Shared energy for resilient communities

Shared Energy for Resilient
Communities
Dr Lucelia Rodrigues
Collaborative Housing & Community Resilience Seminar
University of Sheffield - 29.01.16
Contents copyrighted to the University of Nottingham

Consume less;
share better.
Hervé Kempf
French journalist and Writer

Department of Architecture and Built Environment
Lucelia Rodrigues | 29.01.16
Energy: we started with from modest needs
Green Cross Australia 2016. ‘How we use energy’. http://futuresparks.org.au/.

Energy at the Centre of Communities
Domesday Survey: in
1086In England there were
5,624
water-powered flour
MILLS
1 per
300 .

People were Engaged with Energy
George Green Mill in Nottingham (Green’s Windmill Trust) Work in the vegetable garden in India (source unknown)
Spinners in a cotton mill in 1911 in USA (Lewis Hine) Caudwell's Mill, Rowsley, Derbyshire 1893 (Picture the Past)

Industrial Revolution

Industrial Revolution
• 1868 The world's first power station was designed
and built by Lord Armstrong at Cragside
• 1882 The first steam-powered public power station
was the Edison Electric Light Station, a project of
Thomas Edison in London
• 1882 Thomas Edison designs and builds the world's
first central power plant fired by coal that
distributed electricity to customers
• 1896 Henry Ford finishes his first gasoline-powered
motor car
• Between 1995-2002 consolidation took place and
the ‘Big Six’ vertically integrated energy companies
emerged

Suddenly, it is all at the flick of a switch…

People Disconnect with Energy
(and with people…)
In 1970
UK used almost
million
t o n n e s
of oil equivalent in
coal & fuels

The Rise of the Machines
Energy Savings Trust, 2006. ‘The rise of the machines’. London.

But then we got hit by climate change…
IPCC, 2014: Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Core Writing Team, R.K. Pachauri and L.A. Meyer (eds.)]. IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland, 151 pp.

…and energy prices.
RWE npower, 2014. ‘The rise cost of UK Energy’. Swindon. Available online at http://www.npower.com/

Can we go back?

Green Revolution

Green Revolution
• 1992 International environmental treaty United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change was negotiated
• 1997 Kyoto Protocol established legally binding obligations
for developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas
emissions
• 2006 UK government committed that from 2016 all new
homes would be 'zero carbon' and introduced the Code
for Sustainable Homes
• 2008 UK is set a target to increase the contribution of
renewables to UK electricity to 20% by 2020
• 2012 Incandescent light bulbs were phased out in the UK

Some People Reconnect with Energy
Electricity
generation from
Renew
ables
in the UK increased by
21%
b e t w e e n
2013 & 2014

More Recent Green Revolution
• Removal of zero carbon homes target
• End of Green Deal
• End to financial support for onshore wind
• Planning barrier for onshore wind
• End to financial support for large solar
• Major reductions to Feed in Tariffs rates
• Threatened end of Feed in Tariffs in 2016
• Changes to tax relief

Community Energy Revolution

People Reconnect with Energy
C o m m u n i t y - o w n e d
e n e r g Y
schemes make up
40 %
of r enew able
energy generation
in DE
c o m p a r e d t o
1% in UK

Community Energy Revolution
• The way energy is generated and used in Britain is changing: home-
grown low-carbon generation and energy efficiency revolution
• Individuals and communities can make an important contribution to
maintaining energy security, tackling climate change and reducing costs
• According to DECC (2014), community-led action can produce energy,
reduce energy use, manage energy demand and purchase energy and
could supply enough electricity for 1 million homes by 2020
• It is small sector today but growing rapidly and with significant scope
for further growth
• Community Energy has scope for making a real contribution to meeting
the UK’s need for clean, secure and affordable energy

Community Energy
RegenSW, 2015. ‘Supporting Community Enery’’. Available online at www.regensw.co.uk/communities

Micro Smart Grid

ETI Integrated Community
Smart Heat and Power Network

Platform Components

Energy Data
Historical UK electricity data used to subdivide day
Day Week
Low demand
Ave demand
High demand

Methods of Interaction
Web only Appliance Tablet Override switch

Load shifting?
Change user behaviour?
=> Improves economics
Hour of the Day
0 4 8 12 16 20 24
04/08/04:PVElectricictygeneration,import,export
anddemandover5minuteperiods(Wh)
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
PV generation
Export
Demand
Import
Behaviour Change?

is about storing & sharing localised energy generation
within a community
increasing efficiency and reducing costs for all!
Funded by the
European Commission
Grant No 645963

Why Energy Storage?

