In Project SENSIBLE, the aim is to understand the economic benefits that energy storage can bring to households, communities, and commercial buildings.
With the increasing use of renewable energy sources, such as rooftop solar panels and wind turbines, it is becoming more and more difficult to manage the electricity distribution grid. Renewable energy sources are intermittent – for example solar panels only generate energy when the sun is out. However, we need to control the supply of electricity to meet consumer demands; for example a peak consumption time is 4pm to 6pm when people return home from work, and cook evening meals.
A particular technology which can help with this matching of supply to demand is electrical energy storage technology such as batteries. Batteries are now being considered for household use – you may have heard of Tesla’s Powerwall. Typically, batteries work by taking the excess solar power created by solar panels and using it to charge the battery during the day. This battery can then supply energy to your home during the night and on cloudy days using the excess supply.
Read more about the project and its locations in Europe.
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