The aim of the app is to enable users to optimise how and when energy is used around their homes, integrating smart devices, such as electric vehicle charge points and solar panels, regardless of their brand.

“There’s a lot of clever technology out there that helps people manage the energy in their homes but, incredibly, there’s nothing in the UK that works with different brands and devices, meaning people can’t currently control all the energy devices across their home in one place,” said Swarm Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer Anthony Piggott.

“We knew we could create something to change this and with [Opencast’s] tech expertise and our knowledge of the energy sector, we have the ability to make something really exciting: one app to control every aspect of energy in the home.”

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Demonstration and testing of the new app are set to take place in a purpose-built energy hub at the Hoults Yard business village in Newcastle, where the two companies are based, with the first iteration planned for launch in autumn 2023.

Growing UK consumer interest in green innovations

The availability of such apps as Swarm’s would appear to be timely, with a new survey from McKinsey & Company of more than 2,000 consumers revealing a soaring demand for green energy innovations to curb high energy prices and reduce household bills.

McKinsey reports that as wholesale prices have started to fall enabling retailers to offer lower prices the incentive to switch suppliers, after record low levels, has increased and a third of consumers are considering switching, while almost half are willing to adopt some form of time-of-use tariffs.

Further, a quarter are also willing to buy additional green products and services from energy retailers such as energy management services, solar panels, electric vehicle chargers and heat pumps.

With this suppliers also have the opportunity to attract more customers and diversify their offerings by curbing costs, simplifying processes and boosting public awareness of new energy products and services, McKinsey indicates.

Kiril Bliznakov, Senior Partner at McKinsey, says the survey findings point to the driving of a more competitive market where low cost and low carbon tariffs, products and services will be the key differentiators of the future.

“The ‘gamification’ of energy services and rising demand for energy-as-a-service offerings will create new opportunities for suppliers to increase long-term customer loyalty and to both decarbonise and cut household bills.”
 

Namely, OhmConnect, a residential energy management company, has partnered with LG Electronics to integrate their demand response programme with the ThinkQ App and drive grid-reactive demand response through LG Room Air Conditioners.

The platform makes use of a gamified energy management experience, allowing consumers to earn rewards by automatically optimising usage of their LG air conditioners during periods of peak grid demand.

According to OhmConnect in a press release, the goal of their demand response programme is to enable the creation of grid-connected homes, using integrations with other companies in the fields of renewable energy, energy storage systems, HVAC technology and other smart home technologies to strengthen and modernise energy infrastructure.

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One such integration into the programme, through the LG ThinQ App, users can remotely control the temperature settings of their LG room air conditioners, reducing energy consumption when the electrical grid strains.

“Together with OhmConnect, we are creating an integrated sustainable ecosystem to improve grid reliability and resilience, while helping homeowners save more money on energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint,” said Jae Ahn, Head of the ThinQ Platform business at LG Electronics USA.

“It is alliances – like ours with LG – that really make an outsized impact on enabling millions of residents to take control of their energy use,” added Cisco DeVries, CEO of OhmConnect.

“It’s exciting to partner with one of the world’s leading brands to help stabilise the grid as we march towards a clean energy future.”

LG and OhmConnect have plans to expand and enhance the service later in 2023.

Bitcoin mining energy consumption revised down

The Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index, one of the key resources in this area, has had its first major revision since its launch in 2019, leading to a reduction, albeit relatively small, in consumption.

For example, for 2021 where the largest discrepancy occurs, the earlier estimate of 104TWh is revised downward by 15TWh to 89TWh.

For 2023 the estimated anticipated consumption based on the year-to-mid-August is 70.4TWh, rather than 75.7TWh of the earlier model.

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The Cambridge team attribute the change to the modelling of the Bitcoin mining hardware and technology, taking into account both the increased efficiency and power of the evolving application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

With the progressive reduction in chip size, there has been a corresponding reduction in power needed to transmit data.

However, this now appears to have slowed and steadied as the advances have approached the physical limits of semiconductor technology, with smaller chip manufacture becoming more challenging and expensive.

The Cambridge team expresses confidence in their estimates and regards each update as a progressive step toward enhancing their reliability, but the team acknowledges that Bitcoin’s actual electricity consumption remains elusive and can only be approximated.

Moreover, while electricity consumption is a crucial element in determining Bitcoin’s environmental footprint, it is one and the energy sources used in mining are just as important. Further research is planned to focus on developing a more nuanced perspective of Bitcoin’s electricity mix and more closely examining the climate risks and opportunities associated with cryptocurrency mining.

Samsung to add generative AI to home appliances

Samsung has been reported as planning to add a generative AI feature to its home appliances in the next year.

Yoo Mi-young, head of the software development team of Samsung’s digital appliances division, was reported speaking at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin: “Generative AI technologies will be applied to voice, vision and display” to enable the household electronic products to have a better understanding of what consumers do and want and to be able to respond accordingly.

It will enable the gadgets to communicate with users in a more conversational manner, and to better respond to their questions based on past exchanges and in context.

They will also be able to provide recipes and dietary suggestions based on for example the food ingredients stored in the refrigerator.

Yoo Mi-young was also quoted as reporting the development of an energy-efficient chip to process the increasing amounts of data of smart appliances, with features such as generative AI.

Hydrogen-powered van doubles the range of EV counterparts

Canadian hydrogen company First Hydrogen has reported that its hydrogen fuel cell powered light van supplied to GB fleet management provider Rivus has achieved an “unbeatable range”, easily more than doubling the upwards range to 240km of other modern light commercial electric vehicles.

The vehicle was trialed with Rivus for just over 4 weeks, and covered over 1,100km in that time. Tests were completed on diverse routes, providing data on how the vehicle operates under different conditions including urban city centre driving and extra urban routes covering both low-speed city centre roads and motorways.

The tests also covered the van both empty and loaded to 90% of its maximum weight capacity, reflecting the way vans will be used in the real world.

The vehicle was found to be not heavily affected by the speed or the payload, and performed well under the different load cycles compared to the electric counterparts, which can experience reductions in range by approximately 10%.

“The main benefit of the vehicle is the refuelling times are quicker than battery electric vehicles charge times. And of course, unlike internal combustion engines, hydrogen vehicles produce zero emissions,” Gemma Horne, Warranty Controller at Rivus, commented.

One Energy’s digital substation, intended to power its “Megawatt Hub,” was built as proof of concept for the company’s new, fully digital station architecture.

One Energy’s Megawatt Hubs provide high-volume power connections for industries that require significant loads of power for their operations, such as electric truck charging, digital currency mining, and indoor farming. A typical factory might use between five and ten MW of power. The Findlay Megawatt Hub is a 30MW site that is expandable to 150MW and includes the first fully digital, plug-and-play, transmission-voltage substation in the United States, said the company.

“It is time we completely rethink how substations are designed so that the industry stops making the same mistakes they have been for the last 50 years,” One Energy CEO Jereme Kent said.

“Traditional substations are not secure; they can fail during inevitable severe weather conditions, lack basic condition monitoring, and rely on thousands of small wires to send status and control signals back to the control building. This is why we’ve designed our fully digital substations at One Energy to be secure, digital, resilient, embrace real-time condition monitoring, and survive every conceivable weather event.”

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To build a fully digital substation, One Energy elected to use Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories’ TiDL system, marking the first time a substation is connected entirely by fiber optics using the TiDL system in the United States, according to the company.

One Energy said it preferred the simplicity of physical security that comes with TiDL’s point-to-point fiber communication. This is why the TiDL system was chosen over the IEC 61850-style digital architecture that is gaining traction in Europe.

The TiDL merging unit can be factory installed, tested, and commissioned in all major equipment, making field wiring as simple as connecting a fiber optic cable.

The substation’s 30 MVA transformer, built by Hitachi Energy, includes the Coresense M10 real-time dissolved gas analyser and condition monitoring system.

The system can detect an anomaly in the transformer and, through the control system, automatically send alerts via text to system operators.

The Coresense M10 performs a full dissolved gas analysis on the transformer every 10 minutes, compared to most substation transformers that only test oil once a year.

The high-voltage circuit breakers were also supplied by Hitachi Energy and feature a full condition monitoring package as well. Early and real-time communication and condition monitoring identify smaller issues before they potentially advance into larger issues.

Measures were also taken to increase the substation’s safety and resilience.

To provide physical security for the site, it is surrounded by permanent walls that are all modular and made of solid concrete.

To reduce risks related to animal interference and blowing debris, which are common and are major sources of fault for traditional substations, it was designed to allow for no exposed live parts on the medium voltage buswork.

To prevent what traditionally causes substation fires, it includes environmentally friendly oils and passive and automatic fire suppression systems, the company said.

Originally published on Power Grid.

Backed by Innovate UK, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and government teams in India, and delivered by Energy Systems Catapult in partnership with the Indian Institute for Science (IISc), ITES will support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to test, fund and fast-track their innovations to market that help decarbonise transport in India and the UK.

ITES will offer a ‘soft-landing’ for the SMEs, helping to safely develop, test and export solutions that help decarbonise transport. The collaboration will also help SMEs tackle scalability with go-to-market support and access to potential clients, funders and investment.

This first cohort of 20 UK-based SMEs includes teams in the fields of intelligent electricity system services, battery management, charging systems, energy storage, fleet optimisation, hydrogen and rail.

