imagining energy with beckn

Global Strides Towards Renewable

Energy Ascent

As the world commits to a more sustainable future, the march towards renewable energy is accelerating at an unprecedented pace. In the year 2023, global renewable capacity additions saw an increase of nearly 50%, reaching around 510 gigawatts, marking the fastest growth rate in two decades and setting new records for consecutive years. This surge is a response to a combined force of policy support across more than 130 countries, growing energy security concerns, and the competitive edge renewables have achieved over fossil fuels.

The transformative power of solar photovoltaics (PV) is leading the charge, with two-thirds of the year’s increase attributed to this technology. The demand for residential and commercial solar systems has soared, driven by high electricity prices and the quest for energy independence, particularly in Europe. This shift has resulted in distributed solar PV systems making up half of the year’s solar PV deployment. Onshore wind capacity is also making significant strides, expected to rebound by 70% in 2023.

Looking forward, the International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts that renewable energy sources will account for over 42% of global electricity generation by 2028, with wind and solar PV doubling their share to 25%. This trajectory aligns with the ambitious global goals set at the COP28 conference, aiming to triple the world’s installed renewable energy capacity by 2030. Achieving these objectives will require concerted efforts across the globe, from G20 nations, which hold almost 90% of current renewable capacity, to emerging economies that are yet to harness their full renewable potential.

As renewable technologies like wind and solar PV continue to become more cost-competitive, their role in the global power mix is expected to increase, with the potential to surpass coal as the largest source of electricity generation. The European Union, the United States, China, and India are at the forefront of this renewable expansion.

Evolving Energy Dynamics:

Emerging Patterns

Reflecting on the evolving energy landscape as mentioned above, the future points towards a substantial increase in energy storage solutions, diversified generation methods, and a heightened demand for EVs and related services.

With electric vehicle (EV) sales climbing, there’s a corresponding surge in the infrastructure to support them, with a proliferation of charging stations and battery swap facilities to meet the increasing demand.

Underpinned by advances in battery technology, more extensive use of household and EV batteries, along with commercial battery banks will propel a surge in storage needs. This expansion is crucial to balance the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources and maintain a consistent energy supply.

Moreover, the uptake in trends of diversified energy generation will likely see an expanded set of individuals evolve from consumers to ‘prosumers’. Adoption of solar rooftops, biogas processors, and wind turbines signifies a move towards more localised and sustainable energy production methods. Such changes reflect a more active and participatory role in the energy ecosystem.

The Interoperability Challenge: Streamlining The Green Energy Ecosystem

In the vibrant landscape of a clean transition, a multitude of startups and companies are forging ahead with innovations in EV charging, energy storage, and management, each contributing to a cleaner, more sustainable future. Innovations in battery as a service, battery-to-grid, vehicle-to-grid, virtual power plants and smart demand response management are already demonstrating cost and efficiency benefits to multiple stakeholders. These initiatives reflect a genuine and effective commitment to meeting the evolving needs of the energy sector. However, a notable observation is that many of these efforts, while impactful in their own right, are often conducted in silos, operating independently. All of which then are resulting into another digital platform, targeting the same set of consumers through a new channel of distribution.

This presents an opportunity for a paradigm shift. Can we affect accelerated green energy transition by unifying this fragmented ecosystem? In the current energy marketplace, how can one ease adoption and make user and provider interactions more seamless? How can scattered energy resources be unified and discovered easily? Given the urgency of green transitions, is there a way to accelerate innovation and efforts to address the complex problem of climate action?

By embracing interoperability among these diverse platforms, we can unify the efforts to create a more accessible and inclusive ecosystem. Interoperability is not just a technical solution; it’s a catalyst for multiplying the positive impacts of each initiative. It paves the way for accelerated adoption of green technologies, enhancing access and transaction for larger user and provider groups.

Beckn for Energy: Simplifying Energy Transactions

To mitigate fragmentation in the energy sector, Beckn Protocol advocates for interoperability across diverse and disparate digital systems. It establishes interconnected networks for seamless discovery and transaction of resources which in this specific context are energy services and its derivatives. A key example is India’s Unified Energy Interface (UEI), utilizing Beckn for a unified energy and associated services transaction network.

