The European Parliament Definition of Microgeneration (2012/2030(RSP)Defines the term ‘Microgeneration’ as:

1) The small‑scale generation of heating/cooling and electricity-delivering energy by individuals and SMEs in order to meet their own needs; and

2)Different forms of grouped or cooperative small-scale production at community level existing to meet local needs;

Note: Microgeneration includes a variety of technologies (hydropower, geothermal, solar power, marine, wind, heat pump, biomass) having a specific focus on the renewable and sustainable dimensions.

• Biomass

• White Energy

• Solar

• Wind

• Water

• Heat

 

 

Climate change and security of supply is changing the electricity grid architecture from centralised to distributed production, connecting distributed renewable generation to the same distribution systems to which traditionally only consumers were connected. This change is causing localized stability issues such as changed peak power flows, power flow reversals and phase imbalances, severely restricting the allowable capacity and location of generators within distribution systems. The Smart Grid aims to remove these barriers through overlaying smart systems.

The MPOWER vision is that the electricity smart grid will be built bottom-up by communities: distributed renewable generation brings production closer to communities and they will leverage this to their advantage, forming the foundation of the Smart Grid. Our mission is to help communities achieve this, to maximise the benefit to the community of community owned renewable energy sources embedded within the community.  To that end we implement and operate a cloud based smart community grid for communities. The community grid maintains stability in the distribution system irrespective of how much or where generation is connected within the community – it does so through continuous, automated interaction between participating community members, who become so called Prosumers, and utilising “Internet of Things” enabled technologies such as the Smart Home.

Community and community spirit are central to the system, but part of the mix is also a healthy dose of friendly competition between Prosumers: benefits are higher for Prosumers who participate more actively.  Except for so called mini-grids, in which a community is a grid by itself, smart community grids are part of a larger grid and therefore we interact with operators of that grid (TSOs and DSOs) and any associated trading markets such as, in Ireland, the SEM e.g. for settlement of the electricity production within the community. This route also offers opportunities to offer grid stabilising (ancillary) services to the market and grid operators e.g. frequency or dispatched demand response, on behalf of Prosumers who own that capacity. We are also working on other innovate technologies that specifically utilize the distributed nature of our solution for real-time stabilization of the grid.

A Prosumer is a consumer of a service who offers a service back to the service provider. For the service provider a Prosumer by its definition is a customer as well as a supplier. On one hand MPOWER is a utility who offers Customer (the Prosumers) access to the smart community grid. At the same time, using the smart community grid the Prosumers offer capacity to MPOWER as a supplier, which MPOWER sells on to the market as customer.

In the case of mini-grids MPOWER is the market i.e. the end-user. Our main route to communities is through partnerships with (Franchising to) organisations who have close trusted relations with communities, e.g. local authorities and community development organisations.

•  The smart community grid system is currently in development. We have developed a close partnership with South Dublin County Council and are developing relations with other authorities inside and outside Ireland, e.g. in the Caribbean. Through our partnership with South Dublin County Council and with help from Enterprise Ireland and SEAI we have already implemented smart metering in a number a communities in Tallaght, as well as a living lab that we use to trial new products and services. This living lab is also available for industry and academic partners. MPOWER is launching into a Global Market of exceptional potential.

 

The full Franchising capability is being developed with the IERC (Tyndall) with significant Type 2 IERC Funding. Ireland presents a optimal base for an international Franchise Roll-out and Regulation. The future for MPOWER is one of continuing innovation.

 

TOP