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Energy storage is a key enabler of a low-carbon future. In Part 4 of our Energy Transition Talks podcast series, CGI experts Alain Sayegh and Venk Gopal discuss energy storage as a new distributed energy resource and the role of data, digitization and legislation in unlocking its transformative value. 

Renewable energy demand is growing, driven by the urgent need to meet climate and decarbonization goals. Due to the intermittent nature of renewable energy, however, advancing energy storage is critical to effectively manage demand and supply, implement microgrids and assure greater resilience, flexibility and energy security. 

Potential benefits of energy storage 

The benefits and return on investment (ROI) of energy storage, explains Venk, can be categorized into three broad categories based on the business and use cases:

1.      For consumers and society, it offers increased decarbonization and reliability.

2.      For transmission and distribution utilities, it leads to deferred or avoided costs and, importantly, improved power quality.

3.      For energy markets and their operating entities, it drives flexibility, demand response, ancillary services and other grid and market functions at the wholesale and retail level.

"What's interesting is that the underlying technology is becoming more affordable and easily accessible, leading to the challenges on how we integrate this into our overall ecosystem," says Venk.

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The energy market is evolving, driven by climate goals and related demand for renewable energy and growing interest in hydrogen as an energy carrier. Part 3 of our Energy Transition Talks podcast series features CGI experts Martijn Frints and Tom van der Leest on the promising role of hydrogen in the new energy market, including the challenges and opportunities of moving toward an integrated, green hydrogen economy. This article provides a summary of the discussion.

 It is a highly challenging period for the energy market. Fluctuating energy costs and net-zero greenhouse gas ambitions are accelerating the move to greener energy. However, growth in renewable energy and distributed energy sources, predicting consumption and productions patterns is becoming increasingly difficult. 

 Pivotal role of hydrogen

The seasonal and unpredictable nature of solar and wind energy has heightened the focus on energy storage, and at the same time, is bringing market flexibility into sharp focus. Here's where hydrogen can play a potentially pivotal role.  

 Hydrogen is an energy carrier. This means it provides the opportunity to store and transport energy from where it is produced to where it is needed, adding a new dimension to energy market management. Currently, the bulk of hydrogen produced is mainly from fossil fuels such as natural gas, which is used as feedstock in chemical processes. This type of hydrogen (called grey hydrogen) releases carbon dioxide into the air and has a significant carbon footprint. The focus for the future, is on a more sustainable form of hydrogen called green hydrogen. Green hydrogen uses electricity from renewable energies to split water into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis. No CO2 is produced in this method, making it the "cleanest" form of hydrogen fuel.  Read more on Hydrogen | CGI.com

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In Part 2 of our Energy Transition Talks podcast series, CGI experts Rita Burnay and Peter Warren explore the trends in renewables management, including the growing importance of data, green hydrogen and cloud to support the evolving energy economy. This article provides a summary of the discussion.

From a niche market, the renewables sector is evolving into a global industry with a pivotal role in the energy transition and the quest for a more responsible and sustainable future. Today, the major renewable energy sources are hydro, wind and solar. Wind and solar currently account for 700,000 gigawatts of installed capacity; yet, they represent only 50% of the hydro energy produced. "There is a lot of space to grow. As portfolios become larger and wider, and the footprint of renewables gets bigger, it's [becoming] a totally different world from the niche market a few years ago," says Rita Burnay.

Importance of interconnectivity

Accelerating digitization and enhanced interconnectivity are key driving forces of the evolving energy value chain. The focus is on owners, owner-operators, and grid operators in renewables management. "For these three market players, there is a lot more of a need to build effective management systems that require digitizing operations and more interconnectivity between all systems," says Rita. 

The benefits of interconnected systems are manifold. Grid operators gain complete visibility of the portfolio and production, while operators and owner-operators can forecast production and conversely align production based on forecasts. In addition, better connectivity supports workforce management for asset maintenance and insight-led market decisions, including what and how to produce, how much to store and sell, etc.  
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