Recently, Sesame Solar, an energy systems company in Michigan, USA, has launched the world's first mobile nano-grid using 100% renewable energy. The power grid is equipped with solar panels, battery energy storage systems and electrolyzed water hydrogen production equipment. It can not only freely choose the size for modular customization, but also can be easily transported to any place, opening up a new way for remote and backward off-grid areas to use electricity. s solution.
In fact, in recent years, the power industry has been seeking to make full use of distributed generation, and more efficient, more reliable, and more economical small and micro grids have emerged, becoming an advantageous option for free power supply.
According to Sesame Solar, the overall size of this mobile nanogrid is equivalent to a two-axle trailer or a standard shipping container. The cost of each unit is $100,000 to $300,000. It can be up and running in minutes and can fully meet the needs of several weeks. Emergency power supply. In addition, the grid can connect communication equipment and even charge electric trucks and electric bicycles. It is worth mentioning that the grid is also equipped with water electrolysis hydrogen production equipment, which can use solar energy to produce hydrogen when there is sufficient sunlight, thereby charging hydrogen fuel cells.
The structure of the entire grid is very strong and can run for 20 years. The solar panels in it can operate in the conditions of 0 degrees Celsius to 49 degrees Celsius, and the battery system can also be charged and discharged in the range of -20 degrees Celsius to 60 degrees Celsius, which can withstand hurricanes, Extreme weather such as heavy rain or other sudden disasters.
Nanogrids are small microgrids that can not only be installed locally or move freely, but also create a coordinated response to support other networks in an emergency.
Navigant, a power grid research institution, pointed out that compared with other microgrids and backbone power grids, nanogrids are less complex in technology, have a small power supply range, and have relatively single application scenarios. However, they have great development prospects in emergency power consumption scenarios.
In fact, as the cost of solar and energy storage technologies falls, nanogrids will have more room for development. The American Solar Energy Industry Association pointed out that in the past 10 years, the cost of installing solar panels has fallen by more than 70%, and the price of lithium-ion batteries has dropped by about 80%, making nanogrids increasingly competitive in the market.
Taking California as an example, a household in the state with an average monthly electricity consumption of 880 kWh will cost about $220 per month. If a nanogrid equipped with 6 kW solar panels and a 20 kWh battery energy storage system is deployed, although The entire cost is as high as $45,000, but according to the current financing rate in the United States, it is equivalent to a monthly electricity bill of $270. You can get a fixed electricity price by paying only $50 more, and you no longer have to worry about sudden power outages.
In fact, small and micro grids are especially suitable for remote areas where it is inconvenient to build large-scale grids. At the end of June, India's Tata Power announced that it will deploy 1,000 microgrids in rural India, all using solar power, to be built in farmland next to the village, including diesel generator batteries and equipment with storage batteries and automatic remote monitoring systems. .
According to a study by the Energy, Environment and Water Research Council of India, rural households in India use an average of 19.9 hours of electricity per day, with large differences between states. Among them, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which have deployed small microgrids, performed relatively well.
Infinergia, a renewable energy market research and consulting company, pointed out that based on factors such as population density, service level and grid connection distance, small and independent grids have the most advantages, and the quality of power supply service can be comparable to that of extended grids, but the deployment cost is lower than that of extended grids. In the past few years, 8 African countries including Kenya and Nigeria have successively issued more than 75 small-scale grid project bidding announcements, and have also formulated many preferential policies for the development of small-scale grids, including on-grid tariffs and subsidies.
Currently, international funding to drive the development of off-grid solutions continues to grow. For example, in late June, CrossBoundary Energy Access, Africa’s first microgrid project financier, received $50 million in funding from Bank of America, the Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund and others to develop solar microgrids. The agency plans to invest $150 million over the next two years to provide clean energy to 1 million people in Africa, and microgrids are its priority
