Over the last couple of years, the latest energy policies to face the world’s growing number of ecological problems have all stressed the need to increase the weighting of renewable energy sources in energy generation. However, despite technological and logistical advances, what remains in favour of matured, conventional energy sourcing, and in the way of a more assured adoption of renewable energy generation, is still today simply a question of reliability. Can we risk the blackouts associated with a technological teenage tantrum? Apparently not; so like all good parents, national governments throughout the UN are investing into a strategic compromise. And they call it – the ‘Embedded Generation’.

Embedded generation is one of the possibilities to implement a reliable, economical and all round less harmful power generational structure than the one we have now. Using a combination of renewable and conventional energy sources, you could see its design as a handshake between the past and the present, in view of agreeing on a more sustainable future.

Now, as was mentioned, one of renewable energy’s largest determining constraints is its unreliable nature. This statement can be taken quite literally, as still in its fledgling stages renewable energy generation relies heavily on a direct relationship with its source; for example, solar power with the sun, or wind turbines with the wind. And this is not to outline a negative situation. After all, a principle objective for renewable energy must be that it creates such a relationship in order to achieve the much desired ‘sustainable element’. But, unfortunately for us, modern times and current infrastructure dictates the needs and necessities of our day to day living; which is why for a succession of unpredictable power cuts to hit the UK could result in utter catastrophe. And this, we can be sure, is not at all desirable.

So in order to traverse the pitfalls of zero power, national energy policies are investing in embedded generation to help renewable power get up to speed with current demand. And the most manageable set of training-wheels we’ve got right now is – the microgrid. A microgrid is a community level embedded generation system which incorporates local loads and micro-sources of energy. In other words, it can operate by itself or connect directly to the national grid depending on the source capabilities and power requirements it is providing for. There is also hypothetical work being engineered on connecting one microgrid to another near by microgrid – where one supports the other in times of need or excess generation.

According to current standards, microgrids are technologically capable to meet expected performance rates; but, alas, we wait on the inevitable ‘price tag’ of tradability and ownership before they can make bold steps into the big wide world. But here at EcoSwitch we’ve got a good feeling about this one. Watch this space, as they say.