Electricity storage is vital for electric vehicles
Storage: taking renewables to the next level. Storage is the next big thing in the renewable industry economy
D
ecentralised renewables. Electric vehicles. Energy storage. Three fast-moving clean tech sectors. Renewables deployment is one
part of DECC policy, energy storage is in another part of DECC and EVs are in DfT. Government hasn’t joined together these three crucial sectors. We have. We’re bringing together the key players in our new Decentralised Energy Forum, with a dedicated energy storage group headed up by Ray Noble. The Forum will also host the other key workstreams in decentralised energy, such as planning, grid and community engagement. Storage enables the most efficient use of
energy. It is the missing link for smart homes and smarter grids. Ultimately it is crucial for a balanced, secure, low carbon energy system. We’ve already hosted a successful Storage Seminar at Solar Energy UK in October and a meeting for current and prospective members in November. Here is the story that is emerging.
Joining the dots 1. Electricity storage is vital for electric vehicles. Batteries take the place of a fuel tank in an EV. 2. DfT’s strong support for EVs (including
www.r-e-a.net
the £5,000 plug-in grants) is driving investment in the development of cheaper, more efficient batteries, including lithium ion technology. 3. Advances in storage boost the economics of renewable electricity too. Solar installers can offer batteries with their panels, enabling households to store wrong-time electricity and use it when they need it. Wind farms can store wrong-time power and sell when the price is right. Even thermal technologies, including waste and biomass, can store power at times of low demand, avoiding efficiency losses from powering down and powering up again. Storage addresses variability in both supply and demand, making the grid more
resilient and enabling higher penetration of renewables. 4. Increased demand for storage from the renewables sector will drive further investment in improving efficiency and reducing costs – not just in batteries but other technologies too, like compressed air and hydrogen fuel cells. 5. As more renewable electricity comes on- stream, the lower the carbon intensity of the grid and the more we can consider electric vehicles as renewable and low carbon. (Until then, the only truly low carbon, renewable transport solution is sustainable biofuel, which still has a crucial role to play in cars and a lasting role in freight and aviation.) 6. Finally, if transport is going to go electric in a big way, significant new power capacity will be required. This needs to be low carbon to avoid climate change, which again boosts the market for renewable electricity. This is how storage fits in with the growth of the renewable energy economy. Right now, we’re between points 2 and 3. The most exciting part of the story is yet to be written. It won’t write itself. It needs championing. It needs work on developing standards. It needs joined-up thinking from Government. These are some of the issues we will work on. If your business is part of this exciting story,
it’s time to join our Decentralised Energy Forum.
For more information on the challenges and opportunities in energy storage, see the Storage chapter of our Manifesto, produced jointly with the Electricity Storage Network.
bit.ly/1ukszlx
REQ
How renewables, storage and electric vehicles can be mutually beneficial WINTER 2014 | RENEWABLE ENERGY QUARTERLY | REQ 13
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