As we use more electricity for things like cars and heating, power distribution systems are becoming more stressed—especially as our electric grids get older—and power outages are becoming more impactful. But what if the local solar panels, batteries, or even electric cars and heaters themselves could help keep the lights on?
That’s the big idea in a new study published in Optimization and Engineering. Robert Mieth, RCEI Affiliate, is a co-author on this study that explored how local energy resources (called Distributed Energy Resources, or DERs) can be used more intelligently to directly boost the reliability of the power distribution system—the “last mile” of the grid that delivers electricity to homes and businesses.
The authors created a mathematical model that doesn’t just look at how much energy costs or how much is needed. It also predicts how hot weather and heavy use might cause equipment to fail, leading to a loss of service in parts of the grid. By including both these “context” factors (like temperature) and “decision” factors (like how we operate the system), the model can plan how to run local energy resources in a way that keeps the system reliable and keeps costs down.
To test this, they ran the model on a distribution test network and found it could cut the expected cost of power outages by about 22.6% by reducing the likelihood of an equipment failure. That matters for climate and energy, because it shows how local renewable energy—like rooftop solar and batteries—can help us deal with rising demand and extreme weather, without expensive grid upgrades.
“If we factor in the potential costs of a grid failure—not just the day-to-day operating costs—we can unlock much more value from local energy resources and the way we manage and control them,” said Mieth.
This kind of smarter planning could help utilities and communities keep power more reliable as the climate changes and energy use keeps growing.
You can read the full study here.
This article was written with assistance from Artificial Intelligence, was reviewed and edited by Oliver Stringham, and was reviewed and edited by Robert Mieth, a co-author on the study.
