The land doesn’t belong to me. It’s only on loan from my children.” This wisdom from his grandfather, a farmer, still drives Karl Lehnhoff today. Accordingly, he is fascinated by the concept of the All Electric Society, which he has been advancing for more than two years as Director of the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical market segment at EBV. He sees it as an opportunity to create a cleaner and better world – not only for today’s generation but, above all, for future generations.

How realistic do you think it is that the All Electric Society will come to pass?

Karl Lehnhoff: It’s quite realistic. From a technological point of view, all the necessary solutions are available today. We may need to work on the economics and political conditions. In the European Union, we already have several regulations for more sustainability, and now we need to translate them into national laws.

What will it take to convince consumers?

K. L.: Consumers are aware of the environmental point of view, but we need to explain what needs to change and how it needs to change. And what the economic impact would be. Then it will be easier to convince consumers. This is something our politicians have to do. Consumers are not stupid. If you explain it in the right way, they will understand.

What technologies are still needed to make an All Electric Society a reality?

K. L.: We more or less have all the technology. What we need to do is combine renewable energy sources with energy storage solutions. The backbone of all this is digitalisation. You can call it IoT, but at the end of the day, it is communication between the different devices of the energy ecosystem.

What is the best way to bring the many different components and areas of the All Electric Society together?

K. L.: It requires a systematic and integrated approach. At EBV, we can help with this on both a system and technology level. We support our customers in selecting components and integrating individual solutions into a complete system. We are members of various associations to identify technology trends early and understand the future paths.

And what’s the role of electronics in the realisation of the All Electric Society?

K. L.: Electronics are at the heart of many solutions for the All Electric Society. Think of power electronics, all the intelligence to control the systems, and communication interfaces. Hardware and software make monitoring, control, and integration possible.

Sector coupling is a key part of the All Electric Society, where we’re connecting energy with industry, transportation, and buildings. These are all areas that EBV is involved in. Does this interconnection make your job easier?

K. L.: That was one of the aims of our structure. We have a much deeper knowledge of the market and can support the customer much better. On the other hand, we have technology segments, so we can support the customer with in-depth knowledge of the many specialised technologies. With this vertical approach between market and technology, we can ensure that our customers’ innovative products have the latest technology and are ready for the latest market trends.

What role does energy efficiency play in all these considerations? What can the semiconductor industry contribute?

K. L.: Energy efficiency is very important – energy that you don’t waste, you don’t have to generate. From a technology perspective, this is the driver for wide-bandgap semiconductors. Silicon carbide and gallium nitride transistors will increase efficiency, reduce losses, and therefore gain market share.

However, another interesting technical development is taking place: the shift from an AC to a DC grid. In the past, electricity was generated, distributed, and used in alternating current. But today, photovoltaic systems generate direct current and feed it into the grid. With the existing grid, we have to convert the power to AC for transport, and then convert it back to DC for use. Does that make sense? No, it does not! Especially if you include the storage system, which typically works with DC. A DC grid reduces the losses caused by converting energy between AC and DC and vice versa.

How do you see the world in 20 to 30 years when the concept of the All Electric Society has been successfully implemented?

K. L.: The world will be a much cleaner place with less CO₂ in the atmosphere. It will be more efficient, and I think it will be more technology-based. Maybe we will discover additional renewable energy sources. Our lifestyle will be much more sustainable and environmentally friendly. And perhaps we will have moved Earth Overshoot Day from spring to autumn.

The post How feasible is the All Electric Society? appeared first on Future Markets Magazine.

What inspired Phoenix Contact to create the All Electric Society Park?

Joel Stratemann: For the past almost five years we have had the vision of an All Electric Society. And we want to bring that vision to life and show that it can be solved with existing technology. Everything we need is there. And that was one of the key reasons why we decided to build the All Electric Society Park.

Can you describe the challenges in integrating the various components of an All Electric Society?

J. S.: It has been a challenge to design the technologies and solutions for networking electrification in such a way that all the different applications work closely together. The interesting thing is that we connect the applications not only with electrical energy, but also with thermal energy. So there is an exchange between electrical and thermal energy, for example through heat losses. This is what we call sector coupling.

How feasible is it to produce sufficient renewable energy to power an All Electric Society?

J. S.: Generating enough renewable energy is a challenge, but achievable. But we need to use the energy as efficiently as possible. We also need the technology to store and distribute the energy, and to recover the heat loss from various applications.

What’s needed to make sector coupling work across different industries?

J. S.: Communication is a very important part. All the different applications are connected through different protocols and communication interfaces. We need standardisation and IoT concepts to realise the kind of cross-communication between all the different applications. For example, someone in manufacturing uses Profinet, Profibus or Modbus for communication. An e-mobility supplier uses OCPP or something like that. We have to realise some kind of cross-communication. But we have to connect not only the electrical side. E-mobility or energy storage has heat losses. On the other hand, buildings need a lot of heat. So we need the infrastructure to bring all the energy together and connect all the applications.

How is the energy efficiency in the All Electric Society Park compared to conventional systems?

