Post - Blog
How to keep demand and supply in balance through the energy transition
- 2 months ago (2024-02-16)
- Junior Isles
By Steven Hardman , CEO, Conrad Energy
All Energy 2024
Renewable sources of energy already account for a significant share of the energy mix and, as the energy transition gathers pace, the percentage of energy generated by renewable sources is set to continue growing. The International Energy Agency predicts that 42% of global electricity generation will be accounted for by renewable sources by 2028.
However, whilst the increasing volume of energy generated by renewable sources represents welcome progress towards the UK’s, and indeed the world’s, net zero goals, it is important that businesses, the public and policymakers alike take into account the challenges posed by renewables as well as the benefits on offer. One of the most significant challenges posed by connecting more renewable energy to the grid is intermittency.
The problem is two-fold. Solar panels and wind turbines depend on specific weather conditions to generate power. As a result, when the wind doesn’t ‘play ball’, a gap can emerge between the amount of energy that electricity grids need to meet demand and the amount that is being produced. This intermittency problem is already impacting electricity grids and is set to become a larger issue as the share of energy generated by renewables increases. The nature of renewable production also means that when the sun shines particularly brightly or the wind is blowing a gale, electricity production can surge past demand, threatening the stability of electrical infrastructure.
Addressing the problems posed by intermittency is essential – the alternative is that as the energy transition gathers pace there will be no guarantee that grids will always be able to supply the electricity needed to meet demand.
Tackling the intermittency challenge
Part of the reason that intermittency poses such a challenge is that addressing it requires a multifaceted approach. After all, an excess of energy generation needs to be tackled in a different way to a lack of power generation. Which is why a flexible approach, drawing on a range of different technologies, though still guided by an overarching strategy, is needed.
Gas engines, for example, may not seem like an obvious ally to renewable energy sources and larger engines perhaps wouldn’t be. But small gas engines are highly efficient, lower-carbon, and can be switched on and off rapidly. When combined with the latest innovations in AI and automation, such engines can be used to respond rapidly to local shortfalls, and then switched off when renewable sources are ready to be brought back online.
Batteries are also vital – a fact reflected by the sharp growth in the number of grid-scale batteries being produced in recent years. The reason batteries are so important is that they offer a partial solution to both sides of the intermittency challenge. They can be used to store the excess energy that is generated by renewable sources in ideal conditions, releasing it subsequently to help fill the gap created when conditions are adverse.
Further, batteries allow for quick responses, either charging or releasing energy, to ensure the stability and frequency of the grid are maintained. Maintaining frequency is particularly important to help protect sensitive electronic equipment which can be damaged by deviations away from standard frequency.
Hybrid renewable energy developments which may, for example, make use of both wind and solar resources, can also help to provide stability and consistency, whilst demand response programmes are another useful tool at our disposal. Such programmes help to balance electricity grids by adjusting consumption patterns against real-time energy availability.
Encouragingly, in the UK, the National Grid has run such a programme over the last two winters, whilst the EU approved an action plan in October 2022 which included establishing requirements and procedures to help facilitate demand response programmes. South Korea, meanwhile, launched a pilot Auto Demand Response programme in December 2022.
The future?
The starting point for any discussion about the future must be that the share of energy generated by renewables will only continue to grow. Net zero targets may have been weakened or pushed back to new dates by some governments, but that does not fundamentally alter the direction of travel. The energy industry is clearly well aware of this, with investment flooding into research and development.
The result of this has been rapid advances in the available technology. For example, smart grids – which use digital technologies, sensors and software to better match supply with demand – can be utilised alongside advanced forecasting methods to predict renewable energy output far more accurately than was possible in the past. This in turn makes it possible for grid operators to plan and manage resources, allowing them to meet the varying electricity demands of end users more effectively and efficiently.
However, private investment into new technologies will need to be accompanied by grid modernisation, government subsidies and the establishment of supportive regulatory frameworks that encourage investments in grid infrastructure. Upgrading in infrastructure will have the additional benefit of improving the resilience of the grid, making it easier to incorporate advanced technologies and helping to ensure reliable power delivery.
Crucially, policymakers and businesses will also need to be made aware of the challenge. Understandably, given the focus on the energy transition and achieving net zero targets by 2050, renewable sources are often viewed as a cure-all. In the future, technological advances might make renewables just that, but in the here-and-now, the problems caused by intermittency poses a serious challenge to the energy industry.
Fortunately, whilst the technologies behind renewable energy continue to develop, small gas engines and battery storage, in addition to new technologies and programmes, offer short-term solutions to ensure that the lights stay on whether the wind is howling across a cloudless sky or it is a dunkelflaute type of day.