Electrification refers to the process of replacing technologies that use fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. The Paris Agreement, so called as it was signed by nations at COP21 in Paris back in 2015, is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. Adopted by 196 parties it has accelerated the development of technologies around the world to reduce the impact of greenhouse gases on the rising temperature of the planet. Recent geo-political factors have further accelerated the transition as countries look to secure resilience in their energy supplies.
The transition is rapid, and this raises many challenges and opportunities for engineering and technology companies globally.
Changes to energy generation
The technology to deliver energy from solar and wind has existed for a number of years, however it is in the last decade that there has been significant growth in renewable energy generation across Europe. Solar Power Europe reported in their recent annual report that the number of solar installations across Europe has increased by a third in 2021 to almost 26 Gigawatts (GW). The growth of wind power in Europe far exceeds that of solar and is estimated to expand by a further 105 GW over the next five years according to Wind Europe.
Growth of e-mobility
There are approximately 20 million electric vehicles on the road today globally, according to Bloomberg’s Annual Electrical Vehicle Outlook 2022. With rising fuel prices and new fuel economy regulations in many countries, the adoption of electric vehicles as alternatives to fuel-powered vehicles is expected to rise dramatically. Bloomberg suggests the electric vehicle share of new vehicle sales market will grow to between 40 – 50 per cent in the UK, France and Germany by 2025.
Electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS) are critical to reducing the charging time for vehicles. A typical, compact vehicle can take between 24 and 36 hours to charge from a domestic mains supply. An EVCS provides one or three phase supply with a mains voltage at 230 volts or 400 volts or even 800 V in future, charging electric vehicles much faster.
Energy storage, distribution and associated control systems
The transition away from fossil fuel energy generation has presented new challenges for managing supply and demand. Traditionally large, centralised energy generation plants fired by coal and oil, or nuclear, may have been used to meet the base demand for a nation and distributed and gas fired power stations or hydro, that are quick to start up might be used to meet spikes in demand. Wind generation may fulfil large scale generation.
Although the intermittent nature of wind and solar, the second and third largest renewable energy sources after hydro, make them particularly problematic to manage in the grid system in its current guise. The growth of e-mobility presents a similar challenge for electricity production with user habits already suggesting a peak demand may be reached at 6pm when the population simultaneously plugs in their electric vehicle. Distributed energy resources (DER) are growing.
These new categories of renewable and associated assets are driven by the electrification of our society. Small scale solar generation for community use and local energy storage equipment, typically lithium-based batteries, are being used for the storage of intermittent energy generation. To manage the new supply and the new demand, control systems and software are being developed to help end users manage across energy resource assets.
Power quality for an electrified future
By far the most common form of gathering the energy from the sun is by using photovoltaic panels that transform the energy in the sun’s photons to knock electrons from atoms and cause a flow of electricity. The dynamic growth in photovoltaics for electricity production, is creating an ever-increasing demand for technicians who can manage, maintain and troubleshoot PV systems efficiently and effectively and manage the safe operation of the system. The trouble-shooters managing the installation and maintenance of solar panels and electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS) are sometimes similarly skilled technicians. In some cases where solar roof panels are connected to an EVCS the same person might test both.
Ensuring electricians have the tools to deliver an EVCS network
EVCS are critical to reducing the charging time for vehicles and are providing the infrastructure critical to driving uptake of electric vehicles. A typical, compact vehicle can take between 24 and 36 hours to charge from a domestic mains supply. An EVCS provides one or three phase supply with a mains voltage at 230 volts or 400 volts, charging electric vehicles much faster. The significant voltages present challenges for protecting user safety.
Testing of EVCS must be performed at regular intervals to ensure the safety and efficiency of the electric system for the safe use by owners of electric vehicles. There are local safety regulations, international and European standards, including the IEC/HD 60364-6, IEC/HD 60364-7-722 and IEC/EN 61851-1, to which installation and testing must adhere to.
Renewable Power quality
As the transition to renewable energy accelerates it’s also critical that installers and maintenance staff have access to the right training and instrumentation to get solar PV systems online fast and keep them working at peak performance.
Photovoltaics transform energy from the sun’s radiation into electricity, however the energy produced is “wild”, fluctuating with the strength of the sun and can cause safety issues. An inverter will convert the DC to AC, but an unconditioned AC voltage can cause various power quality issues.
Poor power quality can cause all sorts of problems for electrical equipment including lighting, computer systems, drive systems and motors. Harmonics can cause problems in infrastructure components like conductors and transformers whereas transients, sudden spikes in voltage, can cause sensitive electronic equipment failure. Power quality testing often requires technicians to collect data over a time period and analyse the results. There has been an increase in demand for high-precision handheld devices which can measure photovoltaic (PV) systems particularly for commercial, industrial and large scale (solar farm) installations.
Improving safety for operators in this field is driving innovation in specific solar installation testers, for periodic inspection of PV system on performance and safety. Tests are designed to ensure the systems are performing to their optimal power output as well as operating safely, according to IEC-62446-1 standards. To perform precise I-V curve measurements, real time irradiance and temperature data is needed. The wireless connectivity to capture and communicate this data real time, providing the most accurate I-V curve measurements is a much-needed innovation. Electrification has also increased the use of high voltage dc for applications such as solar arrays, wind power, electric railways, data centres, and battery banks for uninterrupted power supplies. It has driven increased demand for test and measurement tools that are specifically designed for technicians who work in dc environments up to 1500 V and keep them safe.
Working together
With commitments to make significant reductions to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by 2030, it is the infrastructure of EVCS and the availability of solar and wind generation that will drive adoption. Fluke has the expertise on the electrical side, and a long-standing commitment to meeting and exceeding safety in both product standards as well as training. With such ambitious targets, there is also a need for the industry to work together to learn from one another and figure out which new tools are needed to deliver the transition safely and effectively.
Author details: Zwannieta Speelman is Sales Program manager at Fluke Corporation