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The different working areas and their respective SMEs include:

Intelligent electricity system Services

• Flock Energy, which uses machine learning to transform energy usage in factories and help them digitalise their operations. The company has developed proprietary algorithms that optimise energy consumption, improving efficiency and productivity.
  
• Terranow, which uses the potential of generative AI to unlock optimal efficiency in the generation and use of energy through focused solutions for forecasting, control and coordination.

Battery recycling and management

• Aceleron Energy, which develops advanced lithium batteries, aiming to accelerate the global shift to cleaner, more renewable energy and to drive sustainable battery technology.
  
• Faraday Battery Limited, which manufactures battery-packs up to 1MW scale for electric vehicles, including tractors, vans, buses and trucks. vehicle, it significantly reduces the lifecycle cost of the electric bus/truck.
  
• Nexmu, which focuses primarily on electric mobility and energy storage. The Nexmu team has integrated its battery management system and related capabilities in the electric powertrain into a single cloud-based platform.

Charging systems

• char.gy, which manufactures amd operatres charging infrastructure, funding, installing, operating and maintaining EV charge points for private landlords and local authorities for their residents who do not have off-street parking.
  
• Entrust Microgrid, chich specialises in smart microgrid systems that maximise user benefits from embedded solar PV, energy storage system, EV charger and other smart energy appliances, and provide the grid with flexibility.
  
• Petalite, which is a second-generation EV charging company that aims to solve the challenges impeding the roll-out of EV charging infrastructure.
  
• [ui!]uk urban integrated ltd, which is an IT consultancy advising local authorities, cities and metropolitan regions in their strategic planning and in the implementation and operation of smart city infrastructures and e-mobility solutions, such as charge point management systems and mobility service provider apps.
  
• Vertical Solar, which is a renewables developer aiming to bring to market new products that remove the traditional constraints associated with solar deployments.
  
• Voltempo, which develops ultra-high power EV charging hubs for heavy vehicle fleets and public service stations.

Energy storage and delivery

• Energineering LTD, which is a consultancy in the realm of industrial energy efficiency and project development. The last five years have seen the team concentrate on developing innovative energy storage solutions, including its patented MECHAPRES system, which uses a combination of reversible heat pumping and Composite Phase Change Material, latent thermal storage to support the needs of decentralised microgrids and DC EV Charging stations.
  
• LiNa Energy, which is developing and commercialising low-cost, solid-state sodium batteries as a safer, more sustainable alternative to lithium-ion. LiNa’s innovation is based on a novel sodium-metal-chloride planar cell, which they state unlocks the high power/energy density potential of established sodium battery chemistry.
  
• PowerUp, which provides an Energy as a Service model, replacing fossil fuel generators with battery PowerStations, using AI algorithms to predict battery behaviours and facilitate just-in-time swapping with renewable energy-charged replacements.

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Fleet optimisation

• Flexible Power Systems, which aims to address the increased complexity, risks and cost arising from EV adoption.
  
  The company’s platform provides automated EV fleet and charger management for van, bus, truck or mixed fleets that integrates data from across the business for a view of fleet operations. Part of what this enables, states the company, is the management of power constraints to avoid expensive grid upgrades.

Rail

• Riding Sunbeams, which decarbonises rail traction networks through the development and connection of unsubsidised, direct-wire renewable energy supply.
  
  Riding Sunbeams is now working to develop and demonstrate the required technology to connect solar power and line-side energy storage to feed the Alternating-Current (AC), overhead line railways that make up most of the world’s electrified rail networks.

Hydrogen

• AqSorption, which builds renewable energy systems, concentrating on biogas and combined heat and power plants. Following a series of enhancements to its gasification technology, AqSorption has successfully adapted to move into production of hydrogen.
  
  
• Innervated Vehicle Engineering (IVe), which transforms diesel vans into hydrogen fuel cell vans, offering an alternative to diesel.
  
  
• JET Engineering Services, which works with and on behalf of customers to deliver solutions to technical engineering problems. Following a recent contract award to deliver a hydrogen production system on the subcontinent, and changing priorities in global markets, the company took a strategic decision to redirect its efforts into the green hydrogen sector, and has embarked on a programme to develop a range of projects and products to support this.
  
  
• Logan Energy, which specialises in the delivery of integrated engineering solutions incorporating hydrogen technologies for production through to refuelling.
  
  The team offers a full turnkey service, from project inception & feasibility, design development, manufacturing, installation, and operation and maintenance.
  
  Logan Energy has designed, built, and installed hydrogen production and refuelling stations, and are currently constructing further stations for buses, vans, passenger vehicles, and heavy-duty vehicles.

The 20 SMEs will have access to a range of acceleration support – from start-up mentoring and incubation services, to market research and real-world pilots with Indian businesses that help prove new products on the ground.

Paul Jordan, business leader for innovator support & international at Energy Systems Catapult, commented: “It’s a real pleasure to announce such a strong cohort of SMEs to join us at the start of this major innovation initiative between the UK and India.

“They represent some of the highest-priority innovations needed to tackle transport decarbonisation – from cutting-edge hydrogen, rail, and fleet solutions, to battery storage and management, and other technologies and services that can enable an electric vehicle-ready infrastructure.

“By helping these UK innovators to collaborate, commercialise and trial their solutions in the world’s fifth biggest economy, we hope to both turbocharge decarbonisation efforts and help unleash the economic potential that innovation offers.”

The Innovating for Transport and Energy Systems initiative was launched in May this year.

Most of these households were in the outlying rural areas, which meant the usual method of revenue collection using post payment was going to be a huge challenge. It was decided to instead use the prepayment meter as the technology of choice to deliver this service.

Meters were manufactured and deployed into the field, but very soon after there were several problems discovered. None of these systems could talk to each other, and they all had varying levels of cryptographic security and functionality.

The solution was to have a system that allowed interoperability between these systems, whilst sharing the same level of state-of-the-art security. This is where the STS, or ‘Standard Transfer Specification’ was born.

It was developed based on an Eskom NRS specification, and essentially it defines the secure transfer of credit into a prepayment meter. One of the requirements for this was to encode every token created with a unique ‘Token Identifier’ or TID, which is then stored in the meter to prevent token replay – 1 Token, 1 Meter, Only once!

The STS system was so successful that it has now become the only globally accepted open standard for prepayment systems, with over 70 million STS certified meters in over 100 countries.

With the latest version of the specification, STS Edition 2, the doors are now opened to an exciting world of ‘Smart STS Systems’ with two-way communication and powerful smart meter functionality, all whilst retaining the proven STS standards.

Watch the video on STS Edition 2 here

STS, the only globally accepted open standard for prepayment systems.

Simple, Trusted & Secure.

Electrification and renewables top McKinsey’s tech trends

McKinsey’s Technology Trends Outlook 2023 report has electrification and renewables as the largest of the 15 trends identified in terms of interest and investment.

The survey finds there was a $288 billion equity investment in the area in 2022 and a 27% increase in job postings over the previous year, which is also among the largest recorded for all the trends.

Alongside this climate tech beyond electrification and renewables, such as carbon capture, attracted less interest, with $86 billion equity investment and a modest 8% increase in job postings.

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Other tech trends identified include applied AI, which tops the innovation axis, next-gen software development, cloud and edge computing and web3, these and others are all identical to the previous year.

Except for the one new entrant to the line-up, namely generative AI. McKinsey records generative AI as representing the next frontier for AI and also attributes to providing much of the credit for an observed resurgence of enthusiasm in the first half of 2023 about technology’s potential to catalyse progress in business and society after a tumultuous 2022.

Building upon existing technologies such as applied AI and industrialising machine learning, generative AI has high potential and applicability across most industries, states McKinsey.

Interest in the topic, as gauged by news and internet searches, increased threefold from 2021 to 2022 and generative AI is poised to add as much as $4.4 trillion in economic value from use cases that increase productivity.

DEWA innovates on battery performance

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA)’s Research and Development (R&D) Centre has filed a new patent for an innovation for improving the performance of electrodes in lithium-ion batteries, sodium–sulphur batteries and electrolyte distribution batteries.

This, a low-cost, environmentally friendly method, is achieved by treating the electrodes chemically using a polymer to increase the number of active groups on the surface of the electrodes, which leads to improving their performance.

The patent supports the pilot project for energy storage that DEWA has inaugurated at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park using Tesla’s lithium-ion battery solution. The project has a power capacity of 1.21MW and an energy capacity of 8.61MWh with a life span of up to 10 years.

“DEWA relies on research and innovation to support the development of energy storage technologies and increase the share of clean and renewable energy,” says HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA.

“This supports the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050 to provide 100% of Dubai’s total power production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050.”

This pilot project is the second battery energy storage pilot project by DEWA at the solar park. The first project was implemented in collaboration with AMPLEX–NGK to install and test a sodium sulphur energy solution with a power capacity of 1.2MW and an energy capacity of 7.5MWh.

Solar table for gardens

German solar technology innovator Technaxx is launching its latest product – a solar table for householders to place in gardens or on balconies or terraces and which can double both as a table and a solar power generator.

The table, which is approximately 173cmx114cm in size and can seat up to eight people, has a fold-up top that can be adjusted to set angles up to 35o to maximise the solar generation capacity and produce up to 410W peak power.

With it is a pre-assembled micro inverter, which converts the generated solar power into AC and can be easily plugged into a household socket to supply power to the home.

