measures but also brings with it with large scale renewable integration the need for flexibility for power system management – or what IRENA terms ‘smart electrification’ interconnecting the power sector with others previously largely disparate such as heat and mobility.

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And it is such interconnections that form the basis of what is intended as a toolbox of 100 proven solutions, drawn from many hundreds more globally, for countries to draw on for their individual electrification strategies.

In particular the two main challenges are how to accelerate the pace of their energy transition and how to manage the new energy system in a way that maximises the benefits while minimising the costs.

The report is divided into three sections, broadly one for each sector, i.e. ‘Power to mobility’ for the transport sector, ‘Power to heat or cold’ for heating and cooling in buildings as well as industry and district heating and cooling, and ‘Power to hydrogen’ for hydrogen production for indirect electrification in hard to abate sectors, primarily heavy industry and heavy transport.

Each section in turn is divided into four sets of innovations intended to enable a systemic approach to implementation combining the technology and infrastructure with market design and regulation, system planning and operation and business models.

The innovations also are intended to be grouped in ‘kits’ that can complement one another.

Essential smart electrification kits

As part of the toolbox, IRENA recommends sets of essential kits for each of the power to x.

The essential kit for smart electrification for e-mobility focusses on the necessary infrastructure for the deployment of EVs and the digital infrastructure that enables data exchange between the assets connected to the grid. It also includes key regulations to ensure the accessibility, interoperability and deployment of the charging infrastructure.

The essential kit for heat and cool includes innovations, such as heat pumps and thermal storage, along with others in market design, system planning and business models, such as smart tariffs and aggregation.

The essential kit for hydrogen production is designed to lay the groundwork for a hydrogen economy, with a focus on technological innovations such as electrolyser technologies and regulations supporting hydrogen uptake.

Speaking at the launch of the Innovation Landscape for Smart Electrification report, European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson highlighted Europe’s increased renewable ambitions of 42.5% by 2030 – and aspirations of 45% – saying that to achieve this the grids have been made a top political priority underpinned by the digitalisation of the sector.

“The launch of the report featuring many of the best practices taking place in Europe comes at the right time.”

Francesco La Camera, IRENA’s Director-General, commented that the energy transition is here and it is unstoppable.

“Smart electrification is the driver of the energy transition and innovation is the key to accelerating it forward,” he said, promising that IRENA stands ready to support countries to implement the toolbox.

The secretary-general of Eurelectric, Kristian Ruby, today painted a stark picture of the challenge Europe faces to be seen as a major player on the global energy economic stage.

He said that on a world map, Europe could be considered as a collection of ‘small countries’, and he warned that “we are becoming the small countries in a geopolitical sense”.

“War is back in Europe, coal plants are back in operation. In Asia, the emerging economies have emerged and the US is reshaping its industries. A new balance of power is emerging and we need to avoid that ‘small’ means ‘weak’.

Delivering the opening speech of the Eurelectric Power Summit in Brussels, Ruby said the “dark clouds of climate change are gathering and protectionism is on the rise”, which he said was resulting in “the economic mantra changing from ‘just in time’ to ‘just in case’.”

And he said the energy transition was seeing Europe shift from “a fuel-intensive economy to a raw materials economy”.

He said that Europe had made great strides in the energy transition in the first half of this century, yet a variety of events in recent years, including the Covid pandemic and Brexit, had resulted in it taking its eye off the ball in terms of energy security.

And now countries were left asking: “How did we get so dependent on Russian gas?”

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But now he said “Europe has its eyes open” and the question it must answer is: “How do we get back to the future without repeating the mistakes of the past?”

“How do we scale solutions to build a net zero Europe,” posed Ruby. “In the new balance of power, home grown electricity is industrial power and it is political power.”

And he stressed that being the ‘small countries’ has advantages that must be maximized. “The strength of the small countries flows from our unity, co-operation and commitment to freedom and planetary stewardship.”

At this morning’s opening of the event, Eurelectric unveiled its report Decarbonisation Speedways, which identifies three decarbonisation scenarios, or ‘speedways’, towards net zero by 2050 based on current policies – one on Fit for 55, another on REPowerEu and the third named ‘Radical action’ as an extension of the latter to deliver net zero by 2040.

Don’t miss our podcast with Kristian Ruby.

