5 Smart energy management solutions unblock grid congestion for companies facing the real threat to expanding manufacturing capacity and new building projects.
Companies looking to expand or establish new building sites are increasingly facing the hard reality of grid congestion. Most national power grids are not designed to meet today’s energy demand and feed-in. This hamstrings demand for new build.
The impact of the upward trend of the feed-in of renewable energy into the power grid is comparable to unplanned new roads on a mobility network. The energy transition is a noble move, however it puts further strain on over-taxed national power grids. Spurred by the move towards sustainability in recent years businesses and households in the EU are moving away from gas and are often opting more often for energy solutions such as heat pumps, solar panels and electric vehicles.
5 ways to overcome Grid Congestion
The most obvious solution is grid reinforcement, however catch up can take from five years over a decade. These lead times are not reasonable in the light of the fast-pace of the energy transition.
What are the realistic alternatives to inevitable project delays and even cancellations which threaten plans for scaling up production capacity and competitive advantage. What can turn the tide of organisations considering to move locations to lower grid demand.
Increasing capacity
#1 Smart energy management:
Smart assessments of peak usage moments enable companies to optimise their energy consumption and to match existing network capacity. This fast and more sustainable solution requires specialist knowledge and expertise, with solutions tailored to the needs and challenges of each project.
#2 Monitoring grid capacity for new build:
For new construction projects, it is important to first make an accurate assessment of any building’s energy requirements. A winning card in hand is a capacity map checked against grid capacity. The key starting point is power calculation to determine the capacity need for efficient systems operation within a property. Deerns is proactive in engaging grid operator s to discuss the capacity solutions.
#3 Critical assessment of energy consumption:
Even with an existing buildings, a thorough analysis of consumption is the kick off point. An understanding of energy usage enables insights into more even power distribution throughout a day. The result: more stable energy consumption, less pressure on the grid and lower costs.
Solutions could be switching off non-essential systems during peak hours or moving processes to times with less load on the network. The result: more stable energy consumption, less pressure on the grid and lower costs.
#4 Optimising contract values:
Many companies reserve more power capacity than they need, leading to unused capacity on the grid. Monitoring energy consumption and optimising contract values frees up capacity for others, while avoiding overloading the grid.
#5 Sharing energy between buildings:
In some cases, buildings within a given area can share their energy capacity with each other. For example, within business parks or multi-tenant buildings. By connecting buildings and smartly coordinating their energy consumption, optimal use can be made of the available capacity.
In situations where the power grid has reached its limit, additional power generators such as PV panels, batteries, gas or biodiesel generators offer an immediate solution. Although gas and biodiesel generators are often seen as emergency measures, they offer companies the flexibility to still remain operational while waiting for long-term solutions. Deerns advises companies in choosing and implementing the right temporary power generators to ensure the continuity of their operations.
Together with market players, Deerns is continuously looking for new solutions, taking into account sustainable energy management, reduced peak loads, more efficient energy consumption and reduced CO₂ emissions.
Here’s where smart energy management unblocks congested energy grids!
