Traditionally, electricity has been generated in centralized power plants and delivered to consumers through power lines and transformers. However, renewable energy sources have changed the rules of the game and electricity consumers can now become small-scale generators. Solar panels, in particular, can be used on buildings of all sizes, from individual homes to industrial parks.
Distributed generation, energy storage and electric vehicles can make communities more resilient during natural disasters and other emergencies. They reduce dependence on fossil fuel supply chains and electrical grids, which can be disrupted during emergencies.
- A pandemic like the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) disrupts by threatening the workforce of the fossil fuel and electric energy industries.
- On the other hand, extreme meteorological phenomena, such as hurricanes and winter storms, can disrupt the supply of fuel and energy, directly damaging infrastructure.
Design a reliable power supply for your building.
The traditional energy supply chain includes oil platforms, refineries, power plants, transmission and distribution lines, substations, transformers, etc. This is a complex system and there are many points where disturbances can occur. With distributed renewable energy systems, most of the supply chain is concentrated at the point of use. The equipment must still be manufactured and delivered to homes and businesses. However, once installed, it requires only maintenance and no external input.
How distributed energy generation improves resilience
Generating electricity at the point of use brings several advantages. The process is more efficient as electricity is lost in power lines and transformers. Energy supply also becomes more resilient, since generation capacity is not concentrated in power plants. The failure of a critical transmission line can take a plant offline, but individual generation systems in homes and businesses can continue operating.
Currently, a major challenge is developing low-cost energy storage to handle the variable output of solar panels and wind turbines. These two technologies represent the majority of renewable generation capacity added to the grid. Under normal conditions, they can now compete with fossil fuels on price, but not as dispatchable sources to provide energy on demand.
Solar and wind energy projects are also developed on a utility scale. Although they do not depend on fossil fuel supplies to produce electricity, they still depend on the grid to reach homes and businesses. Distributed generation systems go a step further, bypassing the electrical grid and producing electricity at the point of use.
Advantages of electric vehicles during an emergency
Gasoline and diesel cars are part of the status quo in modern society, but their energy source depends on complex supply chains. Crude oil must be extracted, refined into fuels usable in combustion engine cars, and then delivered to gas stations. Also, consider that vehicle owners must visit gas stations to fill up their tanks.
Global emergencies can disrupt the supply of fossil fuel products, leaving vehicles stranded. In the case of pandemics such as coronavirus, governments restrict population movement and having to refuel at gas stations poses a risk of infection. However, this is not a problem for electric vehicles as they can be charged at home. If a property is equipped with solar panels, the electricity that charges the EVs can also be produced locally.
Gasoline and diesel vehicles parked in residences have little use during the quarantine. However, parked electric vehicles can fulfill two useful functions, even if they are not used for transportation:
- Because they have high-capacity batteries, EVs can act as a backup power source for homes during a blackout.
- With the right technology, a large number of parked EVs can be used as a coordinated energy storage system. This can help manage demand on the power grid, making electricity supply more reliable.
According to research from Harvard University, coronavirus cases tend to be more severe in regions highly polluted with fine particles (PM2.5). Renewable generation and electric vehicles reduce the combustion of fossil fuels and, in the long term, can help reduce air pollution in urban areas. This improves the respiratory health of populations, making them less vulnerable to future illnesses similar to COVID-19.