Microchips get ‘common interest’ status in Europe

The microelectronics and communication technologies project has been named an ‘Important project of common European interest’ (IPCEI) by the European Commission, which will mean a boosting of research and development into new efficient chips, processors and sensors for the many applications in which these are used.

The project involves 56 companies across the EU with a proposed 68 projects with an investment expected to exceed €21 billion (US$23 billion).

Specifically, there are four workstreams.

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The first, named ‘Sense’, will focus on developing novel sensors able to collect relevant analogue signals from the environment and translate them into digital data.

The second, ‘Think’, will focus on processors and memory chips for the processing and storage of data.

The third, ‘Act’, will focus on new designs and innovative materials for components.

Then the fourth, ‘Communicate’, will work to deliver novel technologies necessary for communication that has been processed under the ‘Think’ workstream.

The project expects to deliver the first products resulting to the market in 2025.

Rocks for energy storage

Investigations by Tanzanian researchers of soapstone and granite rocks from regions in the centre of their country suggest they may have potential for thermal energy storage in conjunction with concentrated solar power generation and solar drying applications.

But not all rocks, even of the same type, were found to be equal in their properties. The soapstone from the Craton group was found to have the best performance in terms of thermal capacity and conductivities of the samples investigated.

But while the soapstone from the adjacent to the south Usagaran belt was found to have the second-best thermal capacity and conductivities, also it was found to be susceptible to deterioration at elevated temperatures and with its lowest mechanical strength is the easiest to disintegrate.

Conversely, the Usagaran granite was found to have better properties than the Craton granite, but with its low thermal capacity and conductivity needing a high-temperature change to store an equal amount of energy to the soapstone rocks.

Further experimentation is needed on the thermal energy performance of these rocks, the researchers say, but their findings so far point the way to potentially lower cost solar power and solar drying options, particularly in equatorial countries such as Tanzania where energy access is limited.

How fusion research could speed up deep space travel

Field-reversed configuration, a form of fusion in which the hot plasma is confined by a magnetic field reversed to that applied externally, is one of the options under investigation for power generation.

But it is also being adapted as a potential option for rocket engines and now the UK-based Pulsar Fusion has entered into a research partnership with Princeton Satellite Systems in the US to investigate the concept further.

Specifically, the aim is to apply machine learning to study data from Princeton’s field reversed PFRC-2 reactor to improve understanding of the behaviour of super-heated plasma in a rocket engine configuration and to determine its behaviour when emitted as exhaust particles.

Richard Dinan, founder and CEO of Pulsar Fusion, explains that fusion offers 1,000 times the power of the conventional ion thrusters currently used in orbit and could satisfy the need for faster propulsion in the growing space economy.

NASA is making plans already for trips to Mars and direct fusion drive would open up the possibility of speeding up the travel time and to go beyond. For example, with a single DFD drive, a trip to Jupiter would take only one year and to Saturn only two years, compared with decades with conventional engines.

“In short, if humans can achieve fusion for energy, then fusion propulsion in space is inevitable,” says Dinan – and he believes that fusion propulsion will be demonstrated in space decades before fusion can be harnessed for energy on Earth.

The new industry coalition, which has been formed by manufacturers CTC Global, TS Conductor and VEIR, is aimed to focus on promoting the use of high-capacity conductors as a tool for increasing grid capacity, resilience, reliability and energy efficiency.

With the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act and current FERC proceedings on transmission planning and generator interconnection, demands on the grid will accelerate in the years ahead, the coalition founders state.

Thus, this is a key moment for the conductor industry to work together and with other clean energy organisations to advance the clean energy transition by promoting reconductoring, replacement and ‘right-sizing’ of new and existing transmission infrastructure.

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A dedicated coalition also is anticipated to be a valuable tool for creating a bigger market in the US for high-capacity conductors and providing greater access and legitimacy in regulatory discussions than a single company.

The US grid is currently based on century-old technology, with an estimated 70% of transmission and distribution lines approaching 50 years in age. Like other countries, the US also is expected to need to approximately double its grid capacity to meet future demand.

J.D. Sitton, CEO of CTC Global, says that modern conductor technologies are game-changers in reducing the carbon intensity of the grid.

“They can be deployed quickly and can reduce the cost and improve the reliability of moving to a renewables-based energy system.”

Jason Huang, CEO of TS Conductor, states that creating a modernised US power grid is an urgent priority.

