How Smart Grid Contributes to Energy Sustainability

With the increasingly serious energy shortage and global warming, sustainable development has become an urgent requirement all over the world. The integration of smart grid technologies, sustainable energy resources and low carbon emissions in power system is an important route to sustainable development. However, the difficulties in dealing with intermittent power and the low utilization efficiency of power system appeared to be obstacles. This paper gives an overview of the role smart grid playing in energy sustainability. Firstly, smart grid techniques improve the amount of intermittent renewable generation in power system, increasing the capacity of grid-connected clean energy such as solar energy, wind energy and photovoltaic system. Secondly, smart grid promotes energy saving in power system. The main advantage of smart grid is that it can improve the utilization efficiency of power system and the power consuming efficiency. Lastly, this paper discusses the interrelationship of energy, environment and climate sustainable development and draws the conclusion that smart grid can make a significant and comprehensive contribution to energy and environment sustainability, and also helps to control climate change. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.