Technological and Business Innovation in distributed and low-carbon energy system

Catalog description

Driven by the urgent need to mitigate climate change and improve energy resiliency, the energy sector has undergone significant and far-reaching transformations, including the widespread adoption of renewable energy and the electrification of transportation, cooking, and heating. To support the integration of solar and wind power, various energy storage technologies are being rapidly developed and are becoming more affordable and competitive. Furthermore, the power grid is becoming increasingly decentralized, liberalized, and digitalized, with microgrids becoming a reality. In addition, sensors and smart meters are being widely installed, making the grid "smarter" and allowing for more sophisticated demand-side management programs to be offered. Consumers are no longer solely paying for electricity consumption but are now able to generate electricity and provide services to the grid, such as load shifting and storage in electric vehicle batteries. The decentralization, digitization, and liberalization have allowed many new actors from the private and public sectors to enter the market, making local communities and municipalities significant players in managing energy production and consumption. These changes render the business models of the past, which favored large producers and a centralized electricity system, unsuitable for the new reality. However, the new reality presents significant challenges to the reliability, resiliency, affordability, and sustainability of the evolving system. Using a simulation game and case studies, the course will explore these changes and challenges, and critically examine solutions, innovations, and business models that are emerging to address them. The Special Topics course will emphasize on the Israeli vivid energy-tech innovation ecosystem and the solutions it offers.