On the eve of the COP21 summit which will take place next December, the industrial alternatives in favour of the climate are drawing increasing attention. While the political decision makers are laying out their national plans for the post 2020 period as well as their commitments to provide technological and financial support to developing countries, smart grids offer an operational solution to this challenge. But what exactly is their impact on the climate?
In 2012, the power generation sector was responsible for 11,900 Mt of CO2 eq. This figure represents 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activity, i.e. 49 000 Mt of CO2 eq (2010). In 2011 France was responsible for 44 Mt of CO2 eq while the Europe (28 members of the EU) accounted for 1,257 Mt. These emissions are for the most part due to the combustion of fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas…) used in the production of electricity and, to a lesser extent, for its extraction. Smart grids could contribute to significantly reduce the ecological footprint of the sector by means of three types of action:
Mitigation of loss
By improving the management of grids by the putting in place of intelligent monitoring systems and remote maintenance, Smart Grids could make it possible to reduces losses incurred during the transport and distribution of energy. It is estimated that these losses, according to the performance levels of these networks represents a share of between 8% and 15% of total power production.
Integration of renewable energies
Renewable energies are by their nature carbon neutral. An increase in their number should logically lead to a reduction in the combustion of fossil fuels and, therefore, to the elimination of associated CO2 emissions. However, the growth of renewables is faces the problem of their intermittence which can only be resolved by Smart Grids. In France the share of renewable energy in the energy mix is 15%. Worldwide the average is 22,3%. Going beyond these penetration rates will necessarily require the integrations of smart monitoring systems making it possible to smooth out the effect of unpredictable weather patterns and the phenomenon of consumption spikes.
Making energy savings
Smart grids allow professional and private end users to better understand their consumption habits and, thereby, to better plan for making energy savings. Some smart grid technologies also make it possible to implement automatically certain complicated rationalisation practices that do not require smart monitoring. This is the case of automated peak shaving for professionals or smart thermostats for private individuals. France has made a commitment to reduce energy consumption levels by 20% by 2020. Smart grids are one of the major levers for rising to this challenge.
ITEMS International for Think Smartgrids