Crash course 2: History of our energy system

Traditionally, our energy system has been characterised by a one-way flow of electricity, from large-scale generators towards consumers, and the adjustment of supply to match the demand. However, renewable energy sources are weather-dependent, so their production cannot be controlled. In this scenario, demand needs to be adjusted to the available supply by controlling appliances (e.g. heat pumps) and the use of energy storage systems (e.g. batteries).

This crash course starts describing the traditional energy system, next it discusses how the increase in renewable energy challenges the incumbent organisation of the energy system, and finalises analysing the potential opportunities that current changes could provide to energy communities.

The crash course is the second module of a series of crash courses created by the cVPP project. The other available modules are:

• Crash course 1: What is a cVPP?
• Crash course 3: EU Energy Policy
• Crash course 4: Energy Flexibility
• Crash course 5: Energy market roles
• Crash course 6: Community engagement in practice
• Crash course 7: Community participation in the European electricity markets
• Crash course 8: Energy Management Systems for energy communities