Lucelia Rodrigues | 29.01.16Julian Marsh, Mark Gillott, Lucelia Rodrigues

Why Energy Storage?
Parra, D., Walker, G., Gillott, M., 2014. ‘Modeling of PV generation, battery and hydrogen storage to investigate the
benefits of energy storage for single dwelling’. Journal of Sustainable Cities and Societies, 10, 1-10.

Optimum Community Battery Storage
Parra, D., Gillott, M., Norman, S., Walker, G., 2014. ‘Optimum community energy storage system for PV energy time-
shift’. Applied Energy 137 (2015) 576–587.

Project Domain
Buildings &
Consumers
Community
Grid
Operation
SENSIBLE
Manage
energy use
Optimise
energy use
Increase self-
consumption
Balance the
grid
Add
flexibility
Enable an
independent
community
Manage
microgrid PV
Optimise
storage
Optimise
distribution
Manage
energy market
Optimise low
voltage networks

Demonstration Sites
• Nottingham, UK
• Evora, Portugal
• Nuremburg, Germany

Demonstration Sites
Nottingham
NurembergEvora
SENSIBLE
Enable an
independent
community
Microgrid PV
management
Optimise energy
procurement
Develop
distributed
storage Manage
building
energy
Optimise
distribution
networks
Flexibility
and DSM
Increase self-
consumption
Balance
microgrid
Energy market
management
Optimise storage
networks
Operation
of low
voltage
networks
Increase self-
consumption

Image © Igloo Blueprint

MOZES: Meadows Ozone Energy Services

Mozes: Meadows Ozone Energy Services
• MOZES created in 2009 to produce and manage the local delivery of
energy
• A grassroots organisation formed by members of the local community
• Offers advice on energy efficiency to the local community
• Community information sessions and energy workshops
• Ability to draw down funding from large organisations or state agencies
• Awarded £500,000 funding in 2009 from DECC
• Awarded SENSIBLE for the installation or energy storage
– Importance of a local champion

Nottingham Project Area
Community Battery
Locations
• Greenfields
Community
School
• Mandela Centre
Mozes
NCH
Private

Nottingham Demonstrator

What does it look like?

Ultimate Goals
For Communities:
– Cheaper energy through grid forecasting
– Use of all generated energy within the community that generates it
– Minimisation of external energy purchase
– Community grid more robust and attractive to energy suppliers
For Community Members:
– Purchase of cheaper electricity
– Better prices for selling non-FITS electricity
– Automatic selection of best supplier tariff for imports

Benefits to Consumers

Benefits to the Community
• Community resilience to changes in energy provision, particularly
with regard to finances and infrastructure
• A future-proof community energy infrastructure with increased
community and grid efficiencies
• Means to reduce fuel poverty and increase energy security
• Socioeconomic benefits to individuals and the community
• The formation of neighbourhood ‘hubs/nodes/networks’ to build
community capital
• Behaviour change instigated by bottom-up approach

Funded by the
European Commission
Grant No 282834
TURAS is about understanding and enabling
strategies and processes that support
community resilience and sustainability
(such as community energy schemes)

TURAS’ ‘Twinning’ concept
Local
Authorities
Academics
Commu
nities
SMEs

TURAS’ ‘Twinning’ conceptwww.turas-cities.org

Holistic approach to urban resilience

Normal Planning Model
Authorities Community
Planning
Process
Nodes where
communication happens:
consultations, workshops,
webforms, etc

