How to slay a dragon with software?
Energy management and optimization systems are allowing utilities to better respond to the challenges they are facing due to higher mix of renewable in the generation mix, while creating compelling incentives for homeowners and business owners.
Ducks. Solar energy is intermittent, meaning solar inverters produce energy when the sun is shining, typically in the middle of the day. Consumption in residential settings usually peaks in the morning and during the evening. The result — a quick decline in the net load presented to the grid around 7am, and an even quicker ramp-up around 4pm. This change pattern represents a potential instability to the grid control mechanisms, and it exacerbates the higher is the availability of solar in the generation mix. If you try hard, you can imagine this gap takes the form of a duck. In case you can’t — see the great illustration by Synergy.
Dragons. EV charging is expected to add 25–50% to the total consumption the grid needs to support. And this consumption adder does not distribute uniformly, since at-home and at-work charging represent natural peaks in the evening and during the morning hours. See the great illustrations by the California Energy Commission. Fast charging represents a pulsating consumption pattern. This pattern takes the form of the back of a dragon. Not surprisingly, the consumption demand associated with EV charging worsens the imbalance the grid is facing. That means, if nothing is done to close this gap.
Software. You don’t have to charge an EV the moment it’s plugged into the socket. In fact, as long as the vehicle is sufficiently charged when the driver needs to leave, that’s an acceptable result. Energy management systems (like our own #SolarEdgeONE and through our investment in Wevo Energy) manage this gap by optimizing the charging pattern during the day and during the night. Considering also the ability to dispatch available storage resources through Virtual Power Plants (VPPs), the grid stabilization potential is significant, which comes hand in hand with minimizing the energy bill in the presence of Time of Use (ToU) tariffs.
At SolarEdge Technologies we are harnessing #ThePowerOfONE to foster grid stability.
