Page 18 - Energize January 2021

NEWS

Renewables, energy storage and the

future of smart cities

by Seydou Kane, Eaton Africa

mart cities’ are no longer WHAT’S NEXT
considered to be just a buzzword; Though renewable energy is the way of the
‘Sthey are a topic of constant future, there are still some concerns about
conversation, and they’ve already come to how this will all be feasible – especially as
fruition across the globe. From our cities continue to get bigger, smarter, and
Singapore to San Francisco, more demanding. This uncertainty has led
organisations, government officials and many industry leaders to start asking valid,
city planners have made incredible but tough, questions. For example, as
efforts to support the development of renewable energy from wind and solar is
intelligent communities. weather dependent, will we be able to be
According to a recent report by IHS permanently independent of coal, oil, and
Technology, there will be at least 88 smart natural gas? And with the shift to electric
cities all over the world by 2025, up from cars, will our energy system be able to
21 in 2013. While the majority of these are handle the increased demand on the grid?
likely to be in Asia, Europe is expected to The answer? While clean energy
be home to more than thirty. technologies are evolving tenfold, much more
With smart cities and the general flexibility will be necessary for these energy
Seydou Kane
population on the rise, one of the major sources to provide the reliability we require.
issues facing industry leaders today is This includes investing in interconnected
how to power these intra­connected cities effectively and systems, having ample control over when and how we use
efficiently. As a result, many global leaders have publicly asked energy, and most importantly ­ safe, reliable, and efficient
for a suitable and sustainable answer – one that would energy storage.
support critical infrastructure yet not add to the global
emissions challenge. BUSINESS BENEFIT FOR ENERGY STORAGE
While joblessness and migration from rural poverty to Today’s energy storage solutions provide business owners
anticipated urban wealth has led to rapid urbanisation in South with the unique opportunity to not only invest in renewable
Africa and elsewhere in sub­Saharan Africa, putting pressure on energy projects, but to also benefit from their excess. The
limited resources, designing smart cities – or even including surplus energy that is generated from renewable sources,
elements of smart cities in existing metropolises, may help such as solar or wind, is stored and used later when they are
communities leapfrog obstacles that would impede more no longer generating energy – further eliminating emissions
complex locations. from imported electricity. This excess energy can also then be
The increasing need for such a solution, coupled with the sold back to the grid, giving business the chance to improve
dropping costs of renewable technologies, has made the transition on their own return on investment, while lowering overall
to a fossil fuel free environment more likely than ever before. In energy costs.
the last year alone, global renewable energy investment has Investing in battery storage projects like Eaton’s microgrid
increased to the point where it’s now surpassing investment in also enables businesses to ensure reliable power continuity
fossil fuels, according to a recent UN report. during grid outages ­ especially during peak times. This is
From wind to solar, nations all over the globe are taking particularly interesting for financial investors, as many see this
advantage of this shift to create innovative and energy efficient as a way to play on the grid service markets.
solutions from natural power. In Saudi Arabia, a US$200­billion There is no doubt that smart cities are the future – and
solar power development has just been signed off, potentially many would even argue they are our present. But given their
tripling the country’s electricity generation capacity. environmental impact, and their ability to put vast amounts of
Over in China ­ one of the most highly populated countries in pressure on the grid, the way that they’re currently set up is
the world – the Jiuquan Wind Power Base, also called Gansu Wind simply unsustainable.
Farm Project, was recently approved by the government. The The need for renewable energy sources has come to a head,
windfarm, which is currently installing capacity of more than and while many nations are taking the right steps forward,
6,000 MW, is projected to grow to a total of 10 000 MW, solidifying more needs to be done. A strong, efficient, and sustainable
China’s ambition to be a global leader in renewable energy. future depends on the creation of smart technologies to provide
South Africa is home to eight of the ten largest solar plants in flexibility – and energy storage is just the first step. Because
Africa, including the 175 MW Solar Capital De Aar Project, the 100 without sustainability, the smart cities we envision are likely to
MW KaXu Solar One project (South Africa’s first commercially remain closer to fiction than reality. n
operated thermal electric power plant), and the 100 MW Ilanga­1
CSP Plant, among others. For more information visit www.eaton.com

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