“We believe that the AMP Coalition and the technology of its members can jumpstart the rapid change required for a better performing grid.”

Tim Heidel, CEO of VEIR, adds that the company is looking forward to working with the AMP Coalition “to promote deployment of innovative transmission line solutions into the existing grid in a safe and reliable manner that benefits electricity customers”.

A specific focus of the AMP Coalition will be on shifting the current regulatory framework from ‘least cost requirements’ to a net benefits framework, which should accelerate grid modernisation and technology deployment, offsetting the risk to customers associated with the higher initial costs and avoiding the diminishing investor-owned utilities’ financial incentive to invest in ‘right-sizing’ projects.

Advanced conductors have carbon and/or composite cores, instead of the steel wire cores used for conventional conductors, enabling greater transmission capacity and maintaining better performance at higher operating temperatures.

The study by the London-based Behavioural Insights Team has estimated consumption reductions of 3.43% for electricity and 2.97% for gas from a meta-analysis of seven studies from four suppliers.

These are both statistically significantly different from 0, according to the study – the ranges are 3.56% to 3.31% and 3.08% to 2.86% respectively – and they compare with the 3% for electricity and 2.2% for gas that the government had previously anticipated based on findings from the early stages of the rollout combined with those from elsewhere.

The study report also notes marked variations between the suppliers, from -4.6% to -1.12% for electricity and -3.8% to -0.94% for gas, and in particular ‘Supplier A’ with four studies in both categories achieving greater impacts than the other three suppliers.

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However, the report states that it was not possible to draw strong conclusions about the reasons for this variation.

One suggestion is differences between the suppliers in rollout and installation strategies, such as the maturity of rollout at the time of installation – the studies encompass a range of different timeframes – the proportion of customers receiving an in-home display, the quality of the display or energy efficiency advice given to customers during the installation.

Another is differences in the suppliers’ sample for the analysis, analysis strategies and/or customer base.

The seven studies from the four suppliers in the meta-analysis were selected from an initial review of 14 analyses from seven suppliers as being “sufficiently rigorous to include in an evidence synthesis”.

The report also notes that treating the four studies from Supplier A as a single study reduces the consumption reduction estimates to 2.61% for electricity and 2.43% for gas – both still statistically significantly different from 0 and broadly in line with the government’s anticipated figures.

The competition, which trialled five different products, found that of these, both the smart thermostat and gamification delivered statistically significant reductions in gas consumption – 5% (error 3.9%) for the thermostat and 4.6% (error 2%) for the gaming.

Of the other three options, two focussed on personalised reporting and advice and the third on local energy markets, the analysis was unable to provide definitive evidence of energy consumption reduction, although there were individual reductions and changes in behaviour.

The competition, which was launched in February 2019, was aimed to identify and deploy new products and services using smart meter data that could deliver additional energy savings for consumers over and above the baseline smart metering proposition.

An initial selection of eight projects was reduced down on evaluation to five for trialling.

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The trials started in January 2020 but were hit with the government-driven COVID-19 restrictions, which impacted recruitment and led to their extension by a year to March 2022.

The five products were as follows:
● Smart thermostat, providing an understanding of energy consumption and enabling remote control of heating – led by Green Energy Options.
● Gamification based on energy consumption information and historical consumption patterns – led by GenGame.
● ‘More effective and efficient thermal comfort’ (MEETS) to manage heating through home performance analytics and advice – led by Lightbulb.
● ‘Smart local energy markets’ with household cooperatives accessing local small scale generation – led by Energy Local Community Interest Company.
● ‘Intelligent digital energy advisory’ (IDEAS) with personalised energy savings advice – led by Eliq Ltd.

The smart thermostat and GenGame products were two of the three that employed either an experimental or quasi-experimental design.

In the case of the third, MEETS, there was a lower number of trialists than originally planned. In addition, Lightbulb’s parent Igloo Energy’s insolvency led to a ‘coaching’ intervention anticipated as the primary driver of behaviour change not delivered as intended.

Regarding the other two, in the Energy Local trial, while triallists reported more energy efficient behaviours, an overall electricity consumption reduction was not evidenced. However, there was evidence of changing behaviour to make full use of the supply from local renewable sources and to use electricity at more off peak times.

