Intelligent energy: how smart districts could change the world
Departments Our partners Power and Energy Networks Research impact and institutes 14th September 2017
“HAL: I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do.”
Thankfully, we’re a little way off from having computers like HAL 9000 of 2001: A Space Odyssey in our houses, but our homes are becoming smarter. The realm of smart technology is no longer occupied by just our computers and phones; we’re now demanding additional functionality from our refrigerators and thermostats, lights and radios – even our toothbrushes.
So what next? With our reliance on technology increasing and a growing number of ‘must-have’ appliances coming into our homes, and with our demand for energy to power them also rising, it makes sense to make that energy smart too. But how do we do that? Smart districts, it seems, may hold the answer.
What is a smart district?
Smart districts are energy networks with an IQ. They have ICT (information communication technology) embedded throughout, running from distributor to supplier to end user. The embedded ICT allows smart districts to manage themselves reactively and proactively so that energy is evenly metered out. Added flexibility in the network helps manage not only surges and high demand periods, but also more unpredictable sources of energy, such as renewables. So even when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun (inevitably) doesn’t shine, energy is still produced.
Smart districts and energy
Smart districts take a new approach to energy supply; one of “connect and manage” rather than “build and connect” (as is the case at the moment). To achieve this, networks are decentralised and split into local districts, where energy is generated closer to where it is needed. This is aided by ‘prosumers’ – consumers who are able to add to the network through their own means of power generation, such as the solar panels on their roof or wind turbines in their gardens. Combine this with localised storage (think – a battery for your town) and these smart districts become even more flexible.
Local generation and storage allows more flexibility in managing demand at peak times, and reduces the distance energy has to travel and, indeed, the amount of energy that is produced.
What does a smart district mean for the consumer?
Put simply, smart districts will bring in greener, more reliable and more manageable energy. They will allow for greater visibility of the energy that we use and should make energy more affordable. But achieving this relies on uptake by consumers. After all, they drive the market.
“There are many facets to this challenge of implementing smart districts, which we are only just starting to address. Much more work is needed from current and future researchers, but also anyone who uses energy needs to start to change their usage habits, so please, get involved!” – Dr Eduardo Alejandro (Alex) Martínez-Ceseña
Implementation of smart districts will change the way we use energy and will see the market take a more transactive approach to energy. This will allow for greater freedom in how energy is used, and by what appliances. Being flexible with how you consume your energy (say, not drawing from the network during peak times) will not only help to manage the load on the network, but can also help to reduce energy bills. Within smart districts, distributors and suppliers may well take a more time-orientated approach to charging by imposing higher rates at peak times and lower rates at other times (much like peak and off-peak train tickets).
This also means that any downtime in the network due to faults or failures is minimised, and service disruptions are reduced through the ability to direct and reroute energy. This active management is especially helpful if more of our energy is coming from renewable sources, which don’t deliver consistent supplies.
Users can also take advantage of the two-way nature of smart districts to supply energy to the network from their own solar panels or wind turbines. This is likely to not only bring a financial benefit to the consumer (as it does now), but will also help to boost the capacity of the network.
What needs to happen next?
All of this sounds great, but it’s no mean feat overhauling an infrastructure that we have relied on for decades. It’s not, unfortunately, as simple as hooking up some computers to control the system. Before smart districts can become the norm there needs to be an incentive for change; without legislation from the government and customer buy-in, there is little reason for distributors to make these expensive changes to the energy networks, and therefore little reason for consumers to adopt the new technologies.
“Smart districts can be an important tool to reduce local energy costs, whilst also providing much needed flexibility to the wider energy system. However, the shift from a centralised to decentralised energy system, and from consideration of individual energy vectors to an integrated, multi-energy system, presents a significant challenge.” – Dr Nicholas Good
We all need to take a look at how we consume our energy and start to make the small changes – both in our homes and in how we live – that will kick-start the bigger changes. Once the snowball starts to roll down the hill, it will quickly gather momentum. Until then, we all need to give it a little push.
Words – Enna Bartlett | Image – JCT 600 via Flickr
