Time is still crucial for energy - but the issue has moved from daylight savings to smart grids
The clocks changing to British Summer Time this weekend is unlikely to herald cheaper energy bills for consumers ¨C but it does raise pressing questions about the relationship between time, energy and sustainability, according to a Queen's researcher.
Discussions have been ongoing for years on whether to abolish the clock change and stick to GMT all year round. Some critics have argued that money could be saved on energy consumption while others believe the change disrupts circadian rhythms.
Because of the transformation in society since daylight savings were introduced, however, the clock change is unlikely to have much effect on consumption, according to , a Reader in the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
History
The practice of changing the clocks twice yearly dates back to 1916 to boost industrial productivity and conserve fuel used for lighting and heating across Europe during the First World War.
“These days, our relationship with energy is rather different, and any reduction in energy use from the clock change is likely to be negligible,” Dr Laverty says.
“Changing the clocks to save energy used to make sense whenever lighting was one of our main uses of electricity, and when industry was tied to daylight hours. However, we now use very efficient LED lighting and most of our electricity consumption is for other tasks.”
Modern electricity use is dominated by activities such as electronics, cooking and heating, which are largely unaffected by a one-hour shift in the clock, Dr Laverty argues. But if changing the clocks makes little difference, where should attention be focused?
“There are more pressing challenges in how we generate and use energy, particularly as we transition to low-carbon systems,” he says. His research focuses on monitoring the electricity grid to improve its ability to assimilate renewable energies. He explains:
“The electricity grid was designed around large fossil-fuel power stations. Renewables are our future. The island of Ireland can now run with 75% renewable generation, depending on the weather and the demand for electricity.”
Because electricity cannot be stored, electrical power must be used as it is generated – and since electricity moves at nearly the speed of light, the measurements which inform decisions on how the electricity grid is operated need to be precisely synchronised – to the nanosecond.
“In order to know what is happening across the whole electricity network, which is the size of the country, we synchronise the measurement systems to a billionth of a second,” Dr Laverty explains.
Satellite systems
Most electricity substation clocks are now synchronised using satellite systems, such as GPS and Galileo, but these satellite signals can be compromised, by jamming and spoofing attacks. Losing the signal could have serious consequences for the advanced ‘smart grids’ now being developed.
“In other words,” says Dr Laverty, “moving towards trustworthy, precision timing is an urgent priority.
“The clock change may have been introduced because of the War, but the context is that it was also about industrialisation and facilitating people getting to work, factory production, etc. It was part of the move from a more agricultural society to a more industrialised one.
“Now things are changing again. Society is becoming heavily dependent on technology, but we also have a climate crisis and geo-politics to factor into the mix.”
Future-proofing
How we consume energy needs to adapt in order to meet the environmental challenge, Dr Laverty believes:
“The grid was designed at a time when fossil fuels were the main source of electrical energy. Massive power stations can produce electricity on demand, and we are used to that convenience.
“As we move towards renewables, however, we’re dealing with energy sources inherently linked to weather patterns and the seasons, which means that although their output can be forecast, it might not be when we’re expecting to use it."
He continues:
“Already, we are addressing this through battery storage, but there are further approaches which can make good use of precious natural resources.
“We need to find new ways of using energy at times when it’s more available — for example, through smart appliances that run when electricity is cheaper or more abundant, or pricing systems that vary by time of day.
“In that sense, we do need to change how we consume energy – but not necessarily change the clocks!”
Clock change
In 2019, the?European Parliament?voted in favour of ending seasonal time changes but no move has been made to implement this. Most countries in the European Economic Area will ‘spring forward’ their clocks this weekend, with some slight variations.
“Changing the clocks may be a long-standing tradition, but in a world increasingly powered by renewable energy it is how — and when — we use electricity that will make the real difference,” adds Dr Laverty.
Dr David Laverty
Media
Media inquiries to Una Bradley u.bradley@qub.ac.uk