Are EV’s and Solar Killing the Grid?

“For me, energy management is solving an optimization problem,” Ido Ginodi, VP Global Product at SolarEdge Technologies said.  The company started with the invention of the Power Optimizers which optimized the power from solar panels.  Now they’re looking to expand that approach.  “An energy management system is, in a sense, the evolved version of this. It’s not module-level optimization, it’s site-level optimization of all the available energy sources and energy consumers,” Ginodi stated.  Between solar and EV adoption, demand on the grid will continue to break records. 

A recent Forbes article stated, ‘Utilities want to effectively manage the increased load from EVs in a way that helps the grid rather than stresses it.’  A passive approach relies on the customer to monitor and manage consumption but the active route will be to take control of the customer’s EV charger.  Only time will tell how effective these approaches are and how well they are received. 

Rich Barone, PLMA board chair said, “If we don’t figure out how to develop an effective market model in the near term, we may face a tough road ahead relating to energy distribution impacts.” 

ServoTech Power Systems filed two patents on control load shifting as proof that new technologies are paving the way for more effective energy management systems.  The new technology will facilitate grid service optimization through a battery energy storage system (BESS) and effectively channel renewable energy into BESS for maximum value, enabling the transition to sustainable energy.

 A transition, that according to experts and consumers, couldn’t happen at a better time.  “This year’s report underscores the pivotal moment we’re at in shaping the future of the U.S. grid. By surveying commissioners and utility executives, the research offers a unique lens into the challenges and opportunities of the energy transition. What’s clear is that utilities are looking to address those challenges, and the study uncovers where they are on this journey,” said Marina Donovan, vice president of global marketing, ESG and public affairs at Itron. 

Where are we in the journey?  At a precipice or a crossroads?