Similarly in the IDEAS intervention trialists indicatively had lower energy consumption over the trial period. However, in part due to a change in energy supplier partner, low numbers of trialists had access to the product over a relatively short period of time and limited interaction took place.

The trial evaluation, which was prepared by market research specialist Ipsos and the Energy Saving Trust, finds that across all trials, a critical finding was that the novelty, utility and relevance of energy information presented to trialists was key.

“Actionable advice that was tailored to the trialist’s household and existing energy usage was one of the most important drivers behind satisfaction and sustained engagement with the product/service.”

Energy savings product commercialisation

A key objective of the competition was to support the commercialisation of the products and services and the report says that strong evidence presented by the partners suggests that the matched funding helped achieve strong commercial readiness.

While the market for energy advice/feedback products continues to develop organically, most of the competition partners have plans in place to roll out their products more widely, highlighting the continued commercial interest and growing user acceptance.

Continued innovation and refinement of smart meter data access, including for third parties, will help grow the market further, the report concludes.

Deutsche Telekom joins up with Energy Web

That the mobile telcos are becoming increasingly important players with not only communications but broader solutions in the energy sector has been highlighted once again with the joining up to the Energy Web Foundation by Germany’s Deutsche Telekom’s subsidiary Deutsche Telekom MMS.

Energy Web, a developer of blockchain, aka web3, technologies for distributed energy resource applications, relies on its ecosystem of sector and IT players to validate the EW Chain.

Deutsche Telekom MMS is the IT service and consulting subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom with a range of services for the energy sector and growing interests in the IoT and web3.

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Dirk Röder, Head of Deutsche Telekom’s Blockchain Solutions Centre, says the collaboration shows that blockchain technology can be an important tool in the fight against climate change.

“Deutsche Telekom is not only securing the energy grid, but also accelerating progress towards climate targets while promoting renewable energies,” he asserts.

Jesse Morris, CEO of Energy Web, adds: “Established, trusted digital infrastructure providers like Deutsche Telekom are key players when it comes to helping some of the world’s largest energy companies digitise in order to manage increasingly renewable and complex energy systems.”

Energy Web is by no means the only web3 participation of Deutsche Telekom MMS and just days before the company announced itself as a validator of the Polygon public blockchain. Polygon’s is an Ethereum-based ecosystem offering a range of solutions for developers.

‘Green’ EV batteries from Innolith

Swiss-German battery technology developer Innolith has announced the commercialisation of a new battery technology for electric vehicles and other e-mobility applications that is designed to cut costs and increase vehicle range.

The I-state battery technology is based on a high voltage, high conductivity liquid inorganic electrolyte. This higher voltage than traditional lithium-ion cells enables higher utilisation of cathode capacity through the usage of nearly 100% of the available lithium versus 80% for the Li-ion.

This in turn enables a significant reduction of cathode metals used in the cell and thereby reduces both the costs and weight of the EV battery pack – the latter by about 8%.

The I-state technology is also stated to enable stable cycling of manganese-containing cathodes with reduced content of the expensive nickel and under development are Mn-rich chemistries.

Innolith intends to license the technology through partnerships with automotive, industrial and battery companies and MoUs have been signed with five customers so far for a production requirement of 100MWh per year.

These MOUs are for applications across the off-road, aviation and mining sectors, and include an agreement with Xerotech, a leader in battery pack technology for heavy-duty non-road mobile machinery.

Innolith also has announced working closely with three of the 10 largest car companies and recently signing an MOU with one of the leading EV manufacturers.

6G – all about energy efficiency

While 5G is still emerging in many countries, the industry is already looking forward to a post-2030 6G technology, with new levels of capacity and latency that will support the imaging and awareness technologies that underpin the metaverse.

The Next G Alliance, which was formed to advance North American developments in 6G, has identified two key areas for connectivity.

One is for needs in areas such as massive and energy efficient collection of Internet of Things data, artificial intelligence/machine learning, optimisation for new classes of device, increased interoperability across public and private networks, and seamless experiences linking terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks to extend coverage.

The second is to enable new service offerings, with examples including sensing and centimetre accuracy positioning and tracking services, which could enable applications such as precise autonomous coordination between farm machinery and vehicles or the supervision of dementia patients living in their communities.

Energy applications are envisaged primarily within the environment of smart cities in areas such as energy supply but underlying all applications is the need for energy-efficient devices and sensors.

