Technology Emerging in 2014 with Potential to Reshape the Energy Space

[kristopher]

"Instead of viewing renewables as forced into the remaining system without adaptation, the entire electricity system should be perceived as being re-optimized."

Technology Emerging in 2014 with Potential to Reshape the Energy Space
Posted March 14, 2014
Roman Kilisek

Technology is the main driver for change – i.e. optimization, which leads to finding promising technological solutions for pressing global challenges – and for increased productivity in the modern world. However, for mankind to continue along this trajectory, appropriate investment is often dependent on the public’s understanding and awareness of promising technologies’ potential, as well as their application. In order to put promising technological breakthroughs on the public’s radar the World Economic Forum publishes a list of Top 10 Emerging Technologies annually. Among the key trends in technological change identified in the latest World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Emerging Technologies report are also technological breakthroughs relevant in the energy realm such as grid-scale electricity storage and nanowire lithium-ion batteries.

In general, modern electric power companies face the challenge to integrate intermittent renewable power sources such as the sun and wind into an existing power grid originally designed for base load fossil-fuel power sources and nuclear. Every time a vast supply of electricity is produced – during peak sun hours – and is met with comparatively little demand to consume this sudden spike in electricity supply, power suppliers not only face the problem of finding buyers for this excess electricity but, most importantly, this also elevates the risk of overwhelming a power grid designed on the traditional premise of predictable and flexible base load fossil-fuel power generation. So, any renewable energy integration into the traditional grid complicates supply and demand balances and constitutes transformation towards a more decentralized power generation system. Picture the spread out individual solar PV-based electricity “producers” – often called distributed generation – feeding their excess power into the grid while simultaneously relying on the grid during times of insufficient solar electricity generation.


Source: Wholesale Solar

The following chart illustrates the above situation; namely, that “Integration means Transformation”. This is one of the main findings in the IEA’s new report titled “The Power of Transformation – Wind, Sun and the Economics of Flexible Power Systems” published in February 2014.


Source: IEA

Instead of viewing renewables as forced into the remaining system without adaptation, the entire electricity system should be perceived as being re-optimized. This is where promising grid-scale electricity storage technology comes into play.

The World Economic Forum describes the technology and its intellectual premise as follows:

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http://theenergycollective.com/jared-anderson/353321/technology-emerging-2014-potential-reshape-energy-space

[djean111]

1. Smaller grids?

The problem is, IMO, that fossil fuel energy providers seem to be strictly focused on maintaining and increasing current revenues, and want to be in charge of how newer green technologies are used. To their benefit.
They are trying to change disruptive technology into business as usual.
If they cannot block access to the sun, they will block access to their grid.

[RussBLib]

2. a massive volcanic eruption...

...could block out the sun, rendering solar systems useless. With greatly reduced solar energy, wind power would also be adversely affected.

Seems about the only "safe" energy source is going to be geothermal.