One of the biggest problems associated with renewable energy is the lack of reliable energy outputs. However researchers believe they may have come up with a solution which involves treating lots of dispersed power sources as one big entity, with the added bonus that it would not need a radical overhaul of current power infrastructure.

Energy grids need to match supply and demand for energy as closely as possible – too much energy and there could be an overload, too little energy and there may be power cuts. Many renewable energy sources such as wind or solar power are notorious for having wildly fluctuating outputs meaning that as more and more renewable energy sources come online, grids are going to have to start being able to cope with these less reliable energy sources.

One solution to this problem is known as the Virtual Power Plant. These virtual power plants consist of many small generators mashed together in the grid to form a unit akin to a power station. The small generators can be a mix including sources such as solar panels, biomass power stations, hydroelectric dams or wind turbines, and can also include the energy from people who have their own renewable energy source in the back garden and are selling their excess energy back to the grid. The amalgamation of all these smaller sources is then treated like a conventional power plant.

This virtual power plant can be created by subtly changing the monitoring systems currently in place in our energy grid. Home users may also be able to benefit by selling their energy to the virtual plant which is currently offering them the best buy price.

Small trials of the system have already taken place in the UK, with further trials set for Spain in the near future.

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