Self-Driving Batteries, Virtual Microgrids, and Other Uber-like Future Energy Models

This new slideshare from Professor Damien Ernst describes microgrids, V2G (Vehicle To Grid), autonomous vehicle energy delivery, and other futuristic models for the electrical industry.  With seemingly daily announcement from car and technology companies, these models are much closer than most people realize.  Professor Ernst, of Université de Liège (ULg), has been kind enough to share this presentation with Microgrid Media.  Read more insightful musings from Professor Ernst here.

Model 1: The Single-User Microgrid

Starting with the most common uber-like model, a microgrid is an electrical system that includes one or multiple loads, as well as one or several distributed energy sources, that are operated in parallel with the broader utility grid.

The single-user microgrid is:

1. Legal.
2. Popularised by PV panels and batteries.
3. Has the possibility to have a microgrid fully disconnected from the utility grid.

Model 2: The multi-user microgrid

1. Regulatory framework may not allow for the creation of multi-user microgrids.
2. Often more cost-efficient than the single-user microgrid (e.g. economy of scale in generation and storage, easier to get higher self-consumption at the multi-user level).

Why microgrids?

1. Financial reasons:
   • Price paid for generating electricity locally is lower than price paid for buying electricity from the utility grid
   • Hedging against high electricity prices.
2. Technical reasons:
   • Microgrids – especially multi-user ones – are a great way for integrating renewables into the grid and developing active network management schemes
   • Security of supply, especially if the microgrids can be operated in an autonomous way.
3. Societal reasons:
   • Local jobs
   • Energy that belongs to the people.

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