THE POWER AND POTENTIAL OF MICROGRIDS AND BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE

The key reason to invest in a microgrid and battery energy storage is the high level of independent reliability. By keeping the entire energy system local with surplus energy stored, there is less opportunity for power disruption, losses in the transmission system or indeed a total loss of power.

Incorporating battery energy storage and solar PV (for instance) into a microgrid system allows access to clean, low cost renewable energy – and contributes to reaching net zero.

programme, is also scalable, allowing for more batteries to be added should demand for power increase as the community thrives. Adding more batteries will simply expand the amount of power available at any given time and the repairable nature of the battery bank reduces long term costs and waste.

Interest in microgrids and their uses has steadily risen across the globe – now even more so, thanks to fluctuating energy supply and prices as well as concern over climate change. Microgrids are small scale power systems that can work with the grid or independently (when connected to an alternative energy source such as solar, wind or small hydro). They can be small, powering a single building or much larger (also known as minigrids), meeting the power requirements of entire neighbourhoods or larger commercial buildings such as office blocks, educational campuses, factories and hospitals.

A microgrid needs to include; power generation, storage, distribution and intelligent software to safely guarantee a steady supply of power throughout the day or night. If it is not using the grid for power, it also needs to be able to provide the same critical functions such as restarting itself, the capacity to allow a large draw of power in one surge as well as voltage and frequency regulation so investing in a microgrid is no small undertaking.

When working independently of the grid, battery storage is the cleaner, more efficient and future-proof option, although some microgrids still use diesel powered generators.

As well as improving the reliability of a local energy supply, embedding microgrids into the energy infrastructure also contributes to a wider energy resilience by reducing congestion on the grid and reducing draw down during peak hours.

As the large-scale mass production of microgrid equipment develops, the initial cost outlay should reduce, making microgrid systems a more viable option in future.

We have been working in partnership with Vittoria Technology and Energicity on a scalable microgrid whose purpose is to consistently and reliably deliver power to Kukuna Health Centre in a remote part of Sierra Leone.

In this setting, the uniquely repairable, serviceable and upgradeable battery bank works with solar PV to harness the abundantly available solar energy to power the health centre no matter the time of day or night. This means that the 15,000 patients the clinic serves can be treated safely and consistently; giving birth at night, protecting the vaccine cold chain and enabling medical staff to treat emergency patients 24 hours a day.

The project, which was funded by Innovate UK’s Energy Catalyst www.aceleronenergy.com/ www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/ industry-reports/microgridmarket-100406

The global microgrid market is projected to grow from $8.74bn in 2022 to $23.9bn by 2029 and, as more renewable technologies are integrated, they offer a more controllable, reliable, sustainable and flexible energy supply in a localised setting.

As with all new technology, it is imperative that we design and build products that will have a long and useful life expectancy in order to reduce waste and preserve the Earth’s finite resources. The best way to do this is by embedding the principles of a circular economy into the products used in a microgrid system. Taking batteries as an example, most battery assembly methods involve bonding the cells and other parts using spot welding and strong adhesives. When one part of this type of battery fails, the entire unit goes to waste. However, it is often the case that up to 80% of their cells would still be reusable, but because they are permanently bonded, the useful cells that still have charge, become useless also.

The technology to prevent us from treating batteries as disposable products is there, it just needs to be more widely adopted and, as technology advances, each element of a microgrid should be upgradeable rather than replaceable. Older parts can be repurposed to ensure we get maximum use out of the many materials used in a microgrid before having to recycle or dispose of them.

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