Hive Power, a provider of innovative smart grid solutions, in just a few years has managed to forge strong partnerships and work with some of the largest hardware and software providers in the energy and mobility sector (Sorgenia, SmartEN, Free2Move eSolutions, and Haier). The Swiss company was also awarded the Watt d'Or 2023 for the project, launched in March 2019, of the Lugaggia Innovation Center.
As Gianluca Corbellini, CEO and co-founder of the company founded in 2017 in Switzerland, explains, "2023 marks an important step forward for Italy toward a more sustainable and resilient energy future. Smart grid technologies and evolving solutions in the sector represent a key opportunity to incentivize and simplify the path toward greater energy efficiency and increasingly integrated use of renewable energy. With our cutting-edge solutions, we are excited to be an active part of this transformation and are committed to exploring new possibilities every day to meet the needs of citizens, businesses and institutions."
Here are the five trends, related to smart grid technology, that Hive Power says will affect the entire course of 2023.
- Integrated renewable energy
The energy sector is increasingly talking about distributed energy resources (DERs): renewable energy sources such as residential solar panels, wind turbines, or small biomass power plants that can provide a clean and efficient means of generating power. However, incorporating DERs into the power grid following the traditional one-way scheme is complex and less cost-effective: both from the efficiency and cost and revenue perspectives. Smart grids serve, therefore, to ensure the integration of these new energy sources into the existing infrastructure, enabling intelligent distribution according to the needs of users and the power grid itself.
- The charging of the future? Smart and bi-directional
In recent years we are witnessing a surge in electric vehicle (EV) registrations: suffice it to say that, in March, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport reported that the percentage of electric vehicles (EVs) in Italy increased by 40.8 percent compared to the same period last year. This increase assumes that, in the short term, the number of smart charging stations will also grow and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology will be cleared. Smart charging stations, in fact, are able to communicate with the grid to adjust charging speed and time based on demand, while V2G technologies, allow electric cars to function as immense batteries: storing energy when possible and feeding it back into the grid to meet energy demand when demand peaks.
- Storage systems: as banks for the power grid
Storage systems are, for the electricity grid, a kind of portable charger: they provide greater flexibility in managing energy supply and demand, storing when demand is low and releasing energy during peak periods. According to data reported within ANIE's annual report, as early as 2022, thanks to the renewal of some incentives by the Italian government, such as building bonuses and credit transfer, there had been a dramatic increase in demand for these devices. This year their adoption will depend on the expected legislation on renewable energy communities and, again, on the means of incentives that the government will be able to propose to citizens, although the outlook seems to confirm the trend of the previous year.
- Small but mighty: the "micro" energy distribution
One of the most innovative technologies available to us today to facilitate the transition to decentralized and sustainable energy production are microgrids: small local distribution systems, complete in everything and capable of operating both independently and in connection with the national power grid. But why micro distribution grids? This type of grid offers greater resilience, reduced energy costs, and also better power quality. In 2023, the adoption of this technology is expected to increase, especially in rural and poorer areas, due to their ability to operate without the support of the normal power grid.
- Artificial intelligence and its impact on energy
The complexity and dynamism behind decentralized electricity grids makes artificial intelligence (AI) indispensable to optimally manage the large amount of data from, for example, smart meters. In 2023, we can therefore expect to see an increasing use of AI algorithms in the management of smart grids. These will be able to predict demand patterns, identify potential problems before they occur, and optimize grid operation. Currently, a number of innovative solutions are already available in the market to facilitate energy flow management, such as FLEXO, Hive Power's AI engine that optimizes appliance, solar and electric vehicle charging schedules by analyzing weather and renewable sources and guiding energy-conscious consumers.
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