Bringing Business and Societal Impact Together in an Evolving Energy Sector

Source at http://www.jocet.org/. As the challenges associated with sustainability, urbanization, life quality and demography become more imminent, companies are adapting to the changing requirements by means of revised strategic approaches. Thus, enterprises are increasingly deviating from the traditionally absolute priority of maximizing total return for shareholders. While this priority is still important, businesses are also looking at the total societal impact (TSI), which represents a collection of measures and assessments that incorporate the economic, social and environmental impacts of their products and services [1]. This paper focuses on the compound influence that TSI may have within the energy domain. In particular, the business opportunities resulting from the Horizon 2020 funded project INVADE are being discussed but seen from the perspective of a socially responsible corporate strategy. Referring to discussions, analyses and undertaken initiatives this paper concludes that business models which incorporate environmentally friendly, local and social and fair energy are capable of accelerating business growth for the concerned companies

A systemic approach to investigate the gaps between distribution system operators need and technology developers’ perception—A case study of an intelligent low-voltage grid management system with storage

The purpose of the paper is to introduce a new bi-directional approach to assess the gapbetween the customer needs and technology developers’ perception on the value propositions ofinnovations which includes storages. The paper used two methods; the first comprehensive senseand respond analysis investigated technology developers’ perceptions using the value propositionsdefined under the EU-funded H2020 RESOLVD project. The second method focused on customersand collected a survey which covered challenges, value propositions and preparedness to adopt newtechnology. The H2020 RESOLVD project has developed an intelligent low-voltage grid managementsystem with storage. The results from the sense and respond analysis showed that most of thevalue propositions aligned with the responses from the broader survey which are needed within fiveyears (e.g., improved power quality of grid, fault detection, reduced technical loss). However, thecybersecurity perception differed between developers and distribution system operators (DSOs). Thecustomer survey highlighted that certain value propositions of technological solutions are neededmore urgently than others, and therefore, technology developers should prioritize these in furtherdevelopments. Regarding the use of flexibility to manage the LV grid, unclear regulations wereexpressed as a key barrier, thereby affecting business feasibility around battery storage.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Demand response potential of electrical space heating in Swedish single-family dwellings

This paper investigates the potential and economics of electrical space heating in Swedish single-family dwellings (SFDs) to provide Demand Response (DR) for the electricity load in Sweden.A dynamic and detailed building-stock model, is used to calculate the net energy demand by end-use of a set of sample buildings taken as representative of all Swedish SFDs with electrical heating. A new sub-model optimizes the dispatch of heating systems on an hourly basis, for each representative building, minimizing the cost of electricity purchased from the hourly spot market.The analysis of the Swedish SFD buildings indicates a technical DR capacity potential of 7.3 GW, which is considerable and can be used for the management of intermittent electricity generation. This potential could also prove to be valuable in the operating reserve market. However, this requires that the DR, rather than being governed by a single hourly electricity price signal, would instead be subject to a more centralized control. The modeling shows that DR can be expected to result in up to 5.5 GW of decreased load and 4.4 GW of increased load, if applying current Swedish electricity prices. The modeling shows that DR shifts up to 1.46 TWh of electric heating, corresponding to 1% of total Swedish electricity demand. The potential savings from DR for individual SFDs is found to be low, 0.9–330 €/year, given current Swedish electricity prices

Developing novel technologies and services for intelligent low voltage electricity grids: cost–benefit analysis and policy implications

The paper presents a set of prototype smart grid technologies and services and validates the economic viability of the proposed solution using cost–benefit analysis (CBA). The study considered the EU-funded project called RESOLVD and implemented the technologies and services in a real-life pilot. the technologies and services on the EU-funded H2020. The paper focuses on the analysis of technological solutions which enhance the operational efficiency and the hosting capacity of low-voltage electricity distribution grids. The solutions provided better integration of a hybrid battery storage system, with the grid interfacing power electronics, smart gateways for the interconnection of assets at the grid edge, and sensors enhancing infrastructure observability and control. The result from the CBA indicates the economic viability of the project, high scalability, and replicability. The economic benefits were realized with the breakeven value of eight secondary substations (SS) and 16 feeders. The scenario test on the DSO’s willingness to pay for the software as a service (SaaS) revealed that the payback period can further be reduced by almost half with a higher internal rate of return (IRR) and net present value (NPV). Both the CBA and scenario tests showed RESOLVD solution can become more economically viable when deployed in largescale. Moreover, the CBA results provide evidence to the energy policy by allowing DSOs to consider both CAPEX and OPEX for better investment decisions. Further, the paper proposes an alternative business approach that shifts from grid reinforcement to service provision. The paper also discusses the research implications on energy policy and business.Peer ReviewedObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i InfraestructuraObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats SosteniblesPostprint (published version

