Solar power integration for homes is fast catching pace and it is no longer restricted to individual efforts. Both public and the private sectors have become active participants in promoting the use of renewable energy. S&C Electric, a smart grid specialist is working on a pilot project of integrating energy storage technology with solar PV panels for household use in particular. The project will be installed at an undisclosed eco home and will cost £200,000 ($320 420).
Of course, the convention of harnessing and storing energy from the sun during day and releasing it during night remains intact. It’s the method of application that has made the difference. During the pilot almost 50 houses will be powered, the average of consumption of each house being 1.5Kw. The system will control how energy will be fed back into the grid and this is where the innovation part comes in. Digging roads for laying cables will no longer be required, making the system more efficient and cost effective.
The biggest hurdle that underlies this project is related to cost of set up. The energy storage technologies of the day remain expensive and therefore not applicable on a larger scale. S&C Electric currently perceives that this problem can have a permanent solution only through government subsidy, support and investment.
Demand of renewable energy, as we see, will rise in the future and therefore initiatives like this one are rather detrimental to the future of storing and distributing energy on large scale. The ambit of resources to be covered will also need diversification , just as S&C wants to keep growing in terms of solar energy harnessing and also wants to work and expand their reach in the segment of wind farms, etc.
Via: Businessgreen