While home battery backups have gained popularity for reducing energy costs and carbon footprints, reliance on solar power during daylight hours and grid availability poses limitations. Grid-tied or off-grid solar systems with big batteries allow you to store excess clean energy and maintain power in the case of grid outages or power blackouts. BLUETTI, a top player in the energy storage field, is set to bring out another battery solution–EP800 in September this year. What is it exactly? And how does it differ from its predecessor – the EP900, which uses the same B500 battery packs? Let’s find out.

What is the BLUETTI EP800 & B500?

The BLUETTI EP800 & B500 is a 7,600W modular home energy storage system (ESS), featuring 9,000W PV input and scalable capacity from 9,920Wh to 19,840Wh. Similar to the EP900, it is widely compatible with existing or future solar systems for energy bill saving and blackout preparedness.

Besides their output performances, the main difference between EP800 and EP900 lies in their ability to connect to the utility grid. The former is a pure off-grid system, while the latter also supports on-grid connection, whose installation therefore could take several months with time-consuming paperwork and inspection processes.

With an easy and quick installation of a few hours, the EP800 is a blessing for those in urgent need of complete battery systems to pair with their solar setups.

Key features of the BLUETTI EP800 energy storage system

1. Flexible capacity from 9,920Wh to 19,840Wh
The EP800’s modular design allows users to tailor their energy storage capacity to their specific needs. By choosing two to four B500 battery packs, each providing 4,960Wh, you will have a customised capacity ranging from 9,920Wh to a maximum of 19,840Wh. According to a recent study showing that a small 10kWh solar ESS can meet backup needs for a 3-day outage in nearly all US counties, that energy storage could get you through a blackout lasting almost six days, or two days without solar power.

2. Powerful performance: 7,600W output and 9,000W solar input
The EP800 system delivers up to 7,600W power for the whole household. It can run both your 120V TVs and 240V pumps with ease. With dual MPPT charge controllers inside, the EP800 can maximise solar input at 9,000W, allowing you to easily reach power independence by solar. This also makes it an ideal choice for small businesses, farms and workplaces that are remote from the grid power.

3. Wide compatibility with solar panels
Whether you already have installed solar panels or plan to do so in the future, the EP800 seamlessly integrates into your solar panels with its DC-coupled connectivity. Generally, there are two types of electrical systems to connect a PV system to storage batteries, DC coupled and AC coupled. Rather than converting solar-generated DC power back and forth to AC power with unnecessary energy losses, a DC coupled system converts the DC solar power to AC only once that your home appliances use, making it more energy efficient.

4. Easy and quick installation: Indoor or outdoor
As an off-grid energy storage unit, the BLUETTI EP800 can be set up in a few hours with simple hook and screw steps. Even DIYers or homeowners interested in electricity can handle it. Instead of being mounted on the wall, it can be stacked vertically without damaging the wall or taking up too much space. With a NEMA 4X rating and quiet operation at less than 50dB, you can easily install it indoors or outdoors. Plus, BLUETTI offers an optional global installation team that can handle all the on-site work for you.

5. Durable design with 10 years warranty
Designed to be stylish and long-lasting, the EP800 is encased in a durable and corrosion-resistant aluminum alloy. It boasts a NEMA 4X rating for water, dust, and corrosion resistance. Using the safest LiFePO4 batteries available, the EP800 could have a at least ten-year lifespan. It also comes with an advanced BMS that prevents short circuits, overcharging and other potential hazards. To ensure hassle-free use, BLUETTI also backs it with a ten-year warranty.

6. Intelligent system: smart operation and easy control
The EP800 can adapt to varying weather conditions, regulating its discharging processes based on ambient temperature through its advanced thermal management technology. With the BLUETTI app, you can monitor system performance, track your power consumption and generation, and adjust settings remotely via WiFi or Bluetooth connectivity from anywhere at any time. Moreover, OTA updates are available for added convenience.

How to get the most out of the EP800 energy storage system

Get the power back in 20ms
The BLUETTI EP800 provides a stable and seamless power supply during emergencies and power failures. It takes less than 20ms to switch from grid power to its battery, providing stored power for all your essential appliances, large and small, such as refrigerators, dryers, water pumps, electric stoves, lights and medical equipment. An EP800 with two battery packs can power an average refrigerator for four days, or eight days with four packs. That means you can rest easy knowing that those steaks and ice creams will never again end up in the trash.

Enjoy power freedom
The EP800 could connect to solar panels for a maximum of 9,000W of solar charging. Even during power outages, there will be enough power in reserve to run your entire home. Two B500 packs, 9,920Wh of energy, equivalent to 3.3 hours of use of 2500W air conditioner, 140 hours of lighting (60W), and uninterrupted network connection. If you have a large family or experience a prolonged power cut, four B500 batteries will provide up to 19,840Wh of power, giving you peace of mind that your family will still live comfortably. This stronger battery system could power your 200W freezer for 84 hours, 500W washer for 33.5 hours and 2,000W oven for 8 hours. For others, power failures may mean disaster and hardship, with stinking piles of laundry and limited use of electronics. However, with the EP800 backup system in your home, a blackout is nothing more than a chance to show off your independence from the grid.

Benefit you and the Earth
The BLUETTI EP800 is an eco-friendly and quiet backup power source that runs on renewable energy instead of the fossil fuels of traditional generators. Unlike gas-powered generators that emit harmful gases into the environment when used, it produces no emissions or noise pollution, making it an environmentally friendly option for powering homes or businesses.

Availability
The BLUETTI EP800 energy storage system will be available on September 15 with a debut price starting from $5999.

Try BLUETTI EP800 free for 30 days! BLUETTI is currently running an Energy Freedom programme to help households reduce their energy bills and achieve power independence. Thirty households with monthly bills over $100 can apply for a free trial of the EP800 system for a full month. After the trial, they can either return the product at no cost or keep it for an incredible 40% off the retail price. Give it a try as the trial is totally money and worry free. All it takes is a few clicks to sign up, and BLUETTI will take care of everything from shipping to installation.

Limited offer, grab it now!

Conclusion

Some homeowners are still waiting in line for the pricey home backup solutions from Enphase, LG, Panasonic, FranklinWH and Tesla Powerwall. Others, however, have their eyes on affordable backup systems like the BLUETTI EP800 that are within easy reach. With this powerful device, you can keep your entire home running smoothly during a power outage, reduce your energy bills, and contribute to a more sustainable and greener planet.

About BLUETTI

BLUETTI has been committed to promoting sustainability and green energy solutions since its inception. By offering eco-friendly energy storage solutions for both indoor and outdoor use, BLUETTI aims to provide exceptional experiences for our homes while also contributing to a sustainable future for our planet. This commitment to sustainable energy has helped BLUETTI expand its reach to over 100 countries and gain the trust of millions of customers worldwide.

Rather than relying on the traditional uni-brand battery-based system, the utility is focusing on the integration of smart thermostats, such as rooftop solar and other connected resources, such as water pumps, alongside battery storage within a centralised system to reduce energy demand.

SDG&E has been piloting the unique virtual power plant (VPP) system since December 2022, which consists of multiple customer-owned devices, to support the grid during peak hours.

According to SDG&E, most VPPs typically involve only one brand or one type of device, usually battery energy storage.

SDG&E’s VPP pilot involves a diverse range of devices within the same system, including smart thermostats, well water controllers and battery energy storage systems.

The pilot is taking place in Shelter Valley, a remote community in eastern San Diego County.

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Participants in the pilot include single-family homes with existing rooftop solar and the Shelter Valley Community Center, which serves as a resource centre for the community during emergencies. The centre received free installation of two batteries onsite.

In August, as temperatures increased, SDG&E deployed its VPP pilot three times to support the grid during peak demand periods. The connected devices functioned as expected.

When VPP participants receive a message about the potential for their devices to be turned off or discharge electricity to support the grid, they can opt out for certain devices, except battery storage. According to the utility, to date the opt-out rate has been very low.

The pilot first came online December 2022 and will run through December 2023.

Because of how well the pilot project has performed, SDG&E is now considering expanding the programme to other areas in the future.

Since the start of the pilot, the VPP has been tested through 17 simulated demand response events.

Virtual Power Plants

VPPs use advanced software to aggregate and coordinate the functions of a collection of small-scale, decentralised resources located at customers’ homes and businesses to meet grid needs.

A VPP network can comprise many devices and resources, including home appliances such as electric vehicles and chargers to HVAC equipment and solar plus battery energy storage systems.

Software programmes run VPPs in concert with grid operations to dispatch communications signals to devices in the VPP network to either power down or discharge electricity from existing resources back to the grid.

“The beauty of a virtual power plant is it can leverage existing resources to provide significant grid reliability benefits – with zero incremental emissions,” said SDG&E chief commercial officer Miguel Romero.

“When hundreds or thousands of businesses or homes are connected to a VPP and their resources are flexibly managed to charge or discharge electrons, they can help keep the lights on during hot summer days.”

The Powerledger Chain is the third generation blockchain from the company, which was one of the pioneers of the technology in the energy sector, and is designed to facilitate the development of scalable decentralised apps that are able to handle thousands of transactions per second at low cost.

Example challenges highlighted include intermittency from solar and wind and grid congestion.

“Today is the most significant day in our blockchain journey as we make our game-changer Powerledger Chain public as it offers scalability, security, and energy efficiency,” said Powerledger technical director and co-founder, John Bulich.

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“It’s the ideal platform for developing green and affordable energy solutions that pave the way to a brighter future.”