Demand response potential of electrical space heating in Swedish single-family dwellings

\u3cp\u3eThis paper investigates the potential and economics of electrical space heating in Swedish single-family dwellings (SFDs) to provide Demand Response (DR) for the electricity load in Sweden. A dynamic and detailed building-stock model, is used to calculate the net energy demand by end-use of a set of sample buildings taken as representative of all Swedish SFDs with electrical heating. A new sub-model optimizes the dispatch of heating systems on an hourly basis, for each representative building, minimizing the cost of electricity purchased from the hourly spot market. The analysis of the Swedish SFD buildings indicates a technical DR capacity potential of 7.3 GW, which is considerable and can be used for the management of intermittent electricity generation. This potential could also prove to be valuable in the operating reserve market. However, this requires that the DR, rather than being governed by a single hourly electricity price signal, would instead be subject to a more centralized control. The modeling shows that DR can be expected to result in up to 5.5 GW of decreased load and 4.4 GW of increased load, if applying current Swedish electricity prices. The modeling shows that DR shifts up to 1.46 TWh of electric heating, corresponding to 1% of total Swedish electricity demand. The potential savings from DR for individual SFDs is found to be low, 0.9-330 €/year, given current Swedish electricity prices.\u3c/p\u3

Investment planning in multi-vector energy systems: definition of key performance indicators

With the rising focus on integrating high shares of renewable energy into energy supply systems, the need to meet the viability of these renewable sources becomes pressing. Apart from storing electricity in electrochemical storage units, the concept of sector coupling could promise to provide the needed flexibility and storage capacities. A strong metric is needed to determine the viability and economic feasibility of different sector-coupled energy systems. This conference study presents an empirical method to develop a list of key performance indicators (KPIs), as a direct adaption of the KPI of the energy system with a single energy vector is not always possible. The list was developed based on a stakeholder workshop within the H2020 research project E-Land. The authors proposed the introduction of three new indicators for the evaluation of sector-coupled energy systems, namely degree of autonomy, levelised cost of energy and degree of sector coupling. A sector-coupled case study is evaluated to validate the performance of such new indicators while proving their utility to better assist decision-making.Peer ReviewedObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::7 - Energia Assequible i No Contaminant::7.2 - Per a 2030, augmentar substancialment el percentatge d’energia renovable en el con­junt de fonts d’energiaObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::7 - Energia Assequible i No ContaminantObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::7 - Energia Assequible i No Contaminant::7.a - Per a 2030, augmentar la cooperació internacional per tal de facilitar l’accés a la investigació i a les tecnolo­gies energètiques no contaminants, incloses les fonts d’energia renovables, l’eficiència energètica i les tecnologies de combustibles fòssils avançades i menys contaminants, i promoure la inversió en infraestructures energètiques i tecnologies d’energia no contaminantObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::7 - Energia Assequible i No Contaminant::7.1 - Per a 2030, garantir l’accés universal a serveis d’energia assequibles, confiables i modernsPostprint (published version

RESOLVD: ICT services and energy storage for increasing renewable hosting capacity in LV distribution grids

© 2020 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other worksThis article presents the H2020 project RESOLVD (Renewable Penetration Levered by Efficient Low Voltage Distribution Grids). The purpose of this project is to improve the efficiency of distribution networks at the same time while increasing the hosting capacity of distributed renewable generation by introducing flexibility by storage management and control in the low voltage grid. This paper collects the most significant insights from the RESOLVD project by summarizing the needs and expectations of the involved stakeholders to give a complete understanding of the context of the project. Subsequently, the RESOLVD technology is presented, both the software as well as the hardware solutions. Next, the existing and upcoming regulation initiatives are presented and analyzed. Finally, the conclusions of the project and recommendations to standardizing and regulatory bodies are provided.Postprint (author's final draft