Power that doesn’t go to waste: 7 Transmission & Storage solutions for a reliable renewable future – One Earth

Report on Energy Transmission and Storage for Sustainable Development

Introduction: Aligning Energy Systems with Global Goals

The global transition to renewable energy sources is fundamental to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 13 (Climate Action). A primary challenge in this transition is ensuring the reliable and efficient delivery of clean energy from its point of generation to end-users. Advanced energy transmission and storage solutions are critical for bridging this gap. By modernizing infrastructure, enhancing grid intelligence, and scaling storage capacity, these solutions directly support the development of resilient, sustainable, and equitable energy systems. This report outlines seven key innovations in energy transmission and storage and analyzes their contribution to the SDGs.

Key Innovations and their Contribution to SDGs

1. Smart Grids

   Smart grids represent a critical infrastructure upgrade for a sustainable energy future, aligning with SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure). By employing real-time data and automation, these intelligent networks optimize electricity distribution, integrate variable renewable sources, and minimize energy waste during transmission. This enhancement of grid efficiency and reliability is a cornerstone for achieving universal access to clean energy.

   • SDG 7: Ensures reliable and modern energy services by stabilizing the grid and seamlessly integrating renewables.
   • SDG 9: Involves building resilient and sustainable infrastructure essential for economic development.
   • SDG 13: Reduces carbon emissions by minimizing “line loss” and maximizing the use of clean energy.

2. Smart Meters and Demand Response

   Smart metering technology provides consumers with real-time data on energy consumption, promoting conscious energy use and supporting SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). When integrated with demand response systems, utilities can incentivize shifts in energy consumption away from peak hours. This strategy reduces the reliance on carbon-intensive “peaking power plants,” thereby advancing climate action goals.

   • SDG 7: Improves energy efficiency and grid stability, contributing to more affordable energy.
   • SDG 11: Creates more sustainable and resilient urban energy systems.
   • SDG 12: Encourages more sustainable consumption patterns by providing consumers with actionable energy data.

3. Grid-Scale Battery Storage

   Large-scale battery systems are essential for storing surplus renewable energy, ensuring a consistent power supply even when solar or wind generation is intermittent. This capability directly supports the expansion of clean energy infrastructure. While current technologies face sustainability challenges related to material sourcing and disposal, ongoing innovation in alternative battery chemistries (e.g., sodium-ion, flow batteries) aims to align the technology more closely with the principles of SDG 12.

   • SDG 7: Increases the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix by solving intermittency issues.
   • SDG 9: Drives innovation in sustainable industrial processes and energy infrastructure.
   • SDG 12: Promotes the development of technologies with improved lifecycle sustainability, from resource extraction to recycling.

4. Pumped Hydropower and Gravity Storage

   Pumped hydropower and gravity storage systems utilize fundamental physical principles to provide large-scale, long-duration energy storage. These technologies are highly reliable, scalable, and leverage natural or low-impact materials. As proven methods for stabilizing renewable energy grids, they represent a significant contribution to building the resilient infrastructure required by SDG 9.

   • SDG 7: Provides a stable and reliable backup for renewable energy systems on a massive scale.
   • SDG 9: Constitutes a durable and resilient form of infrastructure that supports clean energy deployment.

5. Thermal and Sand Batteries

   Thermal storage systems, including innovative sand batteries, capture renewable energy as heat for later use in industrial processes or district heating. This approach supports the decarbonization of the heating sector, a major contributor to global emissions. By using abundant and non-toxic materials like sand, these systems offer a sustainable and cost-effective storage solution that aligns with SDG 7 and contributes to the creation of sustainable communities under SDG 11.

   • SDG 7: Provides an affordable and clean solution for thermal energy needs, reducing reliance on fossil fuels for heating.
   • SDG 11: Supports the development of sustainable heating networks for cities and communities.
   • SDG 13: Offers a direct pathway to reduce emissions from the heating sector.

6. Hydrogen Energy Storage

   Green hydrogen, produced via electrolysis using renewable electricity, serves as a versatile and long-duration energy storage medium. It can be converted back to electricity or used as a clean fuel for transport and industry, thus supporting sector-wide decarbonization. The development of a green hydrogen economy is a key component of industrial innovation (SDG 9) and a critical tool for achieving comprehensive climate action (SDG 13).

