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The IPCC: Renewable Integration Still a Challenge for Utilities

By Mandira Srivastava May 23, 2011

There is growing awareness that clean energy initiatives can save lives and it may reduce the world‘s dependence on coal, oil and other carbon-intensive fuels.

In a recent survey, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report suggests that the total global potential for renewable energy “is substantially higher than both current and future projected global energy demand”.

According to a press release, renewable energy production will grow between three and 10 times by 2050, with almost half of all new electricity production capacity installed globally in the two year period 2008-2009 coming from renewable sources.

Renewables contributed around 19 percent of the global electricity supply in 2008. By 2030, wind power alone could be providing 10 percent of the total global electricity supply and in excess of 20 percent by 2050 – a massive expansion considering that in 2009 wind power met just 1.8 percent of worldwide electricity demand.

Marc De Witte, VP for Research and Innovation at French energy firm GDF Suez said that if you have 50 percent or more renewable in the grid and also large amounts of electric cars to supply, then the grid will need smart metering and we will have to prepare their roll-out soon.

Jens Jakobsson, Vice President for Distribution at Danish utility Dong, agrees. “Most people will charge their cars when they get home from work, which is still during peak demand hours. That will put increasing pressure on the grid,” he says. “It would be best if a smart metering option could automatically control when the electric car is being charged, preferably during low-demand, off-peak hours.”

Some grids may have difficulty to supply enough power if drivers plug in millions of electric cars at about the same time, particularly during peak demand.

The topic is sure to be top of the agenda at the Next Generation Utilities Summit Europe 2011 that takes place in Malaga, Spain from 15-17 November. The Next Generation Utilities Summit Europe 2011 is an exclusive C-level event reserved for 100 participants that includes expert workshops, facilitated roundtables, peer-to-peer networks and co-ordinated meetings.


Mandira Srivastava is a IoTevolutionworld contributor. She works as a full-time writer, ghostwriter and blogger, and has more than two years of experience in print and Web media. She has also worked on company brochures, website content and product descriptions, as well as proofreading and editing content. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Rich Steeves
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