TOWARDS A SMART ELECTRIC FUTURE
Change is happening, and it’s happening fast. We are beginning a transition to an electrified future, where transport demand, as well as loads in buildings, is met by decentralised renewable energy. With much of the renewable generation being intermittent in production, battery storage is going to be an essential part of future electricity systems and the buildings connected to them. We envisage a future where individuals and businesses will be using, generating and storing their own electricity; buying and selling from each other to manage demands on the grid collectively through smart grid technology.
The key technologies to make this happen – electric vehicles, solar panels and battery storage – already exist and are reducing in cost dramatically. Newer concepts such as vehicle-to-grid, time-of-use electricity tariffs, peer-to-peer trading of electricity and local electricity markets are also close to a breakthrough.
Put all this together, and storage offers households and businesses a great opportunity. A solar panel battery system makes you more self-sufficient, helps speed the transition to renewables, and can reward you for helping to manage the UK electricity system.