For example, the introduction of zero-energy IoT devices within the 6G timeframe will increase proliferation and device density and by orders of magnitude compared to the present. This in turn is likely to make cellular IoT an obvious choice for many developers, something not conceivable in previous generations of wireless communications systems, the Alliance has stated.

Birol added that there was a 40% increase in solar energy production last year and mentioned that the amount of investments going into solar is higher than the number of investments going into oil production, something that is “extremely important and symbolic”.

The 8th edition of the IEA’s Global Conference on Energy Efficiency is co-hosted by France’s Minister for Energy Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher and IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol, and organised in partnership with Schneider Electric.

In his opening remarks, Fatih Birol shared some promising numbers with the 700 participants from more than 80 countries, including over 30 ministers and 50 CEOs.

Energy in numbers

Said Birol: “We see a huge growth in EVs, with one vehicle in 5 being electric”, “nuclear power is making a comeback”, and “heat pumps are taking over the traditional heating systems”. All quite promising developments on their own.

That said, the Executive Director of IEA did mention that “we are still far from reaching our climate and energy target”. However, “We are definitely on the right track. The determination of many countries around the world makes me happy,” he said.

He also mentioned a special briefing report published today for the Global Conference – Energy Efficiency: The Decade for Action – which highlights that ramping up annual energy efficiency progress from 2.2% today to over 4% annually by 2030 would deliver vital reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and at the same time create jobs, expand energy access, reduce energy bills, decrease air pollution, and diminish countries’ reliance on fossil fuel imports – among other social and economic benefits.

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Reducing energy consumption

For the Minister for Energy Transition of France, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, one of the most important elements – and a focus point for the Macron administration – is reducing energy consumption.

The French sufficiency energy plan, which aimed mainly at the public sector last year, “helped the country reduce by 12% its fossil fuel consumption” said the Minister, while the second phase will commence in a few months “with the training of young people at school, and asking all sectors to follow last year’s example of the public sector”.

Pannier-Runacher also shared the recipe for success when it comes to energy efficiency. “Reinforcing the energy security, building renovation and automation systems and more EVs”.

Retrofitting existing buildings

Jean-Pascal Tricoire, Chairman of Schneider Electric, addressed the room saying that “optimizing how we consume energy is a priority”. Green, safe and affordable energy that everybody can access makes the top of the priority list too.

He also said that “we must focus on buildings because they are the biggest contributors to the reduction of emissions”.

Indeed, according to his presentation, 99% of carbon emissions are due to the operation of existing buildings, while 75% of our buildings are inefficient, according to the EU’s definition.

Another focus point for the Chairman of Schneider Electric was the digitalisation of said buildings, which is happening as we speak. In fact, he said, “We are at the beginning of the digital revolution in buildings”.

Learning from the crisis

A highlight of the second day of the event was the ministerial panel discussion moderated by Fatih Birol. Energy and Climate ministers from Togo, Kenya and Denmark, together with the EU Commissioner for Energy, the World Green Building Council CEO and the Chinese Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, discussed global policy.

EU Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simpson focused on alliances with like-minded countries and the need for behavioural change when it comes to energy consumption, as well as the urgency of creating national energy and climate plans for every EU country.

Mr Zhao Chenxin on the other hand focused on the many accomplishments of China on wind and solar energy production, as well as rapid development of Electric Vehicles in the country.

All three ministers focused on the financial challenges that we need to overcome when it comes to energy efficiency and the energy transition.

An interesting moment in the discussion was when the Danish minister mentioned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the issues it causes for the energy sector, saying that he was sure everybody in the panel would agree with him.

The company has reported that almost all of its approximately 790,000 customers now have smart meters, except for a small number, less than 1%, that have not been able to be accessed so far.

The majority of the smart meters are based on PLC, both G3-PLC and Prime, with about 20% point-to-point – the PLC meters supplied by Sanxing and ADD Grup and the point-to-point by Elgama and Hexing.

Sadales tīkls states in a statement that the smart meters are improving the customer experience both with the elimination of manual meter reading but also with the provision of the data on line on the customer portals, with more than half of the customers already using this data on a daily basis to become more energy efficient.

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“The programme for the introduction of smart electricity meters is one of the most ambitious digitisation projects of recent years in Latvia – a targeted investment in the company’s own digital transformation as well as a significant increase in operational efficiency,” says Baiba Priedīte, Customer Director of Sadales tīkls.