Integrated Planning Model
Authorities Community
Planning
Process
More and more inclusive
nodes facilitated by the
tools developed through
TURAS
- Common language, dialogue
- Inclusive process
- Adaptable
Community
Energy Scheme

TURAS in the Meadows
• Community focus groups
• Historical map analysis
• Geo-timeline
• Community survey and interviews

www.meadowstimeline.co.uk

Behavioural Change
• Social acceptance is a key factor in the
adoption of policies aimed at creating
more sustainable consumption patterns
• Energy use is heavily influenced by
lifestyle, behaviour and culture
• Attitudes and behaviours have a role to
play in determining whether renewable
technologies are adopted
• Because infrastructures are central in
defining the carbon-intensity of our
lifestyles, they are also central in
supporting and maintaining change
O’Doherty, T, Rodrigues, L., Gillott, M., 2015. ‘The Role of Community-based
Energy Management Schemes in Supporting Resilience’. International Conference
on Sustainable Energy Technologies (SET) 2015. Nottingham, UK.

Micro-generation Technologies
• Key barriers to uptake
– purchase price
– uncertainty regarding the payback period
– size of available grants
• Key motivations for adopting
– reducing carbon emissions
– financial savings
• Many adopters of renewable energy are either working in the
field or have an interest in the subject showing the importance of
renewable energy pioneers in urban communities
O’Doherty, T, Rodrigues, L., Gillott, M., 2015. ‘The Role of Community-based
Energy Management Schemes in Supporting Resilience’. International Conference
on Sustainable Energy Technologies (SET) 2015. Nottingham, UK

Storage Technologies
• Key barriers to uptake
– ?
• Key motivations for adopting
– ?
(key barrier: we don’t know enough about the technology,
or about how people will interact with the technology)

Challenges for Community Energy
• There is currently an inertia within the property industry to adopt
community energy schemes
• Part of the resistance is the uncertainty about the technology,
customer interest and awareness
• Lack of large scale demonstrator proof of concept projects in the
UK
• There is also uncertainty about the mechanisms for
implementation and engagement
• Uncertainty about the business model – cost and risk

Community Engagement with Energy is Essential
• Decarbonising the UK and achieving sustainability goals in the
energy sector will require significant transformative research,
change in policies and industrial development
• Localised energy management, particularly when led by
communities, provides the necessary mechanisms to address
these issues at a local level
• Community involvement through several activities such as
reduction of energy use, distributed renewable generation,
energy storage management and electricity and heat balanced
distribution are essential

Current Policy for Energy Efficiency
Allowable
Solutions
On-site Low Carbon
Heat and Power
Fabric
Energy Efficiency
Zero Carbon Hub, 2013. ‘Zero Carbon Strategies for tomorrow’s new homes’. Milton Keynes.

What I would like to see
Allowable
Solutions
Community Energy
On-site Low Carbon
Heat and Power
Fabric
Energy Efficiency

Community Energy
• Increases energy security
• Increases infrastructure resilience
• Improves energy efficiency
• Tackles climate change
• Reduces energy bills and helps to address fuel poverty
• Provides local economic benefits and jobs
• Increases local skills and opportunities for collective learning
• Encourages behaviour change
• Supports social resilience as encourages involvement in wider
community

Sharing Energy Supports Social Resilience
• Community energy is:
inclusive,
democratic,
sustainable
• It is not: remote, unresponsive, exploitative
• It can give consumer behaviour a role in driving system efficiency
and help develop social cohesion

Energetic Communities are more
Resilient Communities

EmPowering Communities: People at the Core
RegenSW, 2015. ‘Supporting Community Enery’’. Available online at www.regensw.co.uk/communities

The more we share,
the more we have.
Leonard Nimoy
American actor (Spock)

Thank you!
Lucelia.Rodrigues@Nottingham.ac.uk
@luceliataranto
www.facebook.com/projectsensible
@SENSIBLEProject
www.facebook.com/TurasCities
@TurasCities
www.facebook.com/CreativeEnergyHomes
@UoN_CEH

Contents copyrighted to the University of Nottingham

Shared energy for resilient communities

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