Issue link: https://resources.mouser.com/i/1510154
mouser.com/te 27 Global Power Sourcing Power sourcing of the primary electrical grid varies significantly from region to region, and the proximity of energy sources within a given geographic area can differ as well. Figure 1 offers a high-level view of how the world makes its energy. • Coal still dominates the global landscape but is dropping • Gas is second, with an increasing proportion of TWh since 2010, and staying flat • Renewables are a small but gaining faction, with wind and solar making exponential gains since 2010 • As of 2020, the global share of electricity was: • 34% coal • 23% gas • 19% hydropower and other renewables • 10% nuclear • 7% wind • 4% oil • 3% solar According to Our World in Data, the world is getting about 39% of its electricity from low-carbon sources, which includes both nuclear and renewables. Renewable energy sources such as hydropower, wind, and solar comprise 29% of global energy production and have increased linearly since 2011. The increasing shift to renewable power will be welcomed and needed, as the global energy demand should continue to rise from 80TWh in 2020 to 525TWh–860TWh by 2030. Driving this trend are increasing population and the movement to electrification are driving this trend; however, another critical factor for higher electricity demand is increasing pressure to decrease reliance on fossil fuels—still providing nearly 2/3 of global electricity—in favor of more climate-friendly renewables. Such a dramatic increase in electrification will strain grid capacities and add the challenge of managing renewable storage while increasing loads at peak charging times. These hurdles create the opportunity for innovative technologies to alleviate the impact of surging demand on charging infrastructure. One such innovation reverses the direction of electricity between the grid and EV: vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology. V2G Power Sourcing V2G is like having easily portable energy storage units decentralized from power stations, opening a two-way energy transfer between the grid and a vehicle. Using the electricity carried in every EV on the road can help flex power back to the grid when needed while leveraging off-grid charging capability. V2G works on the premise that many consumers use only a fraction of their battery capacity; this approach optimizes battery utilization to get more out of existing components. The infrastructure to give charge back to the grid or to power homes is the user's EV home charger. The same electrical pathways that connect to the grid to move energy to the battery are used to collect excess energy from the battery and provide it to the grid—at fair market or negotiated prices. Demand and energy availability will dictate which direction the energy is going—to or from the electrical grid. This structure provides an on-demand energy provision while saving excess energy for later use. V2G potentially optimizes the way society Figure 1: Global electricity production by source in terawatt hours (TWh). (Source: Our World in Data)