{"id":1726,"date":"2020-04-24T18:39:25","date_gmt":"2020-04-24T18:39:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.regalgrid.com\/?post_type=magazine&p=1726"},"modified":"2024-09-25T13:08:24","modified_gmt":"2024-09-25T13:08:24","slug":"energy-independence-is-it-possible","status":"publish","type":"magazine","link":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/magazine\/energy-independence-is-it-possible\/","title":{"rendered":"Energy independence: is it possible?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Grid independence is possible<\/strong>, but not in the way you may have imagined it. In order to launch our efforts and play an active role in the energy sector we need to change our perspective.<\/p>\n

Originally, the concept of independence was viewed as the complete absence of a grid connection, such as in the case of stand-alone or\u00a0off-grid<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0systems that are often found in mountainous regions and areas poorly served by the national grid. However, this vision of energy autonomy is limited and rather out-dated. Energy independence is now viewed quite differently.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What does energy independence mean today?<\/h2>\n

Energy independence is understood as\u00a0complete autonomy from the national electricity grid<\/strong>, which is based on a\u00a0large-scale, concentrated energy model<\/strong>. According to this model,\u00a0generation of electricity<\/strong>\u00a0is\u00a0centralised<\/strong>\u00a0and primarily founded on transformation of fossil fuels and hydrocarbons into electricity at large power stations. From there, energy is transmitted through a hierarchical structure, first at high voltage, then medium voltage and finally through low-voltage distribution grids, using a very costly and wasteful process.<\/p>\n

In this model, autonomy is understood as the capacity to support your own energy requirements with\u00a0domestic\u00a0<\/strong>or, rather,\u00a0local generation<\/strong>\u00a0of electricity and heat. To achieve complete independence, various steps are required: understanding how much energy needs to be produced, being able to produce the full amount required without relying on the national operator and having the possibility to use the energy when you need it.<\/p>\n

In this rush towards independence, it is important to be aware that there are no tricks or shortcuts to reduce bills, but rather a methodical\u00a0reduction of energy wastage<\/strong>\u00a0that begins with assessment of your own consumption habits. Another important consideration is that it is not possible to succeed alone: as is so often the case, \u201cthere is strength in numbers\u201d. This approach makes it clear that\u00a0completely cutting your connection to the national grid is certainly not the solution<\/strong>. Instead, we must utilise it with a different logic and find a new way to exploit the available resources to achieve independence.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s break things down.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Energy independence is the product of many small measures<\/h2>\n

Change will come with small, cumulative daily actions that contribute to the energy efficiency of our home. Above all, being independent means being\u00a0aware of our consumption habits<\/strong>, allowing us to correct our behaviour and eliminate wastage. The second step in increasing efficiency is\u00a0to monitor domestic consumption<\/a>\u00a0and understand when and for how long certain devices should be switched off and when to replace appliances because they waste too much energy. With this in mind,\u00a0smart domotics<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0can be a powerful tool, e.g. smart plugs combined with a\u00a0SNOCU unit with Consumer programme<\/strong>\u00a0can help us to define our energy profile.<\/p>\n

This will help us to reduce the quantity of energy we need to produce.<\/p>\n

Another essential element to improve our energy savings is\u00a0thermal insulation for our homes<\/a>: a well-insulated home saves energy. These types of actions are combined with the possibility to connect cutting-edge thermostats, heat-pumps and boilers to the\u00a0Regalgrid\u00ae platform<\/a>, improving system efficiency.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How to produce the energy required for energy autonomy<\/h2>\n

The only solution that allows you to achieve individual energy independence is to\u00a0install a photovoltaic system<\/a>. Measurement and monitoring of our consumption is a great help in identifying the most suitable solution for our needs, also in terms of system size.<\/p>\n

Remember that a system without\u00a0storage<\/strong>\u00a0allows\u00a0autonomy of around 35%<\/strong>, whilst systems with\u00a0storage<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0allow an increase in\u00a0self-consumption<\/strong>\u00a0to between\u00a065%<\/strong>\u00a0and 75% of energy required, depending on the size of panels and capacity of the storage system. This solution current represents the best-case scenario for energy independence based solely on individual self-consumption, whether instantaneous or deferred.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How to achieve complete energy independence<\/h2>\n

The current solution for full independence is identified by thinking outside the box and looking beyond the most obvious solutions towards a more sustainable future for all.<\/p>\n

It is not viable to purchase a personal storage system big enough to cover the entire energy requirements of a household, as it would simply be too expensive and take up too much space. Instead, we should start to consider the\u00a0many small storage systems<\/strong>\u00a0of citizens, companies and public authorities, along with their\u00a0photovoltaic systems<\/strong>\u00a0as a\u00a0single large-scale decentralised system<\/strong>, a\u00a0distributed<\/strong>\u00a0system, connected as a\u00a0smart grid<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and constantly communicating via the Regalgrid\u00ae platform. This\u00a0energy community<\/a>\u00a0allows us to share excess energy with all other members that need it at that moment and vice versa. By profiling consumption, we will be able to optimise the cost of energy that we need to receive from others.<\/p>\n

Thus,\u00a0self-consumption<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0will pass from an individual model to a\u00a0collective\u00a0<\/strong>one and you will be increasingly less reliant on the medium and high-voltage grids for energy needs.<\/p>\n

So, should you disconnect from the national grid? Absolutely not. As established at the beginning of the article, we need to\u00a0make the most of all tools at our disposal<\/strong>. This revolutionary distributed smart grid is a\u00a0virtual network<\/strong>\u00a0supported by the physical infrastructure of the Grid Operator. Connection via the physical grid is therefore a necessary tool to share our energy.<\/p>\n

True independence does not mean freedom from connections but rather a system of further connections that benefit everyone involved.<\/p>\n

But is all of this really possible? Absolutely, in Europe since 2018, with the RED II, the Renewable Energy Directive 2018\/2001\/EU.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":4365,"parent":0,"template":"","category-magazine":[42],"class_list":["post-1726","magazine","type-magazine","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-magazine-smart-eco-and-sustainability"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine\/1726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/magazine"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine\/1726\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4367,"href":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine\/1726\/revisions\/4367"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category-magazine","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category-magazine?post=1726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}