   • SDG 7: Enables long-term storage of renewable energy, facilitating a fully decarbonized energy system.
   • SDG 9: Fosters innovation in clean industrial technologies and resilient infrastructure.
   • SDG 13: Creates a zero-emission energy cycle that can be applied across multiple economic sectors.

7. Load Management and Integrated Systems

   Strategic load management and integrated energy systems use digital technology to align energy demand with the availability of renewable resources. By creating intelligent networks that connect consumers, producers, and storage assets, these systems maximize the efficiency of the entire energy ecosystem. This holistic approach is vital for building the resilient, intelligent, and sustainable communities envisioned in SDG 11.

   • SDG 7: Maximizes the use of generated renewable energy, improving overall system efficiency and affordability.
   • SDG 9: Represents an innovative leap in infrastructure management, making energy systems more intelligent and responsive.
   • SDG 11: Enhances the energy resilience and sustainability of cities and human settlements.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

  The entire article is centered on this goal. It discusses the transition to renewable energy sources like solar and wind and focuses on innovations like smart grids and energy storage to ensure this energy is reliable, efficient, and affordable. The text explicitly aims to “make clean, renewable energy more efficient, reliable, and affordable.”

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

  The article highlights the need to “modernizing grid infrastructure” and deploy new technologies. It details innovations such as smart grids, various battery storage systems (lithium-ion, flow, sand, gravity), and hydrogen energy storage, which are crucial for building resilient and sustainable infrastructure.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  The solutions discussed directly impact urban and community living. For instance, smart meters provide “households and businesses with real-time visibility into energy use,” and thermal storage systems like the sand battery in Finland are designed for “district heating networks,” directly contributing to more sustainable and resilient communities.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  The primary motivation for the technologies discussed is to combat climate change. The article repeatedly mentions “lowering carbon emissions,” cutting reliance on “high-emission power sources” (fossil fuels), and accelerating the “path to net zero.” The sand battery project, for example, is “expected to cut the town’s carbon emissions by up to 70%.”

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 7.2: Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

  The article’s focus is on making renewable energy sources like solar and wind viable for consistent use by solving the challenge of intermittency. Technologies like grid-scale batteries, pumped hydropower, and hydrogen storage are presented as ways to “seamlessly integrate renewable sources” and store “excess renewable energy,” thereby increasing their share in the energy system.

• Target 7.3: Double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency.

  The article emphasizes reducing energy waste. Smart grids are described as helping to prevent “line loss,” and the overall “Transmission & Storage solution pathway” aims at “cutting losses along the way.” Demand response systems and smart meters are tools to make the grid “more efficient.”

• Target 7.b: Expand infrastructure and upgrade technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy services.

  This target is directly addressed through the discussion of “modernizing grid infrastructure,” deploying “smart grids,” and scaling up various storage technologies. The seven innovations listed are all examples of upgrading technology to supply sustainable energy.

• Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure.

  The article is fundamentally about strengthening grid resilience. It discusses how smart grids, battery storage, and load management contribute to a “stable renewable energy grid,” prevent “blackouts,” and create “more resilient communities.”

• Target 9.4: Upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies.

  The article details the adoption of clean technologies like smart grids, various battery types, and green hydrogen. It also touches on resource efficiency by mentioning the use of abundant materials like sand, rocks, and water for storage, presenting them as sustainable alternatives to mined materials like lithium and cobalt.

• Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning.

  The article frames these technological solutions within a broader strategy, referring to the “One Earth’s Energy Transition roadmap” and a “blueprint to solving the climate crisis.” This implies the integration of these measures into a planned, strategic approach to achieving “net zero.”

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Renewable energy share in total final energy consumption (Indicator for Target 7.2):

  While not giving a future target number, the article implies this indicator by discussing the need to integrate more solar and wind power. It also notes that pumped hydropower already provides “more than 90% of all stored energy capacity today,” indicating a measurement of renewable integration.

• Energy intensity measured in terms of primary energy and GDP (Indicator for Target 7.3):

  The article implies this through its focus on efficiency. Progress could be measured by tracking the reduction in “line loss” (energy wasted during transmission) and the reduction in the use of inefficient “peaking power plants” powered by fossil fuels.

• CO2 emission per unit of value added (Indicator for Target 9.4):

  The article provides a direct, quantifiable example of this indicator. The sand battery project in Pornainen, Finland, is “expected to cut the town’s carbon emissions by up to 70%.” This percentage reduction is a clear indicator of progress in decarbonization.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Summary

Source: oneearth.org