Grid Digitalization and Sustainable Electricity

Join the Centre for Urban Energy for a lecture with Professor Hoay Beng Gooi from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Please contact Karen Ho-Cespedes by September 30th to register. Availability is limited.

Grid digitalization refers to the integration of ICT and data analytic technologies into the power grid to enhance its efficiency, reliability, security, electricity affordability and sustainability while enabling new services, skills, and customer empowerment. However, it poses significant challenges, such as data privacy, cybersecurity, interoperability, regulation, governance, and social acceptance.

Sustainable electricity sources like solar, wind, hydropower, and geothermal energy help lower greenhouse gas emissions, mitigating climate change and reducing air pollution. Cleaner energy sources lead to better air quality, which can reduce health problems and create a better liveable environment. They can meet our current energy needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.

Since the Paris Agreement of Climate Change has become a global attention, there has been an increasing number of renewable energy deployments in countries to meet their carbon emission targets. The penetration of renewable energy causes voltage and frequency instability, which leads to poor power quality. To enable more penetration of renewable energy into the grid while maintaining grid stability, a balancing mechanism via fast-acting power components such as energy storage systems (ESSs) needs to be in place. ESSs can absorb the excess generation and produce the generation shortfall quickly and can help to maintain stability at an acceptable level.

Meanwhile, the liberalization of the electricity supply industry benefits both large business and small household consumers. Consumers are given more choices through competitive pricing and innovative offers such as electricity plans bundled with value added products or services. Environmentally conscious consumers can now opt for plans with solar/wind power.

A rapid growth in deployment of renewable-based distribution generators in residential buildings converts residential consumers into prosumers. Energy sharing among neighboring prosumers has already been introduced in the modern prosumer dominated microgrids. The surplus energy of prosumers can be shared with their neighbors and/or sold to the upstream grid. Conversely, energy shortage can be sought from the neighbors and/or bought from the upstream grid. The concept of local energy sharing, trading, and management cannot be applied without a proper platform that can facilitate information exchange among peers and assist in monitoring and controlling the distribution network. Smart energy management services and decision support tools are required to enable the prosumers to make sound transaction decisions while negotiating with other actors/peers in the distribution energy market. The same platform can facilitate EV charging and participation of demand response management.

 Guest Speaker