UEI aims to create a cohesive ecosystem that integrates a variety of digital solutions related to energy, such as electric vehicle (EV) charging, battery swapping, access to renewable energy sources, access to idle energy storage devices and many more. By adopting a standardized language for communication, UEI enables different platforms—whether they are established entities or new entrants—to interact with each other to enable discovery and transaction. This fosters an inclusive yet competitive environment that encourages innovation. This interface not only simplifies transactions but also propels the sector towards more efficient and sustainable energy use.

Below, we present a series of use cases enabled by Beckn for energy, contextualized within the Unified Energy Interface (UEI) implementation for easier understanding.

Example 1: Simplifying EV Charging

Consider an EV user searching for a nearby charging station. In the current scenario, this task often involves switching between multiple apps to find the most suitable charger – one that is both closest and available when needed. However, with the implementation of UEI, this process becomes much more straightforward.

Through UEI, an EV user can use their preferred app, whether it’s an OEM app like Volkswagen or Kia, an aggregator like ChargePoint, or even a general app like Google Maps or WhatsApp, to find all available charging options in their area. This unified system enhances discoverability for users and increases utilisation for Charging Point Operators (CPOs), creating a win-win situation.

The increased ease of finding and using charging stations leads to more investment in infrastructure, resulting in a denser network of chargers. This expansion reduces range anxiety for EV users and can initiate a positive cycle that accelerates EV adoption by aligning incentives and convenience.

Example 2: Idle to Ideal - Transforming Energy Storage

Imagine the vast amount of energy storage devices across regions that remain idle at various times – the EV parked in an office lot, the home inverter battery during work hours when homes are empty, or school buses sitting unused most of the day. These are all examples of untapped energy storage potential. With UEI, we can aggregate and utilise these idle energy storages to support intermittent renewable energy producers. This system enhances the usability and efficiency of renewable power generated during low-demand periods in an effective manner.

Furthermore, this approach offers asset owners, like those with batteries or EVs, an opportunity to monetize their assets. By utilising these resources during idle times, owners can reduce the overall cost of ownership. This improved storage and reuse system also contributes to reducing the cost of renewable energy, making it more affordable for daily use. The UEI thus not only optimises energy efficiency but also opens up new economic avenues in the renewable energy sector.

Early Innovation and Future of UEI

A technical demonstration in Bangalore showcased UEI’s capabilities in a real-world setting, affirming its potential for diverse implementations. Early innovators on UEI such as Kazam, Pulse Energy, Sheru, and Turno have joined hands to set up a hardware and software prototype which enables a consumer to charge their EV with cheaper green energy through UEI from their choice of Charging Point Operators (CPO). It then allows the CPO to exchange that demand note with ‘Energy storage aggregators’ present on UEI network and release green energy to the grid stored in a remote battery bank, through the interfacing energy distributor and balance off the earlier consumption.

With such proof points, one EV charging software platform in Bangalore, India is aiming to increase utilisation rates for over 15,000 charging stations and enhance accessibility for 100,000+ EV drivers within three years. Another example is a cloud energy storage platform for grid operators from New Delhi, India, planning to aggregate at least 1 GWh storage capacity in the next five years.

A Sustainable and Digital Future

The journey towards a sustainable and digitally empowered future, highlighted by shifts like the Unified Energy Interface (UEI), is not just a story of progress, but an open invitation for collaboration and action. This transformation reshapes our economic and environmental outlook, accelerating the transition to a cleaner tomorrow. Beckn’s implementation is a significant milestone in that journey, offering a future where energy transactions are more straightforward and renewable energy is an integral part of our daily lives.

This journey, however, is continuous and requires collective effort. It’s an opportunity for policymakers, innovators, and stakeholders to contribute to this movement. We stand at a pivotal moment where policy modifications, technology demonstrations and embracing new innovations like aggregation of idle batteries or distributed green energy distribution, can accelerate our path to a greener future. It’s a call to action for all to consolidate the efforts already underway and hasten the shift to an energy-efficient, sustainable world.

sources:

1. https://www.iea.org/reports/renewables-2023/executive-summary
2. IEA Renewable Report, 2023
3. IEA Renewable Report, 2023

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