The Powerledger Chain is a customised permissioned Solana blockchain utilising proof-of-history and proof-of-stake consensus mechanisms to deliver the required throughput with lower energy requirements compared with proof-of-work blockchains.

Powerledger has developed a range of solutions in the areas of energy trading and traceability, flexibility trading and environmental commodities training.

These are at various stages of implementation in a dozen countries including Australia, India, the US and within Europe and Asia.

Another issue Powerledger highlights is that of centralisation, with the growing distributed energy system challenging the traditional centralised approach.

With decentralisation at its core, the public blockchain’s role in energy does not necessarily dismiss centralisation, but offers the importance of a balanced approach with the power of highly scalable blockchain-based solutions, the company states.

“The responsibility for grid management can be negotiated among stakeholders using a decentralised paradigm that uses smart contracts on our new public blockchain.”

Spot takes remotely-guided ‘walkies’ to get camera footage and thermal imaging, which is then combined with a new machine-learning platform using historical data to make sure underground cables remain reliable, and also assess how quickly the infrastructure’s condition changes.

The UK-first trial has seen Spot, supplied by US firm Boston Dynamics, equipped with lights, cameras and advanced thermal imaging sensors, capturing comprehensive data in hard-to-reach locations.

The project has been supported by engineering and built environment consultancy Arup, whose web platform includes a machine-learning interface to analyse the condition of tunnels and equipment with heightened accuracy, enabling UK Power Networks to fine-tune maintenance inspections.

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Ian Cameron, director of customer service and innovation at UK Power Networks, said: “The safety of our staff remains our top priority as we continue to keep the lights on for people.

“The application of Spot alongside Arup’s digital interface has proven to be a massive success and could significantly reduce the risk to staff during tunnel and shaft inspections.

“This is cutting-edge technology, allowing us to focus on other areas of the network and potentially saving our customers money in the process.”

Mike Devriendt, project director at Arup, said: “It has been a pleasure to work collaboratively with UK Power Networks to introduce, trial and apply these new innovative technologies.

“We see great opportunity for the use of both the hardware and software technology to support UK Power Networks with improving their understanding of the condition of their assets while at the same time improving health and safety practices.”

There are 47 tunnels across UK Power Networks’ operating areas, with over 160 tunnel inspections taking place every year that require teams of staff to cover health and safety plus engineering tasks.

These cost in excess of £1 million ($1.3 million) per year across UK Power Networks’ areas. As well as increasing the safety of engineers, it is estimated the project could initially save £162,000 ($203,764) per year, rising to £324,000 ($407,527) per year by 2028.

Superfast charging LFP batteries for EVs

A 10 minute charge providing a driving range of 400km and a full charge delivering 700km?

That would satisfy most EV drivers and eliminate range anxiety – and it is claimed to be coming with Chinese battery manufacturing company CATL’s new lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery named ‘Shenxing’.

CATL reports leveraging the super-electronic network cathode technology and fully nano-crystallized LFP cathode material to create a super-electronic network, which facilitates the extraction of lithium ions and the rapid response to charging signals.

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Its latest second-generation fast ion ring technology is used to modify the properties of graphite surface, which increases intercalation channels and shortens the intercalation distance for lithium ions, creating an expressway for current conduction.

A new superconducting electrolyte formula, which effectively reduces the viscosity of the electrolyte, resulting in improved conductivity, also has been developed.

Other improvements include reduced resistance of lithium-ion movement, while cell temperature control technology ensures that cells heat up to the optimal operating temperature range rapidly, allowing a 0-80% charge in just 30 minutes in temperature as low as -10°C.

CATL anticipates that mass production of Shenxing will be achieved before year-end and the first vehicles with the battery will be available on the market in the first quarter of next year.

Improving Bitcoin mining efficiency

With Bitcoin mining notoriously energy intensive and miners rushing to adopt greener and more sustainable operations, another alternative, which is being pursued by the London-based Quantum Blockchain Technologies, is to improve the efficiency of the mining itself and thus in turn its energy consumption.

The company’s ‘Method A’, unlike the standard approach of running as many hashes as possible within the available period, decides at the beginning of each block hashing whether to hash using a traditional search or a spaced confined search, with testing demonstrating an approximately 10% in mining speed.

But its ‘Method B’, for which a patent application was recently filed, is even more efficient, based on partial pre-computation on upcoming blocks prior to the current one being closed and guiding the search by deciding where the most promising winning hashes are likely to be found.

With this approach, the number of logic gates on the chip is reduced and the processing of a large number of hashes is avoided to obtain the results in less time.

In this case, there should be a 2.6x improvement in the ability to find a winning hash, compared to standard search, while saving up to 4.3% of energy.

However, its implementation requires a new architecture and the design of a new mining chip.

Setting sail with ‘Windwings’

Mitsubishi Corporation’s ‘Pyxis Ocean’, a 229m long bulk carrier vessel on charter to the global food giant Cargill, has become the first to be fitted with a novel wind propulsion system that could be key for the decarbonisation of shipping.

The two ‘Windwings’, which were designed by BAR Technologies in the EU Horizon 2020 supported initiative, are large wing sails measuring up to 37,5m in height with a 10m wide central component and front and rear 5m wide flaps that can be fitted to the deck of cargo ships, both new and as a retrofit, to harness the power of the wind.

The windwings can rotate and also pivot, right down to deck level, to allow for the differing wind angles and speeds.

With this wind assist, the windwings are expected to deliver average fuel savings of up to 30%.

The ‘Pyxis Ocean’ is currently on its maiden voyage with the windwings from Shanghai, where they were fitted, to Paranagua in Brazil with their performance being closely monitored to further improve their design and operation.

Hundreds of wings are planned to be built over the next few years and BAR Technologies is also researching new builds with improved hydrodynamic hull forms.

The solution, believed to be the first to use Amazon Sidewalk for data communication, is comprised of the Subeca ‘Pin’ as a Bluetooth meter register to replace the standard register on the water meter.

Once commissioned, the utility is then able to utilise the Amazon Sidewalk communications network, with the free communications benefit that it offers.

“This is a very inexpensive way for a utility to start building out an AMI platform,” says Patrick Keaney, CEO of Subeca.

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Subeca’s Pin is claimed to work with the majority of existing water meters and that it can be retrofitted in less than a minute.

To get the product out on the market the company has launched an ‘Explorer kit’ comprised of three Pins and the use of its Engage data platform for one year, available to 100 utilities.

Amazon Sidewalk is a long-range, low-bandwidth, low-power community wireless network for IoT that is enabled on Amazon Echo and certain other devices.

It is based on Bluetooth low energy and 900MHz LoRa and is believed to potentially provide coverage to over 90% of the population in the US – its only country of availability so far.

Subeca’s Pin includes the Bluetooth meter register as the core data collection component and the Bluetooth low energy and LoRa modules.

The company’s product offering also includes the ‘Act’, a Bluetooth wireless ball valve that will open, restrict or close upon command from a Bluetooth-capable mobile device or through the company’s Link data collection device.

Subeca has previously developed a LoRaWAN solution with a Pin featuring AWS IoT Core for low-cost communication.

Keaney, who has been CEO of Subeca since May, is the former worldwide head of development at AWS Water, with a focus on the development of IoT and cloud services in the water sector.

Nanotechnology, generally regarded as technologies at the atomic and molecular scales of size less than 100nm (1nm corresponding to a billionth of a metre), is a fast-growing area with the potential to impact many areas of activity.

One such is energy storage in which nanoscale innovations have already led to improvements, including the creation of advanced batteries with higher energy density and faster charging.

For example, California-based Sila Nanotechnologies has developed nanotechnology-based lithium-ion batteries with up to 20% capacity enhancement with the potential that can offer, for example to the improved range of electric vehicles or for use of wearable devices.

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Likewise nanotechnology has also boosted solar cell efficiency by incorporating nanoscale structures like quantum dots and perovskite materials, the white paper points out – the technology also gives rise to hybrid solar cells that both generate and store energy simultaneously.

Nanoscale supercapacitors offer high power density and rapid energy discharge, ideal for energy storage applications.

Quoting a projected market size for energy storage and conversion of $17 billion by 2028, the white paper states that despite the existing hurdles, the market is on a growth trajectory.

Investments and startups that revolve around nanotechnology for energy storage and conversion, in addition to prominent academic institutions like the US Department of Energy (DOE), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and universities worldwide, understand the importance of crafting new materials for sustainable energy applications.

Nanomaterials possess the potential to greatly enhance ion transportation and electron conductivity, which could be the solution to advancing this field.

The white paper notes, however, some barriers to entry in the field. Among these are the exorbitant expenditure for research and development and a lengthy development process, while also there are regulatory obstacles that can complicate market penetration.

The white paper concludes that with continuous research and collaboration, nanotechnology will persist in driving innovation and serve as an essential tool for pioneers in the field of energy storage and conversion, empowering them to break new ground in sustainable energy.

Through their combined acumen, the two will develop and deploy new solutions for electric utilities and renewable energy producers.

Namely, the collaboration will draw on Hitachi Energy’s Energy Portfolio Management (EPM) solutions combined with Google Cloud’s data analytics capabilities, artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) services, as well as scalable and secure infrastructure.

“Data and analytics are at the centre of the energy transition and play a critical role in the evolving grid,” said Massimo Danieli, managing director of grid automation for Hitachi Energy. “Our customers worldwide have asked for solutions that help them achieve sustainability goals and business outcomes at speed and scale.”

