the design of our electricity grid is out of...
TRANSCRIPT
The design of our electricity grid is out of date
• The grid was designed to optimise fossil fuels, using checks and balances that existed
before the internet and smart technology. It served us well.
• 60 years ago, user demands couldn’t be controlled, only predicted and met; producing a
pattern of peaks and troughs.
• The grid becomes unstable if supply isn’t enough to meet demand or exceeds it. So power
stations or diesel generators are ‘switched on’ to during the peaks and then turned off
again. The peaks and troughs are getting steeper as we electrify transport and heating.
• Balancing supply and demand by adjusting the ‘supply side’ is getting more challenging
because, in contrast to coal or gas, renewable energy has flux and changeability.
If 5% of peak demand was met by
demand side solutions the grid would
be £200 million a year
cheaper to run
In 2015, we paid £90 million
to wind farms not to produce
electricity when the wind blew,
because the surge of power would
be too much to handle
12.7GW of demand-led flexibility
would improve the efficiency of
the system by at least £3 billion a
year
We need to imagine better• But for many it’s hard to imagine an alternative design that
could work differently or better than the current 20th century
design
• Complex ecosystems are beautifully adapted for storing,
using, transforming and delivering renewable energy - 3.8
billion years of evolution in the living systems around us can
inspire an energy system fit for the 21st century.
• What if we applied nature’s design principles to innovating
our energy system so it is locally attuned, dynamic, resource
efficient, self-organising, resilient and adaptable?
What if our energy
system was life-
friendly, rather
than contributing
to problems like
climate change
that threaten
health?
Welcome to The Living GridA growing community of pioneering organisations forming a
new energy system that takes inspiration from nature to deliver,
store and use electricity.
We aim to spark a change in the design of our existing grid to
make it more efficient, resilient and adapted for renewable
energy, using emerging technologies and new ways of working.
To do this, we’re looking to demonstrate how a nature-inspired
approach can work, to show what is possible and inspire a
change in mind-sets.
Clear signals of change…
Smart power – principally built around
three innovations, interconnection,
storage, and demand flexibility –
could save consumers up to £8 billion
a year by 2030, help the UK meet its
2050 carbon targets, and secure the
UK’s energy supply for generations.
National Infrastructure
Commission, March 2016
We are at a moment of real change in the energy industry. From an historic perspective we created energy in big generating organisations that sent power to houses and their businesses. Now we are producing energy in those places - mostly with solar power.
Nicola Shaw, National Grid Executive Director, 2016
Over the next decade, the UK's energy system will see a profound shift towards a more flexible and dynamic system. Consumers - both businesses and households -will become much more engaged in how they use, manage, and even produce energy.
Michelle Hubert CBI Head of Infrastructure, 2016
affordable
affordable
Tailor-made for optimising fossil fuels, the design of
our current grid can’t use energy generated from
renewable sources in an efficient way
For a grid that’s low carbon as well as secure and
afford we need a new design that can optimise
renewable energy
Our grid is linear and centralised It can be flexible and interactive
- +
Our journey so far…Phase 1 – Concept development.
Phase 2 – Collaboration with Open Energi, kick-start the DSR demonstrator and begin wider
communications (soft launch).
Phase 3 – (Now) Further outreach, building a collective vision of our energy
system and explore other parts of The Living Grid. We’re talking to:
• Community energy groups
• Energy managers and corporate users
• System designers
• Built environment experts
• Communication platforms
• Universities and research institutions
• Local Authorities and public agencies
…we want to collaborate and build this together!
What if our energy
system were made
up of dynamic
relationships that
continually self-
organised and are
locally attuned, like
ecosystems in
nature?
We want to:
Accelerate the uptake of diverse technologies by empowering energy users
to ‘push’ for the growth of related markets.
Prove the large scale viability of demand-side management and the
significant role it can play in our energy future.
Challenge accepted wisdoms that tell us demand-side management (and
other technologies) can’t be mainstream, that a grid powered almost entirely by
renewable energy is not a credible possibility.
Galvanise the voice and influence of energy users using a new narrative
that reimagines the design of our grid in ways that work well for everyone.
