Join The Smart Grid For A Greener Home

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Renewable energy is growing fast and causing new problems for our power system. We need to change how we think and we can all do our part.

Energy production is changing for the better. Germany produced 64% of its electricity from renewable sources on Monday. This is 15% more than last year. It's great news, but there's a problem. Renewable energy can't be controlled. It's a challenge.

We add more fuel to a fossil-fuel power plant for extra electricity. But we cannot control the sun and wind. We can only predict them for a short time.

We used to adjust energy production to consumption at peak times. But now, we have to adjust energy consumption to availability. The smart home is important for this. But, more work needs to be done.

Energy sources in the US and Europe are different. In the US, 60% of energy comes from fossil fuels and 21.5% from renewables. Each state in the US has a different energy mix. Some states are as big as European countries.

Variable Tariffs For Electricity Needed

Electricity is sold in Germany on the EEX exchange, where prices change hourly. An auction is held at noon the day before and prices are announced from 12:40 onwards. If more renewable energy is used, there will be more fluctuations. We should make the most of this.

In America, they call the idea of paying for electricity based on the time of day "time-of-use" (TOU). Smart meters make this possible, but only some utility providers in certain states offer it.

Over in another part of the world, there are multiple companies offering flexible electricity rates, like Tibber. They operate in Berlin. The way it works is that customers pay a flat fee each month, and every other cost is added on directly. This includes taxes and network fees, among other things. It matches the EEX exchange price.

A tariff is an easy way to get everyone to help. It controls energy use by rewarding people who use it at certain times. If you join in, you can save money.

There are countless options. You can set the smart dishwasher to turn on whenever it's best for you. The electric car can charge when it's cheapest. With a heat pump, you can heat up your hot water tank at the perfect time. It's all about being in control.

You can get power from any plug. You can put it back into the home grid using an inverter. You can fill up batteries at home during cheap times. You can use the stored energy instead of expensive grid power. The conversion process loses some energy. Good inverters are usually 80% efficient.

It's possible to sell cheap electricity back to the grid through the house grid when the demand is high or energy prices rise. This can be done through solar cells or home energy storage systems. Some people are already using electric cars for bi-directional charging to act as a backup battery for the grid, even though it might void warranties.

By 2023, over 1 million e-cars will be in Germany. With 65 kWh battery capacity, the total is 65 GWh. The largest pumped storage power plant in Germany, Goldisthal, is 1 GWh. E-cars have enormous potential, even if drivers only use some battery power to keep enough range.

Modern power stations can now act as storage facilities for the grid. The LiFePO4 technology makes it possible to use them for a decade with daily charging and discharging. They can also earn money as part of a decentralized buffer storage system. An EcoFlow PowerStream battery inverter can feed the stored electricity into both home and power grids.

Daylight.eco is launching a battery in Germany. It will refuel cheaply and feed electricity back into the home grid. It's like a balcony power plant. The battery pays for itself in a few years. It saves money and reduces strain on the grid. Launching late this summer.

No Standards: A Major Issue

Why doesn't the electricity grid regulate itself? We need better hardware, like digital meters that can track hourly consumption with devices like Tibber Pulse. However, the smart meters in the US have inconsistent protocols and can't work together, plus there are regulatory hurdles.

Area-wide two-way meters are better than pure consumption meters. Solar system owners have been required to use them for a long time. These meters can measure consumption precisely and also allow for feed-in. This means solar system owners can be paid accordingly.

We should have a variable feed-in tariff instead of a fixed feed-in tariff. It should work like consumption tariffs. It should encourage people to buy bidirectional wall boxes or power stations. These boxes can put electricity back into the grid. This makes the grid less strained.

It's hard to get to clean energy because there are still a lot of rules. Even European countries are having trouble with paperwork for feed-in regulations. In the US, the rules change from state to state. Most of the time, they focus on big projects instead of individual homeowners.

For the big energy transition, everyone must join in and the government must help. Germany will have more dynamic electricity tariffs soon and we need to know how to use them. We need less rules getting in the way.

The German government is making progress with their PV strategy. Bureaucratic hurdles for solar systems and balcony power plants will be reduced soon. This is just the beginning and there is still more work to be done. We at NextPit want to help. Let's take small steps together.

Stefan Möllenhoff is in charge of creating content.

Since 2004, I've written about technology, loving smartphones, photography, and IoT. I'm really into smart homes and AI. I cook pizza often with my Ooni Koda 16. To keep healthy, I wear two fitness trackers and exercise daily. I think you can DIY lots of things, like solar power.