Industry 4.0 Vision for the Supply of Energy and Materials

6 Multi-Vector Internet of Energy (IoE) A Key Enabler for the Integration of Conventional and Renewable Power Generation

Sara Ershadi-nasaba^a,1, Esmat Kishani Farahanib^b,1, and Mahdi Sharifzadeha^1,*

^a Sharif Energy, Water and Environment Institute (SEWEI), Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran^b Institute of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology¹ Sara Ershadi-nasab and Esmat Kishani Farahani contributed equally to this work as first authors. ^* Corresponding author. Sharif Energy, Water and Environment Institute (SEWEI), Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

6.1 Challenges of the Conventional Power Grid and Need for Energy Internet

Over the past years, fossil fuel-based power grid has been used to provide the required power for industry and consumer usage. This centralized power generation system has some challenges that limit its usage. One of its main challenges is long distances between the power generators and consumers, which causes energy loss and challenges in transmitting the power. Another challenge is its production of large amount of CO₂ emissions, the leading cause in total greenhouse gas emissions since 1970 [1–3]. Furthermore, the increasing demand for energy in industrial and daily life [4] has brought about a critical energy crisis. Distributed renewable energy resources could provide the required energy demand and do not have the negative effects of fossil fuels in contributing ...