Pioneering changes and setting standards for solar technology

In the past five years, solar energy has undergone a dramatic transformation: one that has taken it from an interesting technology to a viable and efficient energy source. Technological advances have allowed grids to overcome the intermittent nature of solar power, and redistribute it to reduce waste and bring down energy costs.

Smart energy provider Petra Solar has worked hard to energise the industry with the introduction of reliable and smart solar systems in a distributed way, as well as integrating them with new technology, such as smart and micro grids. Dr Hisham Othman, Chief Technology Officer at Petra Solar, discusses new technology, new uses of energy and intelligent grid solutions.

As cities grow and our energy needs increase, how do grids change?
As we look at the grids around the world, we find that some grids have kept up with demand growth; for example increased population and consumption, while many have failed to do so. This problem will be further exacerbated as population and consumption continues to grow.

However, we have seen encouraging technological breakthroughs that have brought advancements in competitively priced sources for clean energy, added consumption controls, and the ability to exercise those controls. The grid has had to adapt not only on the business level, but also on the physical level in the way it interacts with these new
energy sources.

How do smart grids interact with the increased flow of renewable energy into urban grids?
Grids have to evolve from the existing paradigm of trying to accommodate renewable energy sources to a new model of embracing them and truly integrating renewables as legitimate and fundamental resources of the energy grid. This integration of renewables into the smart grid will drive the need for additional monitoring, control and flexibility in the way the grid manages the two-way power flow.

Truly smart grids will fundamentally push intelligence downstream to various places in the grid instead of being managed centrally. We are seeing more distributive controls, which enable customers to be active participants in balancing energy distribution. We will see controls within renewable electricity generation devices themselves, so that they interact intelligently, and are not just dumping energy into the grid, but are actually sensitive to grid conditions.

Micro-grids have the potential to be the driver of fundamental change in the whole utility industry

Advanced controls will transform solar panels into smart solar systems. We will also see smart homes that will interact with both the physical and economic layers of the grid to shift and reduce energy demand as and when needed. This modernisation and automation of electric power networks will provide a model for the utility of the future as well as the consumer. There will be more intelligence throughout the grid, not only on the side of utility companies but also with consumers and other energy sources that interact with the grid.

What are the current and future trends in terms of investments? 
We see increasing communication and demand response investments by utilities. We also see investments in managing data flows to gain operational intelligence that will enable informed decision making that leads to operational efficiencies.

We also see that investment is needed to fully integrate renewables and manage the intermittent flow of those sources, especially in high penetration areas where renewables have become a significant part of the energy mix.

How have Petra Solar’s products evolved over the years as sustainable energy technology has changed?
We have beefed up our power electronics at the fundamental level to really make solar a smart technology. Smart solar interacts seamlessly with the grid and enables very high penetration of renewables. Petra Solar has also integrated upwards by moving from just being a technology provider to a solution provider. We moved into areas that enable not only distributed solar energy, but also energy efficiency and micro-gridding.

Micro grids have the potential to drive fundamental change throughout the utility industry. For example, micro grids are valuable when combining renewable resources to meet the needs of one area or providing differentiated levels of reliability within an existing grid.

A micro grid is a small grid that lives within either a larger grid or independently that is able to meet the demand of a community by integrating multiple resources in a reliable way. That ultimately will lead the democratisation of energy, the ability of consumers at a residential or industrial level to be able to provide part of their own energy needs in a reliable way.

The smart energy model Petra Solar invented and introduced into the market provides solar energy in a reliable way and integrates that energy within the grid function so that it is a reliable energy source. This has simplified the way solar can be installed into the grid. It seamlessly integrates without having to remedy the intermittency issue that comes with traditional solar energy.

How do Petra Solar’s products interact with smart city grids in order to work towards greater energy efficiency?
The solutions we provide to the smart city not only include solar panels, but also a two-way communication system that enables a conversation between the grid and the solar modules. We also provide the software tools to monitor and manage that energy portfolio.

Our solar systems drive energy efficiency in the sense that their production peaks coincide with the times of day when energy demand is highest and therefore obviate the need for expensive peaking energy resources. Efficiency is also gained when distributed solar systems within the smart grid supply the energy needs of homes, thus reducing the losses of the transmission and distribution grids.

The two-way communication network enables the proper information flow and real-time controls between the smart grid and the consumption centres to balance the needs for cost efficiency and reliability, while providing high levels of consumer satisfaction.

For example, we introduced intelligent lighting controls for street lighting, which reduce energy consumption costs and demand by turning lights off during off-peak hours. This principal control to reduce demand can extend further into reducing the demand from houses and commercial property.

How will energy users be able to make their consumption more efficient?
This is an area that is evolving and it will have a huge impact on the structure and economics of the grid of the future. Demand response and control can only be activated through the mutual dissemination of timely knowledge about the needs and constraints of the grid, and demand through a robust and secure two-way communication network.

This enables users to make intelligent decisions about their consumption. They can basically become an active – rather than a passive – part of the energy mix  and they can play their natural role as consumers. They move from being just demand to being true consumers in the energy process, in an economic sense.

What are your most significant ongoing projects?
One of our projects in the MENA region is a partnership with the Bahrain oil company Bapco to develop and install the Bahrain Smart Community Project in the town of Awali and at Bahrain University.

This project will be a showcase of distributed solar energy in the Gulf. It demonstrates how large-scale distributed smart solar can actually become a viable and reliable part of the energy mix in places with lots of oil and gas. The project also demonstrates that the challenges of energy security, climate change and economic development can be solved through global partnerships and collaboration.