Jos Meeuwsen from the Technical University Eindhoven has created quite a stir by conceptualizing what could prove to be the ideal solution to upgrading the outdated electricity grids across Europe to meet increasing demand.

Post-doctoral research, which he didn’t even intend for publication, has been picked up by a number of science and technical news sites and portals throughout the EU. In it, he sets out three scenarios for the future of the electricity grid demonstrating that in the future everyone who is connected to it will be able to upload and download packages of electrcity to and from the network.

He says that due to security of supply, electricity networks will always be necessary but that it is important to include all possible energy options (including sustainable, coal and nuclear) in scenario development. However, engineers face “new and considerable challenges” in the areas of network and system integration and the development and implementation of new technology.

His vision of the future includes: ‘super networks’, which consist of large-scale production locations, transportation via high voltages, a considerable import of sustainable energy (biomass) and energy from off-shore wind farms. ‘Hybrid networks’ would include large plants with high voltages that originate from offshore wind parks and large biomass stations. Additonally, small-scale generation takes place in and around cities and villages (wind, biomass and solar energy). Finally, in the ‘local’ scenario the number of local generators (micro-cogeneration units, solar panels, small-scale biomass plants) at neighbourhood level and land-based wind turbines will supply demand. Large, industrial processes and small consumers would still make part use of electricity from large-scale production resources.

Whilst businesses and consumers are being urged to be more energy efficient and reduce demand, one of the primary stumbling blocks to improvement in the demand/supply ratio is the outmoded electricity network. In a world where everything is converging towards consumer choice, this is the last bastion of old Henry Ford’s “……so long as it’s Black” philosophy wherby consumers will buy what’s available because it’s available. Those days are rapidly diminishing; ask anyone in the music business how difficult it is to sell ‘packaged’ CDs containing songs from one artist these days.

In Meeuwsen’s world, there will be a step-by-step integration of energy technology, ICT and power electronics that may result in an electricity system that exhibits similarities with the internet. Everyone connected could then, within limits, upload and download packages of electrical energy whenever they wanted.