Future Energy Systems Integrating Renewable Energy Sources into the Smart Power Grid Through Industrial Electronics

Industrialization and economic development have historically been associated with man's ability to harness natural energy resources to improve his condition. Based on this definition, two industrial revolutions occurred in the 18th and 19th centuries, where natural resources such as coal (first revolution) and petroleum (second revolution) were widely exploited to produce levels of energy far beyond what could be achieved by human or animal muscle power. Furthermore, modern power distribution systems made abundant energy reliably available and relatively independent from the plant location. More than two centuries of past industrialization exploited nonrenewable energy resources, however, often with undesirable side effects such as pollution and other damage to the natural environment. In the second half of the 20th century, extraction of energy from nuclear processes grew in popularity, relieving some demands on limited fossil fuel reserves, but at the same time, raising safety and political problems. Meeting the global demand for energy is now the key challenge to sustained industrialization. © IEEE.