As the move away from fossil fuels happens, our consumption of electricity will only increase as we use it to heat our homes and power our cars and as we become ever more reliant on technology and electronic devices in all areas of our lives. With an eye to the future, energy providers and technology companies are busy working on ways to help consumers to use energy in smarter ways. Technology is powering the evolution of green energy, allowing homes and businesses to be smarter about sustainability and energy efficiency.
Huawei predicts that by 2030, renewables will account for more than 50 per cent of all electricity generation globally – but, as consumers, we can deepen the impact of greener electricity supplies by making smarter choices around our energy usage and maximising efficiencies.
“Nowadays the average home or business owner in Ireland has the capability to reduce their annual electricity costs from anything from 40 per cent to 80 per cent with the correctly sized and designed solar PV system,” says Peter Russell, solar director, Huawei Ireland.
Maximising the impact of solar panels comes down to innovative technologies which allow the optimisation of energy generation, storage and usage, to make the most savings – and also potentially sell energy back to the grid. “Customers using a Huawei smart solar solution will ensure they can maximise the energy potential of their roof space,” says Russell.
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This year will see the launch of Emma, an energy-management system to complement the existing Huawei FusionSolar ecosystem, which can make smarter use of energy around the home. “Emma can offer accurate estimations of PV power generation and household electricity consumption by learning from data about weather conditions and user habits. It automatically adjusts the system for the best working mode, delivering clean solar power while ensuring optimum use of energy,” says Russell. In Ireland, Huawei solar PV systems are supplied though regional value-added partners, who in turn supply wholesalers.
In addition, smart digital electricity meters which are being rolled out across State by ESB Networks, are helping people to make smarter choices by monitoring daily usage and to become more mindful about using electricity at times when it costs more. By changing energy-consumption behaviours based on real data and insights, consumers should be able to reduce their bills as well as their carbon footprints.