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Sell micro grids8/7/2023 Many properties in rural villages in Sussex and Kent use heating oil and Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG), which are terrible for both local air quality and carbon emissions more generally.īHESCo are working with a number of village communities in the Sussex and Kent area to develop shared heat networks which can be powered by local renewable energy that is delivered through a local microgrid. Microgrids will make it easier and cheaper to power these electric heat technologies, and will be especially important for rural communities.Īs discussed, the electrification of the UK’s heating is of vital importance if the country is to meet its legally binding Net Zero Emissions targets, and nowhere is this of greater importance than in rural communities that are not connected to the gas grid. Therefore, electricity will become the dominiant power source for our heating requirements, with heat being delivered via electric heaters, air source heat pumps, and ground source heat pumps. There is already a policy in place which mandates that no new building developments can be connected to the gas grid from 2025. Unfortunately, these types of heat sources are damaging to the atmosphere and contribute to climate breakdown.įor this reason, the UK Government is planning to transition away from relying on gas and oil as a heat source and towards electricity. Most buildings in the UK are heated using a gas powered boiler, and some villages in rural Sussex and Kent are still reliant on oil and liquid gas. There are several reasons for this, and one is because we currently rely on fossil fuels for the majority of our heating requirements. To gain maximum effectiveness from a microgrid we will see an increasing use of ‘Big Data’ analysis coupled with weather forecasting to accurately predict times of electricity scarcity and abundance, enabling the microgrid controller to decide when is the right time to use, store, purchase, or sell electricity.Īs we have already discussed, microgrids are typically powered by any combination of solar panels, wind turbines, and hydro-power, all of which are renewable energy sources which do not release any carbon dioxide into our atmosphere.Īll of these energy sources produce electricity, which will play an increasing role in the UK’s energy mix as we progress towards the target of Net Zero emissions. No longer will they simply consume energy, they can produce and trade it through microgrids, leading some industry experts to refer to the emergence of a new kind of actor in the energy market – the ‘prosumer’. These technologies will give consumers more control over the way that they engage with their energy supplier, by giving them access to the energy market. This stored electricity can be used in order to minimise energy costs, or it can be sold to the national grid when electricity demand is higher. Having an electricity storage facility means that energy can be purchased at this low price (by charging the battery) then stored for use at a time when electricity is more expensive (i.e. the supplier pays you to use the excess electricity available on the grid). The assimilation of battery storage technologies within a microgrid performs an essential role in providing a reliable supply of energy as well as providing an opportunity for flexibility and grid balancing services to the national grid.įor example, at lunchtime on a sunny day, when solar electricity is abundant, the cost of energy may be low or even negative (i.e. Microgrids may also be much less vulnerable to cyber or other attacks, while the impact would be marginal instead of national. In the event that power generators in other parts of the country fail, the microgrid can continue providing power to local residents. Making use of locally generated energy also strengthens resilience and improves the reliability of supply. If they are buying energy from a community owned solar or wind farm, profits can be redistributed in the form of a community benefit fund and invested in improving the social fabric of their community, be it supporting vulnerable people or improving community assets that are important to them. Instead of purchasing energy from national suppliers, who must consider profit margins, pay shareholder dividends and network charges, customers can buy energy from within their own community. By having access to locally generated renewable energy, residents and businesses can make significant savings on their energy bills.
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