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A first demonstration

The first demonstration of the collaboration is that of Hitachi Energy’s Velocity Suite Power Prices, which delivers sub-hourly energy pricing data for users.

The product’s launch marks the first milestone in the collaboration and, states Hitachi Energy, signals the partners’ aim to address growing market and customer needs for cloud-based solutions that drive the energy transition.

Global developers, operators of renewable generation and battery energy storage systems (BESS), as well as traditional generators, traders and energy market participants can use the data from Velocity Suite Power Prices to make “better, faster decisions about energy projects and investments in North America,” states Hitachi Energy in a press release.

Added Danieli: “Delivering Velocity Suite Power Prices through our partnership with Google Cloud helps global customers accelerate decision making, optimize investments, and digitally transform their own businesses.”

According to Hitachi Energy, Velocity Suite Power Prices informs and accelerates planning and revenue analyses for transformative grid and renewable energy projects.

The computing power of Google Cloud technology, adds the company, is instrumental in automating and consolidating the suite’s dataset.

“By delivering Velocity Suite Power Prices on Google Cloud, Hitachi Energy is enabling customers to deploy its platform on trusted, sustainable infrastructure and helping them better utilise massive amounts of data on their journeys to become more profitable and sustainable businesses,” said Roi Tavor, managing director at Google Cloud.

“Sustainability is a driving factor behind many organisations’ digital transformations, and we’re proud to partner with Hitachi Energy to help global businesses operate responsibly and sustainably.”

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 British tech startup, their HIT replaces the passive transformer with a real-time control node, regulating voltage and reactive power with millisecond-level precision by using magnetics.

This aims to stabilise power flows and give the grid operator a much-needed tool of active intervention.

IONATE claims that the transformer will be able to increase the grid’s tolerance for renewables and the amount of power it can carry while minimising wasted power on the way.

Ultimately, states the 2019-launched startup, they will gradually transform the network into a flexible smart grid, optimising power flows across the whole system.

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The project has already commenced with a design study and will continue with testing with EDP’s technical centre Labelec, before live deployment with E-REDES in Portugal and Spain, as well as in the Brazilian market with EDP.

Beyond the initial trial-phase, IONATE’s HITs are planned to stay in the grid as permanent assets and help its transition over the next years.

EDP’s collaboration with IONATE follows their participation in two key innovation programs: Free Electrons, the world’s largest innovation programme in the energy sector, co-led by EDP, and Energy Starter, EDP’s collaborative innovation programme, launched with the aim of attracting innovative and disruptive startups and scaleups capable in the energy sector.

Commenting on the collaboration was Luís Manuel, executive board member of EDP Innovation. He stated that, “In response to the imperative of accelerating the energy transition, EDP is actively engaged in transformative projects.

“The IONATE Hybrid Intelligent Transformer (HIT) has the potential to be a game-changer, replacing conventional passive transformers with state-of-the-art real-time control nodes. This strategic partnership not only fortifies grid stability and resilience but also aligns with EDP’s commitment to innovation and its unwavering dedication to shaping a smarter and more efficient energy landscape.”

IONATE founder & CEO Matthew Williams said that EDP’s “bet on early-stage innovation shows just how urgently the grid needs new technologies to deliver on our sustainable future.

“We are so proud to have them as our first customer. They have a clear vision driven by industry expertise, and they have been a fantastically supportive partner to work with over the years.”

The partnership involves a minority investment in Pratexo through ABB’s venture capital unit, ABB Technology Ventures (ATV). Financial details of the investment were not disclosed.

Pratexo’s technology platform supports IoT and AI initiatives which demand compute power at the edge. The company’s technology enables the rapid set up of systems that can process huge amounts of data generated by IoT sensors and run advanced analytics in real time close to the location of the device, rather than in the cloud.

ABB’s Electrification Service will leverage Pratexo’s industry-leading, no-code development platform, Pratexo Studio, to accelerate and revolutionise how edge-to-cloud digital solutions are designed for customers, allowing them to make better decisions for future operations.

According to ABB, the collaboration will help customers deploy edge-based networks and solution architectures that provide real time insights, with the added benefits of reduced cloud data transfer volumes, improved data privacy and security and the ability to run when not connected to the internet.

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One example cited by ABB is customised, decentralised software solutions that allow distribution grid operators to manage, monitor and assess electrical systems in real time, identify what could potentially be causing machine faults and optimise at the local level to adjust to rapidly changing circumstances such as identifying and responding to changes in power availability and consumption.

“We are in a unique position to support customers in their digital transformation regardless of what stage they are at. Investing in and partnering with innovative startups like Pratexo advances our technological services capabilities to provide enhanced industry 4.0 business outcomes to our customers,” said Stuart Thompson, president of ABB’s Electrification Service Division.

Added Blaine Mathieu, CEO of Pratexo: “The last 20 years of IT have been mostly about centralising computing into the cloud. The next 10 will be about balancing that with a hybrid edge-to-cloud approach – doing the right compute at the right place and at the right level. Our close collaboration with ABB will further enable and accelerate that transition.”

The partnership is ABB’s sixth venture capital investment of 2023 and helps expand the company’s portfolio of solutions that support decarbonisation.

The smart metering system is under development by energy companies E.ON and Netze BW, technology suppliers Robotron Datenbank-Software and Power Plus Communications and manufacturer Landis+Gyr.

The companies have announced that the system is based on the integration of an RLM meter to a smart meter gateway with testing having proven its marketability and timely availability.

The large consumption points in Germany account for about three-quarters of the energy consumed in the country, although in number they amount to only around 1% of the total 53 million metering points, i.e. about 530,000.

Under the Digitisation Act, at least 20% of the load profile measurement points in Germany must be equipped with smart metering by 2028.

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“With this technical solution, we are taking a further step towards digitising the RLM measuring points with smart meter gateways,” commented Jürgen Kramny, Head of Metering Systems at Netze BW.

Malte Sunderkötter, Managing Director of E.ON Grid Solutions with responsibility for the smart meter rollout in the E.ON group, said the solution has the potential to become a new industry standard.

“To this end, we are building on broad acceptance among customers, users and manufacturers.”

Specifically, the solution is based on the connection of a Landis+Gyr RLM meter to Robotron’s back-end system via the controllable local systems (CLS) interface of Power Plus Communications’ smart meter gateway.

The solution fulfils all the specific RLM use cases and also makes the metered values available for subsequent billing with storage in the meter – key in the event of a temporary interruption of the communication link to the meter, given the high levels of energy involved.

In addition, the local interfaces of the meter can be used for specific industry use cases, thus taking into account the different requirements of customers in this market segment, the companies have reported.

The solution is available in a test environment and the intent is to further optimise it as it evolves.

The V2G self-consumption station is operational within Qilian Mountain National Park’s long-term national research base, providing continuous support for ecological patrols and clean, low-carbon energy utilisation within the park.

According to NIO in a press release, the system marks the first global photovoltaic self-consumption system with V2G (vehicle to grid), composed of photovoltaic power stations, bidirectional V2G charging piles and all-electric vehicles.

V2G systems allow EVs to serve as distributed mobile energy units, charging during low-demand periods and supplying power during peak times.

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The technology, through the deployment of source-network-storage-load, states NIO, achieves local self-production and self-marketing of green energy and minimises the impact on the external environment.

V2G bidirectional charging piles offer EV charging services; with the reverse discharge function, surplus vehicle-stored energy is supplied back to the grid for nighttime or emergency use within the park.

Photovoltaic power energises the system, with an annual average output of about 690,000kWh, fully covering the EV energy consumption within the park.

Surplus energy can cater to over 50% of other power needs, resulting in an estimated annual carbon reduction of around 55 tonnes.

Clean Parks initiative

NIO and WWF previously collaborated together to support the ecological construction of Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, as well as Giant Panda National Park, and became strategic partners of the Clean Parks ecological co-conservation plan in April 2022.

The V2G announcement marks the commencement of the third phase of the Clean Parks and WWF ecological co-conservation programme.

The self-consumption facilities were established by Clean Parks in collaboration with NIO, Astronergy and One Earth Nature Foundation in Qilian Mountain National Park, China, on the eve of the Second National Park Forum, under the coordination of the Qinghai Forestry and Grassland Bureau and the WWF.

US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) chose DERMS provider Smarter Grid Solutions (SGS) to implement their Strata Grid DERMS at the facility.

ESIF is an energy systems integration laboratory facility focused on developing and deploying clean energy technologies and resilient distribution systems.

According to the ESIF’s research project manager, Sarah Williams, “DERMS-related research is core to the integrated, multi-disciplinary work happening at ESIF.

“We have confidence we are developing a powerful toolbox with SGS to address both existing and future use cases.”

DERMS are known for enabling enhanced control and visibility over assets for utilities and electric cooperatives, allowing operators to manage incoming renewable energy resources and grid-edge devices for improved performance of the electrical system.

According to SGS in a press release announcing their selection, example use cases of the Strata Grid DERMS include the autonomous operation and coordination of modern grid devices.

Within the system distributed energy resources (DERs) are leveraged for improved grid planning and operation, as well as demand-side management and customer engagement through bidirectional communication with utilities and energy market operations.

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According to SGS, the system is the “only DERMS software to combine the grid and market optimisation with real-time control”.

According to the ESIF, when it comes to their integrated energy capabilities, the lab includes tools and approaches to enable better integration with the electric grid and other energy infrastructure, diversification of integrated energy streams for resilience, cybersecurity risk management and customer participation in smart load management and energy generation.