Peer-to-peer
community
Network of
diverse, internet-
enabled
technologies
Big picture
story for
change
Building The Living GridWe are searching for pioneering individuals and organisations
to build The Living Grid: Design partners, Corporate partners,
Learning partners, Champions and Technology partners
Our key partner, Open Energi, shares The Living Grid’s
conviction that large energy users, acting together, have
the potential to transform our energy system into one
that is more efficient and sustainable.
Open Energi has expressed its commitment by donating
a portion of its proceeds to an Innovation Fund that will
help catalyse a radically new energy ecosystem. We hope
to grow this fund as new partners join the community.
The Living Grid: a growing number of possibilities
Peer-to-peer
communities
and local
markets
Demand-side
response
Storage
and battery
technology
Block
chain
Electrification
of mobility
Community
energy
Integrated
urban
design
Our first demonstration project: DSR
Demand-side management in practice
Applying ‘Intelligent demand response’ technologies
Open Energi – Steven Clarke
First Phase Technology Partner
Open Energi
First Phase Technology Partner
Open Energi
Dumb Energy consumers
usually operate in isolation.
Connected the first phase is
focused on enabling larger
consumers to interact and adjust
their individual use of electricity to
benefit the system as a whole.
Tiny, automated adjustments to
electricity use, without affecting
performance.
Open Energi | Timeline
Open Energi | Portal
Open Energi | Platform Development
Open Energi | Innovation
A new energy economy is emerging in which energy supply and demand
are both dynamic and connected:
Living Network
Dumb Energy consumers usually operate in isolation, their energy demands overlap unnecessarily, causing peaks.
Connected the first phase is focused on enabling larger consumers to interact and adjust their individual use of electricity to benefit the system as a whole.
Tiny, automated adjustments to electricity use, without affecting performance.
United Utilities has implemented intelligent demand response
technology at 10 of its larger wastewater treatment plants
By 2020, it will:
- free up to 20MW of power capacity for National Grid,
- saving the UK 45,520 tonnes of carbon per year AND
- further increase its revenues: currently £200K a year.
“Energy is one of our biggest costs and it’s vital that we get smarter at how
we use it. In supporting the Living Grid we’re proud to show the huge scope
for the water industry to use electricity in a more flexible way – meaning
sustainable lower bills for our customers and a move towards a lower carbon
economy.”
Jonathan Dobson, United Utilities
United Utilities has implemented intelligent demand response
technology at 10 of its larger wastewater treatment plants
By 2020, it will:
- free up to 20MW of power capacity for National Grid,
- saving the UK 45,520 tonnes of carbon per year AND
- return >£5m cash to UU.
“Energy is one of our biggest costs and it’s vital that we get smarter at how
we use it. In supporting the Living Grid we’re proud to show the huge scope
for the water industry to use electricity in a more flexible way – meaning
sustainable lower bills for our customers and a move towards a lower carbon
economy.”
Jonathan Dobson, United Utilities
Aggregate Industries has fitted intelligent demand response
technology to 40 of its bitumen tanks on its asphalt plants.
• Bitumen tanks are ideal for Dynamic Demand because their
consumption of electricity is not time critical
• Equates to 11,380 tonnes of carbon savings for the UK per year
• Also identified significant energy savings in the region of
350,000kWh per year
Recently begun equipping pumps at quarry sites
“Through our partnership with the Living Grid network, we’ll share our
experience of this emerging technology and encourage others to take up the
opportunity too, to create a positive change in the energy system.”
Donna Hunt, Head of Sustainability
Time for you to explore further
Carousel exercise:
2 groups, 20mins, swap
1.Deeper dive into The Living Grid as a way to reimagine our energy system
…with Heidi in breakfast room
2.Deeper dive into DSR and OE proposition
…with Steven in this room
Final reflections and how to get involved
Key themes and reflections on what you’ve heard this morning
• The energy system is already in transition, rapidly changing environment
• New technologies and more receptive policy makers
• There are opportunities to engage and support new ways of working
• We need to demonstrate art of the possible
How to engage with The Living Grid:
• Think about the roles we’ve mentioned, are there others?
• Get in touch with us
• We welcome further feedback once you’ve had more time to absorb, or talk to others in your
organisation
www.livinggrid.net
#livinggrid
@Forum4theFuture
@openenergi
@heidihauf
@martinhunt