TO reduce green house gas emissions, we have to shift our dependency on fossil fuel power stations to renewable energy. The challenges are how to upgrade the transmission and distribution network to make the electric grid flexible and resilient enough to accommodate renewable energy.
In order for the power grid to function, demand for energy must exactly match supply. Solar power runs the risk of providing either too much energy or not enough, as it cannot easily adjust output. Adding green power, which only provides power at intermittent and unpredictable times, makes the power grid more fragile, especially in developing countries. Power demand is relatively predictable, and conventional power plants, like nuclear plants and natural gas, can adjust output accordingly. Peak power demand also occurs in the evening, when solar power is going offline.
Suppliers of solar electricity in Kyushu, southwest Japan, have suspended power generation to help balance supply and demand. Apart from on remote islands, it was the first time that electricity suppliers in Japan have been requested to put their production on hold according to NHK, Japan news report.
Kyushu Electric Power Company asked some suppliers recently to suspend power generation starting from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on that particular Saturday as the supply-and-demand balance was expected to be lost. An oversupply could lead to a massive blackout.
The company projected that supply would outstrip demand by 430,000 kilowatts at a daytime peak time as clear skies prevailed over the Kyushu region on that day.
Kyushu is blessed with abundant sunshine, and solar generation has increased seven-fold in the region since the government introduced a scheme 6 years ago that requires utilities to purchase electricity produced by businesses and households using renewable energy sources.