The ESIF also states it has “hundreds of commercially available” DERs, including inverters, electric vehicles, batteries, home energy systems, solar panels, fuel cells and more, which can be integrated ‘in-the-loop’ with simulations for realistic experimentation.

According to SGS’ statement, NREL sought a DERMS capable of replicating utility control and the monitoring of distributed devices from small residential systems to the grid substation level.

“SGS is excited to partner with NREL on their research in the DERMS realm. With NREL’s research leadership and SGS’ industry-leading DERMS solutions, we expect to see very interesting and exciting learnings from this partnership,” said Jon Grooters, director of utility solutions at SGS.

The seven-member ‘Data science and analytics’ team drawn from diverse fields including astrophysics, healthcare and finance is charged with creating three different systems, Predictive Health Analytics, GeoMesh and HealthAI.

Each will take existing data from Avangrid companies’ electricity grids and analyse it to forecast future performance of the grid, determine the condition of grid equipment or target at-risk locations for inspections and investment.

Ultimately, this should lead to increased reliability for the 2.31 million customers served by these companies, i.e. Central Maine Power, New York State Electric & Gas, Rochester Gas and Electric and United Illuminating.

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“We’re reimagining what’s possible for a utility when it comes to data science and analytics,” said Pedro Azagra, Avangrid CEO.

“Traditionally, we’ve partnered with third parties to integrate this type of cutting-edge technology into our business. Now, we have the talent in-house to create machine learning models that Avangrid will own.”

The ‘Predictive health analytics’ system is focused on taking a proactive approach to determine the condition of substation equipment such as circuit breakers and enable replacement before an outage occurs.

Traditionally, equipment is replaced primarily based on age or if it malfunctions and causes an outage. ‘Predictive health analytics’ will determine equipment’s overall health and life expectancy based on numerous factors, including age, frequency of use, and manufacturer and maintenance notifications.

The ‘GeoMesh’ project is mapping Avangrid’s service areas to identify the strengths and weaknesses of its networks to help forecast its performance during both blue-sky and storm scenarios.

To accomplish this, ‘GeoMesh’ breaks Avangrid’s service areas into small sections, for each of which predictions can be made based on data points, such as average wind speed, precipitation type and amount, outage history and reason, population and density of tree limbs and other vegetation.

The ‘HealthAI’ project is analysing Avangrid’s existing millions of high-resolution photos of its street-level distribution system to identify the assets visible in them and to catalogue their health, with a view to increasing awareness of their health and to help identify areas of concern.

Currently, the AI system is being trained to correctly identify the grid equipment in the photos and then it is intended to learn to analyse and determine the health of that equipment, e.g. if a cross arm is broken or if a wire is sagging.

With ownership of the AI systems, Avangrid anticipates their continual improvement, improving their cost-effectiveness.

This was one of the key messages from Alan Winde, Premier of the Western Cape province of South Africa, who hosted an Energy Digicon under the theme What role will Artificial Intelligence play in the future of energy generation?

Keynote speaker Martin Svensson, co-director of AI Sweden, said looking ahead, AI will impose greater challenges on the energy sector.

Citing the conversion of the automotive sector to a fully electric-based one, Svensson said the question is how to build the new system by harnessing AI.

Svensson said that in the future, individuals would also be able to produce their own energy, largely from solar power and AI applications would be integrated into this.

“Imagine a future where we are our own energy producers and what we produce we will be able to trade and have a system that optimises that from a financial perspective.” 

Forging a new energy system

Referencing think-tank RethinkX’s research – Rethinking Energy 2020-2030 – which says that we are on “the cusp of the fastest, deepest, most profound disruption of the energy sector in over a century”, Svensson said the current system will be disrupted by a new one.

RethinkX says that with most disruptions, this one is being driven by the convergence of several key technologies whose costs and capabilities have been improving on consistent and predictable trajectories.

These are solar photovoltaic power, wind power and lithium-ion battery energy storage. 

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“Our analysis shows that 100% clean electricity from the combination of solar, wind, and batteries (SWB) is both physically possible and economically affordable across the entire continental United States as well as the overwhelming majority of other populated regions of the world by 2030,” said RethinkX.

“Adoption of SWB is growing exponentially worldwide and disruption is now inevitable because by 2030 they will offer the cheapest electricity option for most regions. Coal, gas, and nuclear power assets will become stranded during the 2020s, and no new investment in these technologies is rational from this point forward.”

Energy systems run completely on renewable energy sources

Svensson said the new energy system will look completely different to the current one. He said, for a province like the Western Cape, the future system could be one without loadshedding. This would be achieved through a system that would be 100% solar, wind and battery based. 

“This is not driven by the current issues you face or by climate activism, but economical forces. That’s why I’m confident this will happen. There is a lot of positive opportunities.”

Svensson said solar and wind are already the cheapest new-generation options. It also costs less than existing coal, gas and nuclear power plants. The cost of SWB systems will fall another 70% by 2030, making disruption “inevitable”.

In terms of the Western Cape, Svensson said the region could have a “future of energy abundance.”

Based on modelling from California in the US, which has a similar solar and wind profile to the Western Cape, Svensson said in the next 10 years, the province could generate 14GW of solar, 1.7GW of wind and 80GWh of energy storage.

“This ‘super power’ will be enough to electrify the entire transportation sector and more,” said Svensson. He said the province had already started on this journey.

“This is within reach… The opportunity is here to accelerate this. This will solve the current situation,” said Svensson.

In terms of scepticism around AI, Svensson said it was important to learn and understand AI to help mitigate any possible risks it may pose. 

“We need to learn how to use it, but we do need to learn how to manage risks over time.”

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AI to play a huge role in the energy space

Special Advisor to the Premier on Energy, Alwie Lester, said AI will start to play a lot more of a critical role in the energy space.

“With the advent of AI, you could have a dynamic system that is managed by information and data that’s readily available and processed quite quickly,” Lester said.

“Typically, you could have a system operator that responds to things very differently based on AI as opposed to the conventional way we are responding to the system at the moment.”

“In the general energy space, I think we will start to see AI play a lot more of a critical role because you’re sitting with millions and millions of terabytes of information, especially the energy information but also economic and consumer information,” Lester added.

“And if you have the ability to sort of link these, your decisions around what energy at what point and at what price becomes rather easier when you have a system that can do this for you. The opportunity for AI to play a bigger role, particularly in the energy space is huge.

“We need to encourage the industry to look at this more holistically and not just try and solve one problem with it.

“But also look at it as part of the industry going forward.” 

Originally published by Yunus Kemp on ESI.

DEWA files 3D printing patent

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA)’s Research and Development Centre is something of a pioneer with 3D printing and has just filed a new patent for an innovative build plate and method to detach 3D printed objects automatically.

This is intended to improve the performance of 3D printers by easing the removal of 3D printed objects during the printing process and thereby making it feasible to have a continuous 3D printing operation.

The invention supports DEWA’s intensive efforts to develop advanced infrastructure and specialised software in 3D printing and additive manufacturing, and invest in them to overcome challenges in the energy sector, according to the utility.

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HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, says that the utility supports Dubai’s endeavours to become the global hub for 3D printing by finding innovative solutions and technologies that modernise the manufacture of spare parts in its business.

“We adopt 3D printing as an innovative solution for our internal operations to print spare parts for devices and equipment, in addition to extending the lifespan of our equipment,” he says, adding that DEWA is the first organisation in the GCC to apply metal 3D printing technology using threads and wires.

DEWA reports having achieved a Guinness World Records title for its 3D printed laboratory and previously a patent has been registered for an adhesive device for 3D printers, which automatically distributes the adhesive material on the 3D printing plate, to ensure that the printed material sticks adequately to the build plate.

Harnessing the power of quantum for solar energy harvesting

Northeastern University professor Sijia Dong has been awarded a US Department of Energy grant to explore algorithms for simulations on quantum computers that may further the pursuit of renewable energy sources.

Specifically what Dong wants to do is develop quantum algorithms that can enable quantum chemical simulations of macromolecules that may be leveraged for solar energy harvesting and conversion.

“In photosynthesis, a plant can convert solar energy to make sugar, a chemical that can help the plant survive,” says Dong, an assistant professor of chemistry and chemical biology as well as affiliated faculty of physics and chemical engineering at Northeastern.

“If we can do something like this artificially – convert the solar energy into chemical energy to make materials or useful chemicals – that will be very helpful for society.”

To date, Dong and her team have been using traditional digital computers to simulate the photochemistry of macromolecules and materials that could lead to new forms of clean energy.

However, it is a hard problem computationally and if the simulations can be carried over to a quantum computer, that should greatly accelerate the capability of developing such molecules and materials.

A Samsung Galaxy Ring

This column doesn’t normally cover rumours, but those about Samsung mobile products tend to be quite reliable so we have no hesitation in reporting the likely release of a Samsung Galaxy Ring.

Why a Galaxy Ring is of interest is because early patents indicate that it has potential for smart home integration and to control connected devices.

What we know so far is that a smart ring is almost certainly under development with a possible launch in 2024.

Based on the patents filed, other possible integrations include health tracking, such as heart rate and temperature monitoring, and coupled with XR glasses, finger and hand tracking in XR applications based on their positional information.

The concept of a connected ring isn’t new and the Oura ring as a fitness monitor has been around since 2015.