J. S.: Much more efficient. Let me explain the concept with an example: we have six high-power charging stations in the park. Each high-power station can charge at 350 kilowatts, and they have maybe five percent heat loss. That makes 17.5 kilowatts of heat loss. At six, we have 105 kilowatts of heat. We can recover that and use it to heat the building. That’s a game changer. So we are much more energy efficient. Then we talk about heat pumps and performance numbers. Normally, if you have a heat pump in a private house, the performance number is three or four. In the park, we have achieved a performance number of eleven. That means one kilowatt electrical input and eleven kilowatts output. That’s very efficient. And it is a lot of fun.

Did you have all the necessary technologies at hand when implementing the park or were there any gaps?

J. S.: No. The core components are all available on the market: photovoltaics, heat pumps, hydrogen storage, battery storage, energy management systems – everything is available. What is missing is cross-communication. For example, if you talk to an energy storage supplier about how to store energy, he’s absolutely right and he’s an expert. But if you talk to him or her about how we can reuse the heat loss of the energy storage, sometimes it’s a bit difficult.

How has this project influenced Phoenix Contact´s own practices?

J. S.: We’ve learnt that it’s not just the products you need, but also the knowledge to create the All Electric Society concept. And we don’t only have the All Electric Society Park in Blomberg, we also have building G60: it’s the first production site on the Blomberg site to be energy positive. This means that we generate more energy than we need to run the building and the production within it. Using the same concepts and technologies as in the All Electric Society Park.

The transition has been costly for consumers so far. Will the All Electric Society eventually become economically beneficial for the average person?

J. S.: In my opinion, it will. Of course, some technologies are more expensive. A heat pump, for example, is more expensive than conventional heating. But in terms of combating climate change, it is better. And in the All Electric Society we are talking about concepts: an individual may not need a heat pump. Instead, there might be a big concept for a city or a district, how to supply the citizens with electrical and thermal energy. It is also possible that in the future the technology will be at the same level, but the energy will be much cheaper than today.

The ultimate goal of the All Electric Society concept is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Do you think we are on track to achieve this?

J. S.: I firmly believe that we will get there. I just have to look out of my office window – I see the All Electric Society Park and I see it working. And we have a lot of customers who are now carbon neutral using the technologies that are available. So, yes, it’s absolutely achievable.

The post Carbon neutrality is absolutely achievable appeared first on Future Markets Magazine.

All-in-one Storage Solution

p&e power&energy has developed an efficient power electronics platform for sustainable energy storage solutions. This platform integrates previously separate components and promises up to 20 percent cost reduction, up to 90 percent loss reduction, and up to 50 percent longer lifespan compared to existing solutions. Its applications range from EV Charging to sector coupling.

www.p-and-e.com

Pedalling for Power

Off The Grid’s spinning bikes are equipped with an integrated electronic system that converts the energy generated by users during workouts into electricity. One hour of cycling on these stationary bikes produces enough power to charge 15 smartphones, run a laptop for 5 hours, or power a light bulb for 20 hours.

www.getoffthegrid.ca

Longevity for Fuel Cells

Hydrogenea’s innovative manufacturing of the core component, the Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA), enables fuel cells and electrolysers to achieve a lifespan 10 times longer than before. Additionally, the company’s MEAs offer up to 20 percent higher efficiency and are more easily adaptable to various customer needs than previous solutions.

www.hydrogenea.de

Maximum Flexibility in EV Charging

MarsCharge’s charger can switch between Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 charging modes, allowing all types of electric vehicles to be powered by a single charging outlet. Additionally, MarsCharge’s charging management system uses algorithms to optimise charging patterns for battery pack longevity. The latest version, MarsCharger Lite, is an ultra-fast, battery-powered DC charger that fits in your car’s boot.

www.marscharge.com

Supercharger for Lithium Batteries

Sicona Battery Technologies’ silicon-composite anode technology delivers 20 percent higher energy density and greater capacity compared to traditional graphite anodes. This start-up also uses a hydrophilic binder in its anodes to improve conductivity and enable self-healing properties. These anodes are used in lithium-ion batteries for applications in e-mobility and renewable energy.

www.siconabattery.com

Heating when Electricity is cheap

Themo’s smart thermostats save users money by optimising the electricity consumption of electric heaters based on current market prices. At the core of Themo’s technology is a power optimisation algorithm that drives the company’s smart thermostats. This algorithm considers various factors, including time of day, weather forecasts, and fluctuations in electricity prices on the market.

www.themo.io

Electricity plus Process Heat

Green-Y Energy’s compressed air energy storage system not only stores electricity using compressed air but also provides heat and cooling for buildings and processes simultaneously. During the charging process, air is compressed using electricity and stored in compressed air cylinders at up to 300 bar. The compression generates heat of up to 60 degrees Celsius, which can be used for building heating, hot water, or as process heat.

www.green-y.ch

Affordable Green Hydrogen

Cipher Neutron has achieved an efficiency of 94.36 percent with its anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyser stack. This means the AEM electrolysers require only 41.754 kilowatt-hours of electricity to produce 1 kilogram of hydrogen. The scalability of the technology allows for widespread application to meet the growing demand for green hydrogen.

www.cipherneutron.com

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