How to Become Energy Autonomous
Carsten Gregor
Business & Partnership Development | Sales & Key Account Management | Market Expansion | Risk Mitigation & Compliance | Project Management | Revenue Generation | Technology Integration | Team Leadership
Autonomous Energy Storage Solutions for Buildings
The demand for energy is constantly increasing, and with it comes the need for more reliable and sustainable sources of energy. Especially the highly increasing, volatile energy costs over the recent month have raised concerns across the population, including myself. Finally the German government did announce the ban of new installations of gas and oil based heating systems for homes after 2023, or to be more precise these systems should be operated by at least 65% renewable energy content. One solution is to implement autonomous energy storage systems for buildings. These systems allow buildings to become independent from external energy supplies and rely on their own stored energy. In this article, we will discuss the benefits of autonomous energy storage systems and the technology behind them as well as some of the latest developments in private energy systems, including Picea and other hydrogen systems, heat pump-based systems, swarm intelligence based systems like the one of Sonnen GmbH and PV+T systems.
Benefits of Autonomous Energy Storage Systems
The primary benefit of autonomous energy storage systems is the ability to store energy for later use. This means that buildings can generate their own energy through renewable sources, such as solar panels or wind turbines, and store the energy for use when it is needed. This provides a reliable and sustainable source of energy for the building, reducing dependence on external energy supplies and as such become more or less independent from the volatile energy pricing observed recently.
Autonomous energy storage systems also allow for greater energy efficiency. Buildings can store excess energy during times of low demand and use it during times of high demand, reducing the need for energy from external sources. This can lead to significant cost savings for building owners and operators.
Another benefit of autonomous energy storage systems is their ability to provide backup power during power outages. In the event of a power outage, the building can rely on its stored energy to provide power until external supplies are restored. This can be critical for buildings that rely on a constant source of power, such as hospitals or data centers.
Technology behind Autonomous Energy Storage Systems
Autonomous energy storage systems at the moment rely on a combination of batteries and control systems to store and manage energy. The batteries are typically lithium-ion batteries, which are known for their high energy density and long lifespan. These batteries are connected to a control system, which monitors energy production and consumption, and determines when to store or release energy.
The control system is typically connected to renewable energy sources, such as solar panels or wind turbines, as well as the building's electrical system.
In addition to lithium battery-based autonomous energy storage systems, there are also emerging technologies that rely on hydrogen or other innovative solutions. One of such solutions is the Picea system, developed by the German company HPS Home Power Solutions. Another alternative technology is enabling redox flow battery (RFB) systems.
My personal favorite has been the swarm intelligence based solution from the German startup Sonnen GmbH which is kind of genius from my personal point of view. Sonnen https://sonnenbatterie.co.uk/ did offer energy supply for free over the lifetime.
The system does rely on swarm intelligence, which involves a network of connected energy storage systems that can work together to optimize energy usage in residential buildings.
The Sonnen system allows homeowners to connect their energy storage systems to a network, which can be used to share excess energy with other homes in the network. The system uses machine learning algorithms to optimize energy usage and reduce energy waste, resulting in cost savings for homeowners and a more sustainable energy system overall.
You just did need a PV system, purchase their energy storage system which allows the swarm intelligence based management by connecting to their "grid" and become a member of their community at an annual fee of less than 50€, including the allowance to utilize your excess energy to be shared. Sonnen has been acquired by Shell and since then the offer has changed, but still might be an interesting alternative offer...
On the other side of the offer spectrum the first solar-hydrogen system Picea for residential use https://www.homepowersolutions.de/en/product/ combines a hydrogen fuel cell with a battery storage system to provide a reliable source of energy for buildings. The system uses excess energy from renewable sources, such as solar panels or wind turbines, to produce hydrogen through electrolysis. The hydrogen is stored in tanks and can be used to power the fuel cell, which generates electricity for the building. The system also includes a battery storage component, which can be used to store excess energy when the hydrogen tanks are full.
Another innovative solution is the PV+T system, which combines photovoltaic panels with solar thermal collectors to produce both electricity and heat. The system is particularly useful in colder climates, where buildings require both heating and electricity. The PV+T system can generate up to 70% more energy than a traditional photovoltaic system, making it a cost-effective solution for autonomous energy storage. The PV+T seems to be one of the breakthrough technologies.
Heat Pump-Based Systems: Efficient and Effective
Heat pump-based systems are another option for private energy systems. These systems work by extracting heat from the air or ground and using it to heat water or air. Heat pumps are highly efficient and can provide a significant amount of heat for a relatively small amount of energy input. Heat pump-based systems are a popular option for homeowners who want an efficient and effective heating system.
The German government recently did announce the ban of new installations of gas and oil based heating systems for homes after 2023, or to be more precise these systems should be operated by at least 65% renewable energy content and does promote the heat pump based technology significantly.
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From 2024 onwards the plan of the German government is that at least 500.000 heat pumps will be installed annually ! These will mainly be based on synthetic refrigerants, because the availability of heat pumps using natural refrigerants like R290 (propane) and R744 (CO2) is extremely limited for the time being. Now, todays heat pumps are using PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) based refrigerants mainly, which raises a big concern when investing in modern heat pump systems because the European Parliament did already discuss potential bans of PFAS back in 2014 here:
where fluorinated greenhouse gases are regulated.
Also the German authority for environment and other agencies did submit the proposal for the restriction of PFAS to the European Chemicals Agency recently:
The following article reflects the impact on various industries and explains that most of the refrigerants are affected:
The PFAS ban considers impact on heat pumps:
Interestingly the intermediate report "Hausw?rmepumpen mit natürlichen K?ltemitteln" does show the installation plan of the German authority for environment on page 75 in table 16 and we can see that the actual domination refrigerants R410A and R407C for new heat pumps are planned to be eliminated by 2025...Due to the fact that I would prefer not to use propane at my own house my personal favorite would be R744 but heat pumps using R744 for residential use are rare nowadays (e.g. Mitsubishi).
Now, the heat pump society is a lobby force, supported by the manufacturers of synthetic refrigerants like Bayer, BASF, etc. which does claim that the switch to heat pumps across Germany reflecting the German government plans would be impossible if we would follow the natural refrigerant path only...
and
The promotion of modern heat pumps by the German government does raise one key question to mine:
Why there is no crystal clear communication by the German government regarding these significant risks regarding the purchase of heat pumps using synthetic refrigerants because these refrigerants might be banned by the EU sooner or later, not knowing exactly what the consequences for the house owners will be, which might have installed these heat pumps ? One suspect here mentioned above already is that the political and lobby pressure on the timeline as well as the the missing availability of mass production based heat pumps with natural refrigerants like R290 (propane) and R744 (CO2) today (!) would request a project plan shift by years immediately.
In conclusion, there are a variety of innovative solutions available for autonomous energy storage in buildings. Battery-based energy storage systems are currently the most widely used solution, but emerging technologies like hydrogen fuel cells, PV+T systems, and swarm intelligence-based solutions offer promising alternatives. As the demand for sustainable and reliable energy sources continues to grow as well as our all wish to become independent from external energy resources, it is likely that these solutions will play an increasingly important role in the future of energy storage.
Final remark on the investments to be considered. All of the solutions above require significant investments and as usual the devil is in the detail. Without doubt a careful holistic, individual analysis followed by a scenario discussion including ROI aspects under possible funding opportunities needs to be performed.