For Samsung, it would mark the company’s continuous evolution in the wearables market as an adjunct to its mobiles, while potentially providing a significant step up in convenience for smart home enthusiasts.

The forecast demand is a new challenge surfacing for the US, which now needs to face exponentially increasing demand for critical minerals.

This is according to the New York-based financial information and analytics company’s study, Inflation Reduction Act: Impact on North America metals and minerals report, which finds that the historic policy is accelerating demand for critical minerals and copper that are vital to energy transition technologies.

They add that ensuring enough qualifying supply to meet that demand faces ‘considerable challenges’.

Accelerated demand

Namely, US energy transition demand from clean tech such as EVs, charging infrastructure, solar PV, wind and batteries, will continue to accelerate and be materially higher for lithium (+15%), cobalt (+14%) and nickel (+13%) by 2035 than was projected before the IRA was enacted in August 2022.

According to the study, demand for copper will be 12% higher by 2035 than pre-IRA projections. Copper is not currently listed as a critical mineral in the United States and does not qualify for IRA tax credits. However, its role as the “metal of electrification” makes it vital to the energy transition and demand for it will rise as it is used alongside critical minerals in energy transition applications.

Adding the post-IRA demand increases on top of demand growth that was already expected prior to the IRA becoming law means that total combined energy transition-related demand for lithium, nickel and cobalt will be 23 times higher in 2035 than it was in 2021. Total demand for copper will be twice as high, the study finds.

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While post-IRA demand is expected to be materially higher, securing enough supply under the law’s sourcing requirements faces considerable challenges, the study says. To qualify for IRA tax credits, processing and/or extraction of critical minerals used must be in the US and/ or in a country with which the US has a free trade agreement (FTA); and that sourcing cannot involve a “foreign entity of concern.”

Commenting on the study was Daniel Yergin, S&P Global’s vice chairman: “This new comprehensive analysis shows that the Inflation Reduction Act is indeed transformative on the demand side.

“However, challenges remain in securing supply of critical minerals needed to meet growing demand and achieve its goal of accelerating the energy transition.”

Material breakdown

Of the four materials analysed in the study, only lithium is likely to be sufficiently supplied to the United States under the IRA’s domestic content requirements, given already-planned capacity additions in the United States and other FTA countries such as Chile, Canada and Australia, the study finds.

Cobalt and nickel were both found to be unlikely to be sourced at levels high enough to meet demand.

While there is enough cobalt produced in FTA countries to meet the IRA domestic sourcing requirement, the United States does not currently source most of its cobalt from those countries. Doing so would require a challenging reorientation of trading patterns across several countries given intense international competition for resources, the study says.

Nickel was found to be the most challenged in terms of supply. There does not appear to be enough nickel supply in FTA countries to meet demand under the IRA requirements—even if all primary nickel production in FTA countries was exported to the US.

While copper is not subject to sourcing requirements under the IRA, ensuring access to enough supply to meet US demand post-IRA is also at risk, the study says. The United States will become more reliant on imports as growing demand for energy transition-related end markets outpace domestic supply.

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For example, the United States relies on one country, Chile, for 60% of refined copper imports. However, for Chile the United States accounts for only 20% of its refined copper exports. The United States could struggle to secure additional supplies from Chile if other markets that represent a larger share of Chilean exports also compete for that supply.

The increasing reliance of the United States on imports as energy transition demand grows places new emphasis and urgency on challenges such as long lead times and permitting complexities that prolong development of domestic resources, the study says. S&P Global data on 127 mines across the world that began production between 2002 and 2023 shows that a major new resource discovery today would not become a productive mine until 2040 or later.

Copper represents a particular opportunity in the United States, which country possesses more than 70 million tons of an untapped copper endowment, equivalent to more than 20 years of US copper demand, even at the level of peak energy transition-related demand in 2035, the study says.

“Timely and transparent permitting is a fundamental operational challenge to supplying metals for the energy transition, particularly in developed markets such as the United States that have high levels of transparency and both political and civil society scrutiny of policy,” said Mohsen Bonakdarpour, executive director at S&P Global Market Intelligence.

“Expediting permitting reform while meeting environmental and community concerns has become a central topic in boosting mineral supply for the energy transition.”

The funding, part of a total of almost £4 million ($5.1 million) that has been promised for AI innovation for industrial decarbonisation, is intended to support the development of approaches for decarbonisation in order to support the transition to net zero.

The lion’s share of the funding, £500,000 ($636,703) has been awarded to the Digital Catapult to establish a virtual ‘centre of excellence’ to advance and promote the adoption of AI decarbonisation applications.

The ‘Artificial Intelligence for Decarbonisation’s Virtual Centre of Excellence’ (ADViCE) initiative, which will be led in partnership with the Energy Systems Catapult and Alan Turing Institute, is planned to understand and address barriers that prevent companies from using AI decarbonisation applications and to identify innovation opportunities to develop new high growth applications.

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Multiple parallel work streams are planned to bring together stakeholders such as adopters, AI developers, investors, local government, institutions, regulatory authorities and academics.

Driving power sector decarbonisation

The balance of the funding is focused on supporting the development of innovative approaches to help drive decarbonisation in the power sector.

Building controls specialist Future Decisions, based at Reading University, receives £104,651 ($113,263) for its ‘OptimalPrime’ initiative to enhance AI for building management systems in order to optimise the building control to deliver sustainability savings, potentially up to 65% per building.

Open Climate Fix, a non-profit lab, receives £121,500 ($154,670) to create an open source model for hyper-local solar PV generation forecasting, with extensions to EV load modelling, applying AI with real-time electricity grid data, satellite imagery, solar PV site data and weather data.

The University of Nottingham receives £133,932 ($170,496) for another solar generation forecasting initiative, in this case to create AI models combining sky images and numerical weather data in order to improve the prediction accuracy of meteorological parameters.

H2GO Power, which is developing hydrogen storage solutions, receives £130,621 ($166 281) to develop a module for its AI hydrogen management platform, HyAI, for cases with highly seasonal power demand and extreme events to optimise hydrogen delivery for multiple off-takers

Quantum solutions developer Secqai receives £100,000 ($127 249) to create a neuromorphic computing unit emulating the neural structure of the human brain as a potential step towards the more energy efficient use of AI in computing.

Commenting, Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance Lord Callanan said that with the UK’s expertise with advanced AI the boundaries must now be pushed in how the technology can enhance the rapidly growing clean energy sector.

“It’s projects like [these] that will take us to the next step on our ambitious journey to becoming net zero, while boosting our energy security and creating a new wave of skilled jobs for the future.”

AI funding for smart grid

Alongside the awards, which also included two for AI initiatives to advance decarbonisation in industry and one in agriculture, a further £2.25 million ($2.86 million) was allocated to support further AI innovation in the areas of electrification and the smart grid, transportation and land use for renewables generation.

Up to £350,000 ($445 355) may be awarded for the individual projects, which must be completed by March 2025.

Applications are due by 10 October with the awards expected to be in announced in December and project kick-off from February 2024.

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.

The programme, which began in 2021 and runs to 2025, has so far seen the installation of over 150,000 new smart meters.

A further 7,000 units are due to be installed by year end in the central-southern municipality of Pälkäne.

The new generation smart meters are of Finnish design by Elenia in partnership with the smart grid solution provider Aidon, which together have developed a platform on which over time new services may be enabled, such as the use of self generation, electric vehicle integration or flexibility for the grid.

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The telecom operator Elisa also is a partner, with responsibility for IoT communications between the meters and the wider system.

The new meters are aimed to involve Elenia and its customers more strongly in climate solutions and actions, according to the company.

Customers with the new meters can access Elenia’s new AinaLab service, where they can monitor their electricity consumption down to the five-minute level on an almost real-time basis.

The service also disaggregates the loads by the three phases enabling monitoring of individual phases and checking the phase connections of individual devices.

Sanni Harala, Account and Stakeholder Manager at Elenia, says that consumption data often appears in the AinaLab service within a few minutes and usually within an hour.

“The energy sector plays a key role in the electric, green transition, which we are promoting by modernising the electricity grid and its technology. The smart grid is increasingly involved in climate solutions,” he says.

The installation of Elenia’s smart meters is being undertaken by Finnish provider Voimatel.

Since the start of the programme, installations have progressed in Elenia’s network area in Northern and South Ostrobothnia, Central Finland and Pirkanmaa.

Installations will begin in Kanta-Häme in 2024 and in Päijät-Häme in 2025.

In all approximately 400,000 smart meters are being replaced, broadly in line with the end of service life of the current meters.

A further 40,000 customers have newer meters that will be replaced at a later date.

While the benefits of this kind of computing capacity are tremendous, the risks are just as great if malicious actors get access to that same quantum capability. It is vital that the providers of all mission-critical networks prepare for that eventuality now.

What is quantum computing?

Conventional computers are based on the binary concept that electrical signals can be either on or off, which is traditionally expressed in 1s and 0s. From the earliest computers that ran programs off physical punch cards to today’s smartwatches, they have all used coding languages based on binary computations.

Quantum computers are based on the principles of quantum mechanics, which allow for many states between on and off. We are not even limited to one state at a time. This means these computers can not only perform their tasks much faster than conventional binary computers, but they can carry out multiple processes at once, increasing their capacity and speed exponentially.

