As Earth Month Highlights Efforts to Reduce CO2, Solar and Storage Achieve Energy Security and Reliability

by Technica Communications
Energy

In honor of Earth Month, Swell Energy proudly joins the global community in celebrating environmental stewardship and reinforces our commitment to sustainability and innovation. This Earth Day, we shine a spotlight on the transformative power of solar energy and battery storage, as well as the opportunities of virtual power plants in the global effort to mitigate climate change.

The Global Impact of Climate Change

Global carbon dioxide emissions from all sectors have increased significantly since 1850. The majority of this increase is from increased fossil fuel consumption and industrial emissions.

As the world acts to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and address the harmful effects of climate change posed by escalating greenhouse gas emissions, solar energy plays a crucial role in mitigating climate change by offering an affordable and renewable alternative to traditional energy sources.

IPCC (2022), Emissions Trends and Drivers. In IPCC, 2022: Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA. doi: 10.1017/9781009157926.004

**Source: *EPA.gov

Sustainability and Efficiency: Solar Power Essentials

Apart from its ability to generate electricity when and where sunlight is present, solar energy is highly valued for having the following benefits:

  • Renewable Energy Source: This is the most obvious reason for going solar. Solar energy emits no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions while generating power.
  • Technological Innovation: Continued advancements in solar technology drive efficiency improvements and cost reductions, making solar power increasingly competitive with conventional fossil-based energy sources.
  • Cost Savings: Though upfront installation costs are higher, going solar is a money-saver in the long term. Electricity from fossil fuels costs between 5 and 17 cents per kilowatt-hour. Solar energy costs between 3 cents and 6 cents per kilowatt-hour and are trending down, according to ConsumerAffairs.com.
  • Energy Independence: As an alternative power generation source, solar energy improves energy security in the U.S. by reducing the need to rely on foreign energy imports.
  • Job Creation and Economic Growth: The solar industry creates jobs in manufacturing, installation, maintenance, and research, stimulating economic growth and providing opportunities for local communities.

The only real disadvantage of solar is that it isn't universally accessible yet. “Today, not every roof type is ideal for solar, and the payback period is not low enough to attract every income bracket,” notes EnergySage. Additionally, financing options are limited for some customers and renters who can’t install solar on their buildings have limited options to buy from community solar projects.

Another drawback of solar energy is that it is only available when the sun is shining. Addressing this shortfall, battery storage emerges as a crucial solution. Whether storing energy generated by colocated solar panels or sourced from excess renewable power generated by the local utility, batteries enable the availability of renewable power anytime. Moreover, batteries present additional advantages by enabling new value streams when participating in a virtual power plant.

Optimizing Energy Systems with Battery Technology

“Energy storage is, at its core, a resilience-enabling and reliability-enhancing technology,” notes the American Clean Power Association. “Across the country, states are choosing energy storage as the best and most cost-effective way to improve grid resilience and reliability.”

Batteries paired with solar are increasingly favored as backup power sources for both residential and commercial applications, driven by several compelling benefits:

  • Load Management and Waste Reduction: By storing excess energy produced during peak sunlight hours, energy storage systems can help reduce peak demand on the grid, lowering electricity costs and alleviating strain on infrastructure. Batteries also play a pivotal role in increasing self consumption of solar power and curbing energy waste.
  • Enhanced Grid Efficiency: Energy storage technology enables instantaneous dispatching, serving as a source of both power generation and as a load balancer. This capability aids in smoothing out supply-demand fluctuations, thereby optimizing grid efficiency and reducing overall system costs to the benefit of ratepayers.
  • Mitigation of Power Outages: By increasing the overall power supply, batteries can help prevent or reduce the risk of blackouts, fostering a cycle of reliability and resilience in the grid infrastructure. Batteries also provide a reliable source of backup power during grid outages, enhancing energy security.
  • Reduced Need for New Infrastructure: By smoothing out energy peaks and valleys, energy storage can defer the need for building new power plants or expanding grid infrastructure, saving money and reducing environmental impact.
  • Carbon Emission Reduction: Pairing energy storage with solar helps reduce reliance on fossil fuel-based backup power sources, leading to lower carbon emissions and contributing to climate change mitigation efforts.

Installing a Tesla Powerwall 3
Source: Renu Energy Solutions, a division of Swell Energy

Solar + Storage and Virtual Power Plant Solutions

At the core of Swell Energy's solutions are Virtual Power Plants, which involve the aggregation of Distributed Energy Resources like solar, batteries, electric vehicles, smart plugs, and thermostats. Virtual Power Plants are an important tool that further advance clean energy solutions by integrating customer sited solar and storage back into the grid and driving new value streams for all stakeholders. They provide numerous benefits, such as balancing energy supply and demand during peak periods, conducting fast frequency responses, absorbing excess renewable energy for delayed consumption, and more. Perhaps most exciting for customers is that virtual power plants bring new incentives that help buy down the cost of smart energy technologies like solar, storage, and other smart home energy devices.

At Swell Energy, every day we are building a more sustainable future by deploying solar and energy storage in our communities. With the help of our customers and key industry partners we are making great strides. We are proud of our key partnerships with Renu Energy Solutions; Sierra Club Angeles and Sierra Club Santa Barbara - Ventura Chapters; The Energy Coalition; GRID Alternatives; Batteries Plus; leading grid solutions provider Shifted Energy; LACI’s Clean Energy Partnership; RMI’s Virtual Power Plant Partnership; and our expansive list of network installers plus many more mission driven organizations are all working to build a more sustainable future.