In a suburban cul-de-sac there’s no movement except a hungry fox scavenging for bin snacks. At number 16, electrons begin to flow silently through a cable into the battery of an electric car. Upstairs, the occupants remain undisturbed.
While the household sleeps, its energy supplier sends a signal that demand is low and cheaper energy is available, automatically prompting the electric car to begin charging. But the setup doesn’t just benefit the family at number 16. By doing their bit to smooth electricity demand, they are helping the grid balance supply and demand, making it more resilient to power cuts, reducing carbon emissions and helping to keep their neighbours’ bills down too.
Most of us take for granted that the lights will come on when we flick the switch, but ensuring the grid always has the right amount of generation capacity to meet fluctuating demand is a constant conundrum. That will become more challenging for grid operators as demand for electricity increases and sources of power become more varied. Building more capacity to generate electricity might seem the obvious answer, but new research suggests another option—that changing the collective behaviour of ordinary consumers can make a huge difference.
The problem stems from matching demand and supply. Typically, there is far higher demand in the evenings, as people come home from work, turn on lights, boil kettles and power up computers, monitors, kitchen appliances and so on (see graphic). The UK has a variety of sources for meeting this demand.
Renewable electricity generation is an increasing part of the mix and cheaper than power from gas power stations, which currently accounts for around a quarter of the energy generated in the UK. It also has a lower carbon footprint and contributes to energy security. But the power output is intermittent, which can put pressure on the grid when demand is at its highest.
To balance these demand and supply fluctuations, the grid needs capacity that can be called on at short notice. Existing flexible assets include gas-fired generators called peaker plants, grid-scale batteries and pumped hydro. But the gap is set to grow.
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