This offers great opportunities for mission-critical industries. Mining, oil and gas companies can quickly and accurately determine the best places to drill, reducing costly and invasive exploratory excavations. Power utilities can better understand weather patterns and the impact of climate change and make usage predictions to prepare the grid in advance to avoid disruption. The aerospace industry can make major breakthroughs faster, being able to perform highly complex analyses at unprecedented speed. Defence organizations can use quantum sensing for deep-sea navigation, surveillance, and reconnaissance. Emergency services organisations can vastly improve preparedness due to more accurate advance notice of natural disasters. Research and Education Networks, dedicated to solving some of humanity’s biggest challenges from climate change to disease and world hunger, can make calculations that are impossible today and accelerate important breakthrough innovation.

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Who is using quantum now?

Today’s quantum computers are highly specialised equipment that demand precise calibration and extreme cooling. That puts them out of reach for most organizations. The few quantum computers that have been built so far are owned by companies like IBM or large government entities. The capacity of today’s quantum computers is used for scientific and research purposes.

However, as demand for quantum computing increases in the private sector, more companies are likely to buy or rent capacity through an as-a-service model. Some innovators are also producing quantum annealers — smaller machines that are less powerful than full-scale quantum computers, but still offer much of the functionality companies are looking for.

Since 2021, Japanese manufacturers Toyota, Mitsubishi Chemical and ten other organizations have been sharing costs and using quantum computing to solve advanced problems, innovate materials for industrial applications and run autonomous vehicle scenarios as we prepare for the next generation of mobility. Mercedes-Benz is using quantum computing to accelerate battery performance for future electric vehicles.

Banks in the United States are running advanced financial computations. Researchers at Fraunhofer and the Cleveland Clinic are sequencing the human genome faster than ever before. Quantum has even been used to accelerate the study of COVID-19 treatments. And CERN, the European Council for Nuclear Research, is using quantum computing to analyse data from the Large Hadron Collider and accelerate our understanding of how the universe works.

Hacking at quantum speed

Today’s encryption mechanisms used to protect in-flight network data were developed to safeguard against an adversary using a conventional computer. Until now, these mechanisms were deemed strong enough to protect sensitive data because these computers cannot break the encryption within a practically useful timeframe.

It would take thousands of years to try every possible key combination. But with a quantum computer, a brute force attack can break most encryption ciphers, within minutes. Just as quantum computers can calculate at speed, access to the technology in the wrong hands means bad actors can also hack at quantum speed.

To launch such an attack requires a Cryptographically Relevant Quantum Computer (CRQC): a quantum computer large enough and equipped with the software required to break the asymmetric ciphers typically used in encryption today. The good news is that no such computer exists… yet. But it’s only a matter of time before a CRQC is developed. That moment is referred to as Q-Day — and while some experts believe its arrival to be most likely by 2030, based on recent developments many experts predict it could arrive sooner.

The potential for disaster when Q-Day comes is substantial. With standard encryption protections rendered useless, all networks will become vulnerable to attack. Malicious actors could cripple the world’s mission-critical networks like power grids and water utility systems with life-threatening consequences, in seconds. Financial markets could be tampered with, sending economies into turmoil. Vital medical systems and research could be impacted, causing irreparable damage to medications, vaccines and other life-saving treatments, setting advancements back to the drawing board.

But the risk does not start on Q-Day. Bad actors can “harvest” encrypted data now — even if they can’t do anything with it — and simply hold onto it until they can decrypt it with a CRQC. It is imperative that we start protecting mission-critical data against quantum hacking now.

Read more news from Nokia

Is it even possible to protect networks from quantum hacking?

Yes. Fortunately, quantum-safe networking technology exists right now.

A symmetric, centralized Classic Key Distribution Network (CKDN) is a way of sharing strong keys separately from encrypted data, making it harder for hackers to acquire both pieces required to access the data. This technology has been in use for several years and is an important element of quantum safety. But it is only effective for certain types of network connections and needs to be complemented by other tools and technologies.

To expand quantum security, it will take a multi-faceted approach. Quantum keys, utilising quantum mechanics as the key material source and transmitted through a quantum key distribution network (QKDN), are currently in development and will provide another layer of security.

Cryptographers are also working on post-quantum asymmetric ciphers, designed to withstand quantum attacks. A future quantum-safe ecosystem will include all three of these elements: CKDN, quantum keys and post-quantum ciphers, as well as other technologies that have not even been thought of yet. The goal is to always stay one step ahead.

The quantum threat cannot be ignored and outdated networking technologies or the mindset of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” just won’t fly. Modernized networking technologies with built-in quantum-safe mechanisms will help. Nokia has been at the forefront of research on quantum-safe optical networking, embedding CKDN into our solutions for years. We are currently the only network vendor to offer a quantum-safe solution for our customers — and we are continuing to work with partners around the world on QKD trials and other innovations to ensure that when Q-Day comes, your mission-critical networks are ready.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

James Watt is Vice President and General Manager for the Optical Networks Division at Nokia. Prior to this, James was the Vice President and General Manager for the Services Business Unit, IP/Optical Networks, at Nokia and its predecessor in Alcatel-Lucent, President of the Optics Business Line in Alcatel-Lucent and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the Alcatel-Lucent Carrier Product Group. Until 2008, James held the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Alcatel-Lucent’s IP Business Division and had previously held the role of Vice President Network Strategy for Alcatel. James joined Alcatel in 2000 as Chief Technology Officer of the Carrier Internetworking Division through the acquisition of Newbridge Networks, where he was Assistant Vice President, Access and Network Management Strategy. During his 15 years with Newbridge, James held a variety of positions within the research & development, product management and marketing organizations. James holds multiple patents, primarily in the areas of traffic management and Internet Protocol. He received a B.SC. in Electrical Engineering from Queens University in Kingston, Ontario in 1986.

Chris Johnson is Senior Vice President and Global Head of Enterprise at Nokia. A veteran sales and business leader, Chris focuses on delivering critical network solutions for the world’s most essential industries. He is a passionate champion of industrial digitalization for enterprises and government organizations, with a deep understanding of how innovative and intuitive digital technologies can bring resilience, productivity, efficiency and sustainability to any operation. Drawing on his experience defining business strategies, developing teams, executing initiatives and driving profitable growth, Chris helps Nokia Enterprise customers harness the exponential potential of networks to unlock new business models and build capacity for long-term success.

Kaluza heads ‘down under’

UK headquartered energy software company Kaluza is planning to expand its activities in Australia and New Zealand with an office in Melbourne led up by former London-based client solutions director, Conor Maher-McWilliams.

Over the next 12 months, Kaluza intends to build a local team of experts to support activity in the region.

The team will work closely with Kaluza customer AGL Energy, one of Australia’s largest energy retailers and generators, on the ‘OVO Energy Australia’ joint venture to accelerate the adoption of clean energy solutions across the country and develop new EV and solar propositions for AGL’s customers.

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Kaluza is also expanding its managed charging programme to New Zealand with Meridian Energy. Through this new service, Kaluza will manage the charging of Meridian Energy’s customers’ EVs in response to their needs as well as market signals and pricing data.

Scott Neuman, CEO of Kaluza, described the development as “an important milestone” for the company’s global expansion, which so far has extended to Europe, North America and Japan.

Training for the energy transition

Britain’s Heriot-Watt University, known for its technical training, is launching a new Master of Science degree programme to provide advanced training in the energy transition.

The programme, run from the University’s Orkney campus, is taught both in person and online, with a focus on the technologies, systems, processes and economics, alongside the design of transition projects to move away from fossil fuels and accelerate the integration of renewable energy.

The MSc in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition, to give its full title, has been developed by the mechanical and energy systems engineer Susan Krumdieck and is built around the rapidly growing discipline of ‘transition engineering’, an interdisciplinary approach to change for unsustainable systems across power, transport, industry, real estate and other sectors, according to a statement.

Krumdieck, who hails originally from New Zealand, is Chair of Energy Transition Engineering at Heriot-Watt and her research group has led the development of ‘transition engineering’ as a discipline since the early 2000s.

“If the world is to decarbonise and reach net zero emissions by 2050, whole systems will have to be redesigned and redeveloped, including energy infrastructure, technology, regulation and markets,” she commented.

“A new generation of transition engineering specialists is needed to drive this change – and our MSc ReSET is firmly focused on helping students and professionals develop these vital skills – so they can help to reset global energy systems.”

The MSc programme has four themes: Transition Engineering, Economics and Commercialisation, Renewable Energy Technology and Energy Systems.

Hydrogen trains – before their time?

Germany has been a pioneer with hydrogen-powered trains over the past five years and the rail operator Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft Niedersachsen (LNVG) was the first, a year ago, to launch a network of such trains using Alstom’s Coradia iLint rolling stock.

But now the company has decided that its future – at least for the next generation – is with battery-powered trains, citing their cheaper operating costs.

LNVG is now planning to obtain 102 new units with battery-powered technology, which will progressively replace its diesel rolling stock from 2029 onwards until the last diesel is withdrawn in 2037.

Hydrogen has been billed as the option for emission-free trains on lines that have not been electrified. However, an advantage of the battery-powered trains is that they can run on both electrified lines, drawing on the power and recharging batteries via the pantograph, and non-electrified lines using the battery power with charging from purpose-built charging islands.

LNVG has not specified what the cost differences are or where they arise. But like hydrogen for road transport, undoubtedly the ‘chicken and egg’ of infrastructure availability vs demand is likely to be a factor.

With hydrogen-powered trains under test in other locations such as Canada, their potential is very much a space to watch.