Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.
Skip to main content
Home
Add to Briefcase

    Secondary navigation

    • Contact Panasonic
    Add to Briefcase

    Breadcrumb

    • Home
    • Green Living
    • Sustainability & Environment
    • Why Energy Storage Is Proving Even More Disruptive Than Cheap Renewables

    Why Energy Storage Is Proving Even More Disruptive Than Cheap Renewables

    • Contact us
    • Add to Briefcase
      • Twitter
      • Facebook
      • Linkedin
      • Email
     Green Living Woman Stretching

    Why Energy Storage Is Proving Even More Disruptive Than Cheap Renewables

    Jeff McMahon

    Has the tipping point from fossil fuel energy generation to solar + storage arrived? They're saying the digital revolution has finally found its way into the power industry, which would be a total paradigm shift in how we produce and consumer energy. This article from Forbes explores what's happening in this area right now.

    The falling price of renewable energy has been dominating the headlines, but more dramatic change is happening behind the scenes, where battery storage is disrupting the way utilities provide power.

    The change is driven not just by cheap renewables and cheap batteries, but by the electronics that link them together, said Mark Ahlstrom, the president of the non-profit Energy Systems Integration Group.

    “Unlike all the old spinning generators that were electromechanically coupled to the grid, these are using power electronics, computers, state-of-the-art technologies that scale really well, as we’ve seen with other industries,” said Ahlstrom, who also serves as vice president for renewable energy policy at NextEra Energy. “And it really is the digital revolution finally hitting the power industry.

    “We saw it coming a little bit with wind and solar and what we’re really doing with storage is going to push it over the edge in a big way.”

    Before sunrise solar power plants

    In the past, utilities had to “take what they could get” from slow, inflexible fossil-fuel plants, Ahlstrom said. Their primary concern was having enough energy to meet peak demand.

    Now, utilities will have abundant cheap power from renewables. Paired with batteries, that power can be deployed by computer in microseconds to ensure reliability or fulfill other ancillary services.

    “What really surprised me – this is all I work on now – is hybrid projects,” Ahlstrom said at a workshop hosted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. “What happens when you tightly couple storage with solar PV, what you end up with of course is a solid-state computer-controlled power plant. When you really step back and think about this means, we’re really talking about virtual power plants becoming real. It’s very dramatic.”

    “We’re a time of just amazing transition here. We’re going from slow and heavy to fast and light. These new resources can move at lightning speed,” Ahlstrom said. “We’ve always worried about having enough energy. In the future we’re going to have lots of energy and what we’re going to need is flexibility and balancing. The reliability of the grid is dependent on keeping the balance.”

    solar power station

    That reliability will be watchdogged by the resources themselves, networked across the grid:

    “I do think the days of top-down control of how we run our resources is going to be replaced by what we’ve seen in all the other industries that have been digitized in the digital revolution. It’s going to eventually be a much larger population of intelligent agents that are going to cooperate to figure this out,” he said. “It’s a different world, guys.”

    Less than a week after Ahlstrom made these remarks, NextEra announced a new 700 MW renewables+battery hybrid plant – described as America’s largest so far – in Anadarko, Oklahoma, the heart of oil country.

     

    This article was written by Jeff McMahon from Forbes and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.

    Related Posts

    infographic banner for Blog
    Homeowner Insights

    Infographic: 5 Advantages of the Total Home Energy System

    Panasonic’s Total Home Energy System provides decades of energy savings and sustainable living. Our new infographic explains the bigger benefits.
    Learn more
    Torrential Summer Rain Storm Water Overflowing Roof Gutters
    Trends & Technology

    What Happens to Your Home Solar System During a Storm

    Homeowners who have invested in solar panels may find themselves wondering: ‘Will I lose power during a power outage?
    Learn more
    an abstract representation of solving problems using artificial intelligence to increase reliability and reduce losses and accidents during the transmission of electrical energy
    Trends & Technology

    Energy Storage Сould Reduce Emissions that Cause Climate Change

    A look at the importance of energy storage on the renewable ecosystem in terms you can understand.
    Learn more
    Scenery of the shopping street in San Jose
    Trends & Technology

    San Jose Latest California City to Ban Gas in New Homes to Help Cut GHGs

    Another northern California town takes a leap in environmental responsibility, signaling further progress toward emissions-free living in the Golden State.
    Learn more
    with @expeditionxdrone
    Sustainability & Environment

    Green roofs can make cities healthier and happier. Why aren’t they everywhere?

    Imagine a world where all the roofs of all the buildings in all the cities across the world were covered in greenery.
    Learn more
    Big Family Garden Party Celebration, Gathered Together at the Table Family, Friends and Children. People are Drinking, Passing Dishes, Joking and Having Fun. Kids Run Around Table.
    Sustainability & Environment

    Shout It From the Rooftops: Solar Delivers Far More Than Renewable Energy

    The benefits of solar power reach beyond eco-friendliness & saving money.
    Learn more
    Parents piggybacking their young children by a mountain lake
    Trends & Technology

    Why home energy storage is on the rise [Podcast]

    The Go Green Radio podcast, hosted by Jill Buck, recently dove into the details of the popular new technology of home energy storage with a Panasonic expert.
    Learn more
    child hand holding a small seedling on the globe, plant a tree, reduce global warming, World Environment Day
    Homeowner Insights

    6 sustainably cool benefits of home energy storage

    Generating your own electricity and gaining independence from the grid is an exciting thought.
    Learn more
    Green Living Young woman stops driving to relax and enjoy the view
    Trends & Technology

    Battery storage: What you need for off-grid living

    Solar battery storage provides one option for moving toward a fully independent electrical system.
    Learn more
    We Are Small
    Trends & Technology

    4 battery storage trends every homeowner should be tracking

    .
    Learn more
    Green Living - PG&E
    Homeowner Insights

    PG&E power shut-offs: Here's what you need to know

    .
    Learn more
    Power Lines
    Trends & Technology

    California’s shutting off power to prevent fires. Here are some better options.

    .
    Learn more

    Contact Panasonic

     

    Thank you for your submission. A Panasonic representative will contact you.

    • About Us
    • News
    • Careers
    • Investor Relations
    • Corporate Social Responsibility
    • Contact Us
    Get the Latest on Panasonic Trends

    Thanks for signing up!

    Connect with us
    Twitter Facebook Linkedin Instagram Link Youtube
    © 2019 Panasonic Corporation of North America. All Rights Reserved.
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Terms
    • Panasonic Global
    • Consumer
    • Industrial