The concept of Building-to-Grid (BtG) integration entails exchange of energy data information between the buildings and the grid. This exchange enables the buildings to act as distributed energy assets for the grid thereby resulting in a more efficient, green and reliable energy system. Considering the ever-growing demand of electricity in the cities; the evolution of distributed generation; the advent of smart metering, control and sensing technology, the integration of the buildings and the power grid will become inevitable in smart cities of the future. According to US Department of Energy, building to grid integration offers multiple benefits including but not limited to: energy savings for the buildings; efficient utilization of grid resources; more stable grid with better control over frequency; deferral of investments in power sector.
The potential economic benefits of building to grid integration are massive in magnitude. With intermittent electrical power sources such as photovoltaic systems installed in the buildings along with smart meters and sensors, grid operators will be able to use these distributed resources to support the grid when required. These energy transactions between the building and the grid could potentially result in saving billions of dollars. South Asian countries house nearly 1.83 billion people and one of the most densely populated countries on the planet. To realise the sustainable development of SAARC Member States, futuristic concepts like smart cities and building-to-grid integration could play vital roles.
SEC, under its thematic area of “Programme to Successfully Implement Technology Transfer” (POSIT), successfully conducted a webinar on “Building to Grid Integration”. The webinar was a 2 hours long activity and consisted of presentations from experts from USA and Spain on BtG integration. The motive was to educate participants from SAARC Member States on the importance of building-to-grid integration.
During the webinar, experts shared their knowledge about underlying concept of Grid Interactive Buildings; their characteristics; demand management provided by such buildings; benefits arising from interaction between the grid and the buildings; on-going research. A comprehensive discussion on the evolution of grid to accommodate technological changes; aggregator models; data models and data processing required to coordinate the available resources for grid support was also a part of the webinar.
The Webinar was broadcasted from the office of SAARC Energy Centre, Islamabad on 9th June, 2020.
All material relevant to the webinar can be accessed using the provided links below:
Webinar Concept Paper and Webinar Agenda
- Webinar Report, Click Here
- Concept Paper of the Webinar, Click Here
- Agenda of the Webinar, Click Here
Presentation During Webinar
- Presentation on Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings by Mr. Jack Mayernik, Sr. Energy Analyst, Click Here
- Presentation on Is The Electrical Distribution Ready fora Revolution? by Mr. Pablo Arboleya, Associate Professor, University of Oviedo Spain. Click Here