Microgrids... The key to IOEN!
A frequently asked question from our blockchain enthusiasts is “how can I create a microgrid?”. This is worth explaining in an article, since it is key to IOEN’s value proposition and aligns with our bottom-up grassroots approach to your personal energy.
What is a Microgrid?
We like the definition used by the IEC from Dec-2017: “a microgrid is a group of interconnected loads and distributed energy resources .. forming a local electric power system.. that is able to operate in either grid-connected or island mode”.
Let’s break this down:
If you have a solar panel on your roof that powers your appliances, you have a microgrid! The “interconnected loads and distributed energy resources” means coordination of energy; so it could be you and your neighbour providing energy to other houses on your street. You will find IOEN using the word “local” a lot; we believe in growing the network from the bottom up. And finally, “grid-connected” means there could be some coordination with the existing power companies, but a microgrid can also be in “island mode”, completely off-grid.
Ok, so what’s a Minigrid?
You will find a few different definitions for microgrids and minigrids; definitions are still settling. A minigrid (or “mini-grid”) from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change says “A mini-grid with a power rating below 15 MW and disconnected from larger electric grids.” So with this definition a microgrid could be a minigrid.
What does this have to do with IOEN?
Electricity follows the laws of physics, and moving it great distances usually means higher, more dangerous voltages, in the 5 to 35 kV range. This means more power for a given current and few line losses, but it also means cost and a real concern for safety for crews working on it.
A microgrid is smaller in every way; less distance, less distribution voltage, and it can even be direct current (DC) instead of alternating current (AC), making it less complex. An electric vehicle (or “EV”) can be simpler than a vacuum cleaner from a power delivery point of view.
EVs can even be batteries to store energy. We can have mobile or “pop-up” microgrids that are used for disaster recovery after a big weather event. Energy resilience is an important use case.
All of these need coordination at the device level. That’s what IOEN does.
Right, so What is a Virtual Microgrid?
We don’t want to deal with kilovolt transmission lines, but we want to share our excess solar to someone in another apartment who doesn’t have a solar panel, or around the world to light up villages in developing countries and make a huge difference to their lives. We can do this by making arrangements to share the value of the energy. For example, I create excess solar energy which I sell to my retailer in Germany, with an agreement to power a village in Bangladesh. This is an actual use case using IOEN technology.
Virtual microgrids can be any collection of people who want to improve the use and efficiency of energy. Common interests are like groups on social networks; and we see a whole new set of applications around this; perhaps your football club wants to save more energy than your rivals and they set up a competition. “Your club” may be local, or it may be in the FIFA World Cup.
Act Local, Think Global
IOEN is the next generation of digital energy management and optimisation technology. IOEN tech enables an interconnected system of virtual microgrids that facilitate transactions within and between local energy ecosystems: from the appliance level to energy generation, storage, and consumption.
We are the backbone of the new tokenised energy ecosystem, building out the global clean energy ecosystem wherever you are, device by device.
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