Smart grids and smart technologies in relation to photovoltaics, storage systems, buildings and the environment

Abstract Smart grids are electricity networks that deliver electricity in a controlled way, offering multiple benefits such as growth and effective management of renewable energy sources. The present article is a review of smart grids/smart technologies in relation to Photovoltaic (PV) systems, storage, buildings and the environment. In the frame of PV/smart applications, factors such as promotion of building-integrated PV/smart-grid configurations and evaluation of the systems in different countries/markets play a pivotal role. Regarding storage, parameters such as recycling and non-interconnected territories are critical. Moreover, the development of smart grids/smart systems in the building sector is associated with zero-energy buildings, indoor-environment control, polygeneration, policy and so on. From an environmental point of view, the vast majority of the investigations discuss general environmental issues (CO2 emissions; energy savings) and there is a lack of environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies based on multiple life-cycle impact assessment methods and environmental indicators. In light of the issues mentioned above, it can be seen that smart grids/smart systems pose many challenges: residential microgeneration, flexibility and active participation of the users, promotion of renewable energy systems (offshore wind power plants, building-integrated solar systems, etc.) energy transition and so on.