Page 18 - Energize January 2021
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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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