Interview to Albert Mitjà, director of Renewable Energies in Schneider Electric
What does fault so that the autoconsumo with net balance take the definite impulse in our country?
Consider that they exist big opportunities in the field of the autoconsumo once approve the legislation that regulate it. The autoconsumo will allow, for example, that the user, that until this alone moment was consumer of power, can produce it and inject the excess to the network.
The autoconsumo is a first step, and is necessary for the transition to the intelligent networks. The generation of electricity distributed will integrate of effective way in the network like an element of efficiency and of gestión.
Schneider Electric is prepared to give answer to all the needs that can arise of this incipiente market. The company has solutions of photovoltaic covers, so much for the residential field, industrial like big covers, as well as kits photovoltaic from 3,3 until 100 kW. Besides, we have developing new technical solutions that can implement this new form of generation and that facilitate his implementation and gestión.
It considers that with a juridical frame more stable will attain this impulse?
Think that the manufacturers have accepted this challenge and have realised a considerable effort to turn into it a reality, giving like this the first necessary steps for his implementation. But we understand that to these have to add also other steps that facilitate his development so much regulatorio like official. Obviously, in our opinion, a frame regulatorio clear and simple will favour the adoption by the majority of the users, and to his time will create the conditions of optimum stability that guarantee his maturity and divulging, like the consequent profits so much for the own electrical system, as for the sector of the renewable.
In this sense, are very optimistic, since we consider that this goes to attain and that go to be able to take advantage of all the advantages of this new model of generation, and besides go to know give him the necessary form to be able to it do with the greater possible shortness. We can not us allow be of backs to this opportunity that can contribute us so many advantages.
It is the Spanish society the sufficiently mature to assume a so important change in the energetic model (the consumer happens also to be generator)?
Certainly, the autoconsumo enters a new figure, the ‘prosumer', that is that user that no longer only consumes power of the network, but it can produce it and inject the excess. We think that this new system of generation, the autoconsumo with net balance, can contribute big advantages to the users, putting to his disposal a less rigid system and more open.
The especially favourable conditions for the production of renewable energies in Spain do us be optimists about the possible success that will have this system in our country.
The relation with our own customers, or with which have had opportunity to share opinions in evento and forums related of one or another way with this new form of generation, has allowed us know at first hand his interests and needs.
Fortunately, the consumer is conscious of the energetic challenges to which confront us in the short term, and sees in this form of generation a good complement for the reduction of his energetic cost and also for the optimisation of the efficiency in general of his installations. Really we have detected a big interest by this new form of generation, and a big general knowledge of all the appearances related with her.
Which would stand out Unit like the factors that more play in favour of the penetration of the autoconsumo in Spain?
According to experts of the sector of the renewable energies, like the UNEF, the autoconsumo photovoltaic can be profitable in 3 or 4 years thanks to that can diminish the relative costs to the generation of photovoltaic electricity in comparison with the conventional production.
The autoconsumo also can generate a considerable economic saving. For example, a house unifamiliar can arrive to car consume between a 60 and 80% of his electricity, and an industry, between a 40 and 60%. We calculate that adapt a home to the autoconsumo would not suppose an immoderate investment, what would allow to face up to possible rises in the price of the conventional light.
On the other hand, is evident that the autoconsumo by generation distributed favours the energetic efficiency. According to some data, estimates that 10% of the total electrical power loses during the transport and the distribution.
The autoconsumo also can help to encourage the sector of the renewable energies with an increase of the industrial activity, what can stimulate the creation of employment and wealth for the country. Besides, it will help definitely to the fulfillment of some environingingmental aims that has posed Spain, like the aim 20-20-20.
It has estimated that 85% of the commercial deficit Spanish has his origin in the energetic deficit, by the imports of fuels fossils. How it has arrived to this situation being leaders in technologies like the wind or the photovoltaic?
The primary energies keep on being very necessary to establish part of the base of the system of generation of Spain. Although the operator of the system, Electrical Network of Spain, has established a very powerful solution for the control of the renewable power in our country, keeps on being necessary to have of the installed base that contribute us the primary energies.
Over time the implantation and integration of renewable generation, like own energetic base of the country, will be able to do reduce this deficit of gradual form. It fits to stand out that the natural resources of which have, like the wind or the sun, provide a continuous source of power on a long-term basis, although it treats of a no controllable source. Thus it is necessary to think in a correct integration of these energies, splitting of systems of meteorological forecast and implementing an increasingly intelligent network that allow an autonomous gestión.
They have of some study that reflect the saving that can obtain an user that bet by the autoconsumo with regard to the traditional formulas?
