oa Managing Energy Demand and Efficiency

Energy security, fuel poverty, increasing energy demands, ageing grid infrastructures, emerging (renewable) energy markets, and commercial opportunities are all key features of international political energy discourse. This paper considers the role of intelligent management systems for existing, emerging and future energy generation, storage technologies and demand. The epistemological dimension of this paper contends that intelligent energy management systems should utilise a bio-inspired approach to their operation to adapt to the prevailing environment that they operate in.

The substantive focus of the paper is on energy demand and efficiency. In considering these, an initial focus is on the need for greater network stability and efficiency, and to review existing supply and network related issues. The paper demonstrates that there are currently major challenges concerning network transmission and conversion losses with a contention that these need further attention than has hitherto been the case. It goes on to argue that one of the mechanisms to overcome this challenge is to focus on energy storage to smooth power transfer and reduce transmission and conversion loss.

A second substantive focus of the paper is energy consumption within localities. It argues that there is a need to reduce reliance on the national grid by increasing the utilisation of either renewable energy or through intelligent and financially informed building services engineering. The paper concludes by considering the scalability of energy systems from individual buildings to whole cities.