We’ve all heard of “The Cloud”. It has been the buzz word in IT circles for years. Run your applications in The Cloud… Store your data in The Cloud…sign up for your own iCloud account…. Cloud computing was just an idea not long ago and now it is the new norm.
Recently, Mark Preston, Amlin Aguri team principal blogged about another type of cloud. While “Cloud” may be yesterday’s term, Preston’s “Energy Cloud” is definitely tomorrow’s revolutionary reality. Confused yet? Perhaps intrigued?
Here is what Preston had to say about building the “Energy Cloud”,
“The future I see is for energy companies to become energy carriers… Fuel, batteries, hydrogen; they are all just carriers of energy… The energy is just stored in a number of different forms. When software is based in the cloud, individual upgrades in server speeds or software tweaks see all users on the system benefiting immediately…”
“I think the same could be true of our electrical grid. Today we have coal fired PowerStations, but as soon as one of them is upgraded the whole system would be simultaneously. The concept is the ‘Energy Cloud,’ as some people are beginning to call it. As more renewables come online, this energy cloud is naturally and automatically upgraded. When more energy carriers connect to the smart grid, and electric cars plug in, the intermittent nature of some renewables is dealt with automatically by the Smart Energy Cloud.”
He Continues,
“After the race they would be used for legacy projects; emergency power backup systems for hospital and schools. Cars need only be one part of the modal mix. The design will have longevity. I see Formula E providing a showcase for technology to encourage early adoption of new ideas by making the technology cool and relevant… Routes to market can take different paths. Formula E will develop technologies to push overall electrification of the transport industry.”
“Formula E is developing battery charging, packaging and programming of usage patterns. We are set to really showcase what a cool and interesting thing electrification of vehicles is.”
The real beauty of this concept is its application to real world situations. Electric vehicles will take more market share and technology will be developed to introduce innovative sustainable energy sources. This idea of the energy cloud is more than a buzz phrase, like cloud computing, it will become the new norm. It would be great if Formula E is seen as one of the pioneers of this idea with the technology transfer to the consumer market.
Image: MarkAndrewPreston.com
story Ernie Black