Exist infinity of studies realised by experts of the sector that clearly identify the possibilities of saving in the electrical bill that can suppose him to an user that decant by the autoconsumo with net balance. Even some establish already the guidelines for the computation of the savings that can represent other formulas as for example the autoconsumo instantaneous.
These studies are, nevertheless, of orientative character and in some cases can be an exact representation of the reality —especially for those customers with curves of predictable consumptions—, and in others an approximation in relation to cuán detailed his curve of consumptions can be estimated.
In any case, the simple arithmetic of the cost of the production of the photovoltaic power, and the comparison of this with the cost to follow buying it with the traditional procedures is quite esclarecedora.
As one of the sponsors of the recent Solar Decathlon Europe, appreciates that this is a clear example of the possibilities that opens the autoconsumo?
Schneider Electric bet by this competition from a principle because we think that Solar Decathlon represents the adhesion to a series of values that consider fundamental, like the energetic efficiency and the sustainability.
In 2012 has celebrated the second edition of Solar Decathlon Europe in Madrid. The competition rewards to that project that combine the excellence in his construction, energetic gestión and aprovechamiento of resources, achieving a near house to the autosuficiencia and sustainable. Schneider Electric, like sponsor, has collaborated with his solutions in the aim to show that be efficient in the daily life is possible and with less initial investment of which thinks .
Is evident that the renewable energies are a fundamental part in this equation. All the projects presented to contest base technically, of one or another form, in the concept of autoconsumo in inner network of the consumer and the export of the power excedentaria to the public network. Therefore, they are a clear example no only of the possibilities of the concept of autoconsumo as we understand it now, but a demonstration of what can arrive to offer us this new model of generation, basing in the continuous development and improvement of the current technologies.
It thinks that the technologies employed in the autoconsumo have still a lot of margin of improvement regarding descent of his prices? They will diminish the periods of amortización of the installations?
Without place to doubts, the photovoltaic power is to day of today a mature technology, that has situated in a relation of costs very attractor trucks and that definitely has helped to his fast diffusion along all the world.
In few occasions have been able to see a so fast development of a technology and has been able to put near at hand of the commercial sector in a so brief period of time. The technological improvements and the reductions of costs have been and will keep on being, a key pillar of the success of this sector. We will be unlikely to see so spectacular evolutions in relation to provision and costs, but have can follow increasing the values that can contribute our products.
If to all this add him the recent increases of the cost of the electricity, the resultant is a hopeful stage, where the amortizaciones of these new installations, improve no only by the evolutions of the products and the reductions of costs, but by what represent like saving to the consumer, in comparison to the alternative of not doing at all.
Being a world-wide reference in 'smart railings', how can favour these intelligent networks the implantation of the models of net balance?
In all our stages for the successful implementation of the model of autoconsuno with net balance, the have of an intelligent network that facilitate the gestión and monitoring of the needs of the elements connected to this, is an indispensable element.
Does not treat only to endow of autonomy and independence to the consumer, that from now goes to be able to create his own electricity. The model goes further to guarantee that the power excedentaria that this is able to generate and put in disposal of the network, is managed eficientemente to be redireccionada to those points in which it has been able to do a prediction of demand, or where have created these needs of instantaneous form.
This intelligent gestión raisin obviously for endowing of intelligence to the forms in which we manage these resources, giving them gone out of the most suitable form, reducing the need of remote generation and improving the balance of gestión and costs of the own network of distribution.
What last advances have attained in matter of 'smart railings' to the hour to manage the demand-offer of energetic consumption?
Spain is one of the pioneering countries in the field of the intelligent networks and in this sense are realising a big quantity of projects focused to the future implementation of smart railings. So much the Operator of the System, REE, like the companies distributors of electricity are realising the implantation of the system Smart Metering in his electrical networks with the object to be able to know the demand and can establish a correct gestión of the same.
On the other hand, no only is establishing an improvement in the part of 'Smart Metering' but also in the Smart Operation, improvements of detection of defects in the network for a fast replacement, as well as projects of automation in Half Tension.
Integris, for example, is a project in which it participates Schneider Electric and that is piloted by Endesa, in that it treats the design and development of infrastructure of telecommunications to manage of efficient form and in real time the gestión of the information of the centres of transformation so much in the part of Half Tension as in Low Tension.
They constitute the 'smart railings' the optimum solution to be able to have of an energetic model that combine the renewable sources with the most traditional?
The smart railings, suppose a very powerful tool in the gestión and improvement of the electrical distribution in base to his demand. Definitely, they will be some tools that flexibilizarán the system in general, in addition to giving him more visibility and do it more comprehensible.
