energy mix in terms of fossil-fuels for electricity production, ushering in an era of localised microgrids of electricity / energy independence with drastically reduced emission levels.
Consumers and many businesses stand to benefit greatly from advances in battery energy storage technologies, whether they are used to power mobile internet devices, vehicles or entire households.
Electric and Hybrid Vehicles
Based on an expected doubling of lithium-ion battery capacity in the next decade, electricpowered vehicles( EVs) are expected to become cost competitive with petrol-engine vehicles by 2025 on a total cost of ownership basis [ Ref. 5 ].
Car manufacturers are investing heavily in developing both hybrid and pure electric models to help meet tightening emissions standards. Towns and cities want to impose restrictions on conventional cars to reduce pollution; and in the long term, some European countries, including the UK and France, want to ban them altogether by 2040.
In July 2017, the UK Government announced that it would ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040 onwards in order to cut carbon emissions by 80 % by 2050 from the 1990 levels in tandem with phasing out remaining coalfired power plants by 2025. According to expert estimates, the numbers of EVs could balloon to 20 million by 2040 from around 90,000 today, although some conventional cars will remain on the road. Thus, charging them all will require additional electricity from the UK power grid and would add around 5 % to the annual energy demand. This is where“ smart charging” will be deployed.
Smart charging facilities / systems will allow EVs to draw power from the grid only when it is readily available, avoiding peak periods, while ensuring that they are fully charged when their owners need them. Electricity utility companies will offer different tariffs at different times of day( timeof-use, ToU tariff), so that it will be worthwhile financially to subscribe to smart charging, as it could be a useful tool for managing demand when EVs are parked for hours at a time, either at home or at the workplace.
Implications One major hurdle for EV adoption in many countries, including Malaysia in the medium / long-term, is the need to develop adequate infrastructure in the form of recharging stations. In this context, Governments, deep-pocketed car makers and electricity utilities should be primarily responsible for building EV charging infrastructure in order to facilitate electric and hybrid vehicle adoption. This can be realised through effective incentive-based regulations considering the impact of retail petrol fuel pricing on future adoption of EVs and carefully weighing the trade-offs.
Going a step further, the smart charging system can be further developed and configured to deliver electricity to the grid- Vehicle to Grid or V2G System- which is currently being tested at a few trial hubs in Europe and Asia( Japan / Korea / China). Basically, EVs are in effect, energy storage devices on wheels, and because they spend much of their time parked up not doing anything they can help smooth out the peaks and troughs in electricity demand. The V2G system uses software to regulate the charging level of multiple EVs parked at a smart charging facility. When the grid needs extra power, it can draw very small amounts from each individual EV. During off-peak periods, the grid can re-charge these vehicles again and these EV users will get paid for the electricity they provide. The V2G system technology has the potential to be embedded in the Smart Grid infrastructure, especially at the micro-grid distribution / consumer end.
SMART GRID
A Smart Grid is an infrastructure comprising electricity generation, delivery( transmission & distribution) and a consumer network which incorporates information and communications technology and automation technology to minimise environmental impacts, enhance markets, improve reliability and service, reduce costs and improve efficiency. It is in this context that the Smart Grid is considered disruptive. It empowers customers to engage directly with operators and stakeholders / asset owners in electricity markets leading to a more sustainable electricity supply industry and greener economy.
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