“Data is a springboard for innovation and growth, an important prerequisite for the development of the electricity market. Even after the full implementation of smart metering, Sadales tīkls continues to develop new services – activities that are important for the entire energy sector.”

Smart grid and customer service measures

Alongside the smart metering programme, Sadales tīkls reports implementing over the past five years a range of other new initiatives to digitalise and automate the management of the grid, to streamline and improve the efficiency of operations and to deliver new digital self-service solutions to customers.

Among these are the introduction of FLISR (fault location, isolation and service restoration) technology on the MV grid and the ‘Utility to go’ app for field workers to access data on the state of the grid and the activities of colleagues and to share information between them.

In order to improve logistics, Sadales tīkls has renovated its logistics centre, digitalising and centralising processes and procurement and combining six warehouses that were previously located in different cities in Latvia. This alone is estimated at delivering savings of €1 million per year.

The company also has created a special brigade of electricians for the performance of voltage-active work on the MV network so they can carry out work without the need for disconnections.

Sadales tīkls believes that with these improvements, Latvia has achieved approximately 20% lower electricity grid maintenance costs per kilometre compared to neighbouring countries, lower losses and higher power quality indicators.

In 2022, SAIDI in Latvia was 220 minutes and losses were 3.67%.

To improve customer service, a virtual assistant ‘Valts’ has been introduced to provide 24/7 answers to frequently asked questions alongside other new customer tools such as power outage reporting.

With these measures Sadales tīkls reports also being able to reduce its workforce by about one-third – 900 people, its vehicle fleet by about 400 units and its buildings by about 40.

Overall, Sadales tīkls estimates the impact of all the efficiencies implemented at around €40 million (US$43 million) in savings annually.

Also on the radar are an AI-based data analytics platform’s entry into the Nordic market, offering asset optimisation of renewable energy assets onto the grid, aiming to open favourable market conditions.

And across the ocean, in the US, energy efficiency and flexibility have driven the acquisition of an energy storage system provider by a smart home and load management developer.

EnBW sells quarter stake in TransnetBW

Südwest Konsortium has acquired 24.95% share in German Transmission System Operator (TSO) TransnetBW, which operates the electricity transmission system in Baden-Württemberg, from energy company EnBW.

According to a joint press release by EnBW, Südwest and TransnetBW, the consortium bought the minority stake in the TSO after a multi-stage bidding process.

Südwest Konsortium consists of more than 30 savings banks, banks, insurance companies and corporations from Baden-Württemberg, led by insurance group SV SparkassenVersicherung.

With the support of LBBW Corporate Finance as a financial advisor, the investment held by the Südwest Konsortium members was managed by derigo GmbH & Co. KG, an investment management company with experience in the infrastructure sector.

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With the transaction, EnBW completes an important part of the partial sale process, which was officially announced in February 2022.

According to law firm White & Case, which oversaw the transaction, it was agreed in advance with state-owned KfW Bank that it would receive a right of first refusal on the second of the two minority shares offered.

Following the sale of the second tranche, EnBW will remain the majority shareholder with just over 50% of the shares.

TransnetBW and EnBW referenced the grid’s status in Germany as a key driver behind the sale:

“To achieve the German government’s climate targets by 2030, implementing the energy transition will require around €600 billion ($644.1 billion) in investment…€126 billion ($135.3 billion) of this will be accounted for by new power lines and power line modernisation alone.

“The Grid Development Plan 2035 (2021) identifies around €10 billion ($10.7 billion) in investment needed for TransnetBW alone, primarily for the major projects SuedLink and Ultranet. The future shareholders will meet TransnetBW’s financing needs in proportion to their holding.”

According to Reuters, which claims the sale valued €1.1 billion ($1.2 billion), with the sale EnBW’s stock rose 1.6%.

EnBW is one of the largest energy companies in Germany and Europe, supplying around 5.5 million customers with electricity, gas, water and services and products in the areas of infrastructure and energy.

From 2023 to 2025, the company is expecting to invest around €14 billion ($15 billion), mostly in the accelerated implementation of the energy transition.

AI data analytics platform for grid assets enters Nordic market

Trailstone Group, a US-based energy and technology company, has announced its entry into the Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland markets.

