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Smarter electric grid could be key to saving power
The glowing amber dot on a light switch in the entryway of George Tsapoitis’ house offers a clue about the future of electricity.
A few times this summer, when millions of air conditioners strain the Toronto region’s power grid, that pencil-tip-sized amber dot will blink. It will be asking Tsapoitis to turn the switch off — unless he’s already programmed his house to make that move for him.
This is the beginning of a new way of thinking about electricity, and the biggest change in how we get power since wires began veining the landscape a century ago.
For all the engineering genius behind the electric grid, that vast network ferrying energy from power plants through transmission lines isn’t particularly smart when it meets our homes. We flip a switch or plug something in and generally get as much power as we’re willing to pay for.
But these days the environmental consequences and unfriendly economics of energy appear unsustainable. As a result, power providers and technology companies are making the electric grid smarter.
It will stop being merely a passive supplier of juice. Instead, power companies will be able to cue us, like those amber lights in Tsapoitis’ house, to make choices about when and how we consume power. And most likely, we’ll have our computers and appliances carry out those decisions for us.
Done right, the smarter grid should save consumers money in the long run by reducing the need for new power plants, which we pay off in our monthly electric bills. However, if people fail to react properly to conservation signals, their bills could spike.
And certainly a smart grid that can encourage us to conserve will feel different. Envision your kitchen appliances in silent communication with their power source: The fridge bumps its temperature up a degree on one day, and the dishwasher kicks on a bit later on another.
more at the link. The glowing amber dot on a light switch in the entryway of George Tsapoitis’ house offers a clue about the future of electricity. ... more -
The convergence of the smart grid With photovoltaics
Navigant Consulting has announced plans to launch a major multi-client study on the convergence of the Smart Grid with Photovoltaics (PV). This comprehensive and focused study will help participating organizations identify the key technology components of a PV Smart Grid; understand how the Smart Grid could create additional value for distributed PV; gain insight to the implications for utilities; and identify trends and valuable market opportunities.
Navigant Consulting is accepting participants for the study.
"It's an exciting time for PV and we see tremendous opportunity with regards to the emerging Smart Grid," stated Lisa Frantzis, Managing Director, and leader of the Renewable Energy Team within Navigant Consulting's Energy Practice.
"We're seeing companies positioning themselves now for leadership in this rapidly converging PV Smart Grid future. This study will describe the likely evolution of PV and PV-enabling Smart Grid technologies, and the potential for new business models that will arise out of the convergence of the two." Navigant Consulting has announced plans to launch a major multi-client study on the convergence of the Smart Grid with Photovoltaics (... more
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