3FOOD

Third Industrial Revolution Consulting Group
Specific technological trends that can be identified are:
Wind turbines are now manufactured in very large numbers and represent a mature
technology. Still, significant developments continue. Turbine sizes for the offshore
market are increasing, driven by the high cost of foundations and installation. Turbines
rated up to 8 MW and with diameters greater than 170m are already installed, with
designs reaching 12 MW and 200m.
Further developments in wind turbine technology include light, flexible blades and
aerodynamic control devices, as well as innovations in transmission systems, new
sensors, and smart control systems.
For solar PV technologies, materials such as graphene have the potential to increase
efficiencies dramatically. Combining the expected market growth and the historical cost
reduction, it is clear that by 2025 solar PV will be the cheapest form of electricity in
many regions of the world, driving several changes in the power system.
For power converter technologies, wide bandgap semiconductors are capable of higher
switching frequencies (kHz) and blocking voltages (upward of tens to hundreds of kV),
while providing for lower switching losses, better thermal conductivities, and the ability
to withstand higher operating temperatures, increasing the reliability and efficiency of
next-generation electric grids.
Microgrids are localized power grids that operate in synchrony with, or independently
from, the main grid. They are, by definition, a distribution network that incorporates a
variety of possible distributed energy resources that can be optimized and aggregated
into a single system that can balance loads and generation, with or without energy
storage, and is capable of islanding whether connected or not connected to a traditional
utility power grid. As such, they offer resilience against weather disasters, and both
physical and cyber disruptions to the main power grid.
Over the next decade, we expect a steep decline in battery energy storage prices and a
correspondingly rapid increase in home energy storage solutions. This development,
which is driven in part by the rapid rise of renewables in the energy mix, will pave the
way for a growing number of electricity prosumers.
Technological developments are starting to make demand response management
(DRM) solutions possible that combine the benefits of both approaches, resulting in
much more viable DRM options that create much-needed flexibility for variable wind
and solar integration. By 2025, DRM will be an indispensable service to prosumers and,
as such, will provide retailers and aggregators with a tool to differentiate their services
in new ways.
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