The company offers renewable energy risk management, asset optimisation and trading services and for the last 10 years has provided similar services for over 18GW renewable energy assets across the EU, UK and US, and recently began offering similar services in Japan.

According to the company, a major driver of the decision to expand into the Nordic market is the number of market reforms that will be implemented in 2023 and 2024 to support the continued development of renewables and more closely integrate the Nord Pool with European power markets.

Expected reforms include flow-based market coupling, the introduction of flexibility markets and the shift to 15-minute resolution in intraday markets.

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Ante Pogacic, global head of power and renewables at Trailstone said: “Renewable asset owners and developers selling power into Nord Pool need solutions such as our AI-enabled optimisation platform to manage increasing market complexity and we’re excited to extend our services and experience.”

Trailstone’s optimisation platform uses weather models, data analytics and AI to better predict renewable energy supply and optimise returns for asset owners.

The company’s risk management and trading teams use the platform to manage imbalances caused by weather related production risks, lowering the barriers to entry for asset developers and enabling the deployment of more wind and solar generation.

At the grid level, the company cites the use of the platform in improving the effectiveness and efficiency with which renewables are managed and assets can connect to the grid, lowering reserve requirements and costs.

Savant Systems acquires POMCube

In the US, Savant Systems, Inc., smart home and flexible load management system developer, announced that it has acquired POMCube, Inc., which deploys energy storage systems.

For nearly 10 years, POMCube has been developing and deploying energy storage systems that aim to help facilitate the use of clean energy alongside battery backup in homes and commercial locations throughout North America and Asia.

Moving forward, POMCube will function under the Savant brand and management.

With the acquisition, Savant will enhance its current power system with its newly acquired technology.

According to Savant, their software platform allows for easy monitoring, control and automation of circuits, improving efficiency, both in terms of energy stored and cost.

The complete Savant Power System and components are eligible for tax credits in the US, as well as other government subsidies via the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

Savant is currently investigating opportunities under current government programmes to manufacture inverters and backup batteries domestically within the US.

For the latest in finance and investment announcements coming out of the energy industry, make sure to follow Smart Energy Finances Weekly.

I will also be attending European Sustainable Energy Week in Brussels from 20 to 22 June. Will I see you there?

Cheers,
Yusuf Latief
Content Producer, Smart Energy International

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VPPs are portfolios comprised of hundreds or thousands of households and businesses that offer the latent potential of their electric vehicles (EVs), smart thermostats, appliances, batteries, solar arrays and additional energy assets to support the grid.

The Virtual Power Plant Partnership (VP3) is an initiative based at the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) that works to catalyse industry and transform policy to support scaling VPPs in ways that help advance affordable, reliable electric sector decarbonisation by overcoming barriers to VPP market growth.

On Wednesday, May 31, RMI announced 14 new members have joined the initiative: Autogrid, Camus Energy, CPower, Elexity, eleXsys Energy, EnergyHub, Fortress Power, Leap, NRG, Qcells, sonnen, Sunverge Energy Inc. and Swell Energy.

“Virtual power plants are this century’s greatest untapped energy resource and are already providing essential grid services by reducing peak power demand and improving resilience in a world of increasingly extreme climate events,” said Mark Dyson, managing director of RMI’s Carbon-Free Electricity program.

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VP3 members span the automotive, building, energy service, software and other sectors. With the guidance and support of its members, VP3 is working toward a future where businesses, households and communities are empowered through VPPs, which can help to support cost-effective energy, emissions reductions and a more resilient electricity grid. 

The VP3 initiative works to: 

• Catalogue, research and communicate VPP benefits 
• Develop industry-wide best practices, standards and roadmaps   
• Inform and shape policy development

“The fact that VP3 members represent some of the most important segments of the US economy really speaks to the potential for virtual power plants.” said Mike Grenier, president of Elexity.

“VP3’s plans to accelerate VPP adoption is exactly what’s needed to highlight our industry’s progress to date, communicate the power of VPPs to a diverse stakeholder audience and demonstrate that the grid-edge technology is reliable and ready for massive growth in the coming years.” said Brady Klein, senior manager, market development at EnergyHub. 

“We believe the group will enable utilities and RTOs/ISOs to cost effectively use DER aggregations to help enhance grid stability and promote decarbonization of the power sector,“ said Brian London, VP of energy services, Fortress Power.

Originally published on Power-Grid International.