Battery storage is going to play an increasingly important role in the evolution of the provision and consumption of electricity services. We take a look at why batteries are becoming so important, the benefits of battery storage to both energy suppliers and consumers, and how Advizzo can help encourage energy customers to deploy battery storage solutions in their homes.
Why battery storage must be encouraged?
The role of battery storage solutions is becoming increasingly important because the following factors are converging:
- As part of global climate change mitigation, power systems are becoming decentralized – epitomized by the growing penetration of distributed generation and more recently, energy storage.
- There’s been a proliferation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) that enable energy to be produced, transmitted and consumed more intelligently and efficiently.
- We’ve seen a growth in variable renewable energy sources such wind and solar.
- Energy consumers are becoming more aware, active and price-responsive and are looking for ways to decrease their energy bills.
- The increase in Electric Vehicles (EVs) is also going to cause a pressing need for increased energy storage to cater for demand.
Within the next 1-3 years every car manufacturer will have an electric offering in every vehicle segment. We’ll need more storage to offset the peak loads and manage the increased volatility of loads. And since renewables are now the cheapest power on the grid right now, we’ll need a lot more storage to manage that intermittency.
Energy suppliers and industry stakeholders recognize the value of storing energy for times when it’s not available on the grid from renewable resources. That’s why there’s now a pressing need to rapidly expand programs to increase deployment of behind-the-meter (BTM) battery storage.
Benefits of battery storage
The good news is that battery storage offers significant benefits to consumers, as well as utilities. Energy customers can sure up their electric supply and minimize power disruptions. And they can reduce their energy bills by discharging their batteries during their peak demand hours.
How can we help?
There’s no point wasting precious time, resource and money target marketing battery storage offerings to customers who simply aren’t going to be receptive to it at this time. You’ll get far better return on your efforts and investment if you promote battery storage offerings to customers who are likely to be interested. For example, a customer that already has an EV might also consider installing solar panels.
Using data, we can segment your customers to establish the appropriate subgroup of customers to target. We then apply the behavioral science based theory of ‘nudging’ to all our customer engagement programs – with proven success. Nudging is based on the theory that people are often unable to make good decisions when they lack experience, context, knowledge or are overcome with inertia.
More often than not, we allow our autonomous nervous system to make decisions on our behalf, bypassing the conscious thinking process. The solution involves guiding people in the right direction – towards the more beneficial option. You can read more about the theory of nudges in our blog, ‘How a nudge can help your customers save energy and water’. Over a decade of behavioral economics research has revealed that ‘nudges’ are highly effective in influencing consumer behaviors.
Our customer communications can also encourage customers with battery storage to optimize their energy usage – encouraging them to use their battery at appropriate times, and therefore save the grid.
It’s what we’re doing for SMUD in Sacremento
We’re working with Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) on a decarbonization and Time of Day awareness program. The aim of the program is to reduce carbon cumulatively by providing customers with tailored messaging relating to their electricity consumption and personalized decarbonization tips to encourage customers to change their behavior and reduce their consumption, especially during peak periods. We are also encouraging customers to switch from gas powered systems to electric powered systems, as well as increasing the use of PV, EV Battery storages, and efficient electric appliances.
With increased uptake of batteries and more efficient use of stored energy we will be well on our way to a cleaner, more reliable grid system that can be efficiently supported by our renewable energy supply. Get in touch today and let us help you get more customers storing and using their own energy!