Energy efficiency isn’t just a term that should refer to appliances. At just about every point between its generation and end use, electricity is lost, comprising an entirely inefficient process. But never fear, there are a growing number of advocates for what’s been termed the “Smart Grid,” a more efficient, flexible, and modern electricity system:
(From Greenwire, subs. req’d)
Smartgrid group touts enlistment of industry backers
The GridWise Alliance, a collection of public and private-sector groups that advocate modernizing the nation’s electric grid, has enlisted major new backers over the past several months as it lobbied for concessions in the recently passed energy bill.
Microsoft Corp., Lockheed Martin Corp., Constellation Energy Group Inc. and Alcatel-Lucent are among the big-ticket backers that have recently joined the group, the alliance announced today.
Other companies that have signed on, according to the Alliance: ABB, Aegis Technologies, Ambient Corp., Arcadian Networks, Autodesk, CMEA Ventures, Consumers Energy, ESRI, Energy-Insights, Serveron Corp., SmartSynch, Tollgrade Communications and the Utilities Telecom Council.
Lee Coogan, GridWise’s acting executive director, said today’s announcement reflects organizations that have joined GridWise to push for consideration in EPAct. The rapidly expanding group is now working to set priorities around major provisions of the bill: a push for new research and development around modernizing the electric grid, setting up an Energy Department-led advisory group on the issue, developing frameworks for interoperability amongst different parts of a new grid system, and encouraging states to implement new technologies.
– Kari M.
[JR: More on the smart grid in the weeks to come!]
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With a smart grid, all sorts of processes could happen when energy is abundant, and take a breather when demand is high. We already run the dishwasher and clothes washer at night, when our electricity cost is one third of the daytime cost, but imagine my appliances listening to instructions from the grid saying “now’s a good time” based on the current wind speed or sunshine. Of course, we would have the ability to use electricity anytime; there would always be a “now” vs. “efficient” switch.
Data centers in the U.S. use 1.5% of our electricity (yes, the Internet takes a lot of energy). One can imagine even that movie downloads will someday take breathers based upon smart grid signals. If I plan to watch something tonight, and it takes 20 minutes for the download, and that 20 minutes of download can happen anytime in the next 12 hours, that’s a lot of flexibility.
Of course, the one of the larger effects will be charging our cars. We drive them 5-10% of each day, and park them 90-95% of the day, so letting them charge when energy is cheapest during that 90-95% provides flexibility.
Earl Killian,
I’d like you to expand your vistas for electric power sourcing. One goal is to top all our buildings with solar cells. Inside those building, lighting will be by low voltage LED ( CFL bulbs are environmentally unacceptable and second rate technology.) These lights may be most efficient using direct current.
Smart Grids doing more than just monitoring energy networks, Leveraging WSN and AMR/AMI
For over a hundred years power providers have essentially relied on their customers to notify them of power outages. Without any automated-detection system in place, power companies don’t know the power is out until a customer notifies them. This will change with the deployment new wireless sensors from a company based in Australia.
Telepathx Ltd, a wireless sensor developer based in Victoria, Australia, recently announced that the release of their new product will make this inherent dependency on energy customers a notion of the past. Telepathx Ltd is among the leading industry developers of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) in Australia.
The long-awaited release of Telepathx’ Pinpoint intelligent cutout sensor uses the company’s enhancements to radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to provide utility companies with the instant communications they need to pinpoint electrical outages. With Pinpoint sensors in place on a smart power grid, should a failure occur the power utility is notified within seconds of the precise location of the power failure including the specific device and cabling that have failed.
Power failure reporting at this level of precision has never before been attainable, but now with AMI technology taking shape throughout Australia, these sensors can be used that will minimize power outages to an absolute minimum.
According to April Sommers, an energy analyst, “Statistically 84% of all power outages or blackouts in urban and outer urban settings are caused by falling tree limbs or animals that come in contact with the overhead power lines, this intelligent cutout fuse technology can’t stop that from happening, but what it will do is provide an instantaneous notification to energy providers reducing the report and response times of faults from hours to mere seconds, something entire communities will benefit from.”
Previously, a power company could remain unaware of a power outage for minutes or even ours until telephoned customer complaints give a general idea where the issue is happening. Pinpoint sensors will greatly enhance a utility’s ability to respond to problems and enhance their ability to efficiently dispatch work crews to fix the problem.
Smart power grids will effectively manage themselves and notify the proper authorities when necessary. Sommers adds, “reducing customer minutes off supply or CMOS is what these guys [Pinpoint sensors] do best, forget about managing apparatus with streams of data or waiting for calls to come in; this reactive technology teaches the network to manage itself and alert authorities when something’s amiss.”
Telepathx general manager Mike Walsh confirms that “In addition to bringing intelligence to energy networks the multi purpose machine to machine (M2M) wireless sensor networks being developed by the company would for starters monitor fire ignitions, auto collisions, floods, mudslides, asset tracking and consumer/industrial alarm systems, reading water, gas and electric meters or AMR/AMI services would follow.”
It’s very clear that the ongoing effort to develop smart meter technology has very far reaching effects in efficiency, monetary savings, and enhanced public safety. Smart meters will reduce carbon emissions to the atmosphere, but will have many other consequential benefits once the items become commonplace.
James Eades, CEO of Telepathx, adds, “This communications aggregation platform was designed and developed to consolidate the fragmented communications services that exist in our urban areas, and will benefit entire communities not just the energy sector; essential service providers such as police, emergency services, transportation networks operators, utilities even sewerage plants and M2M operators would benefit from leveraging services off the platform.”
Commenting on the Pinpoint sensors, Eades said “We have developed what many are calling the optimal model for building out the intelligent distribution grid; for the simple reason that our platform goes well beyond managing energy assets to generate revenues the day it’s installed not decades. Currently we are also exploring opportunities with several smart meter manufacturers on the issue of converging and leveraging of each others platform, a move that will make meters more intelligent than ever imagined.”
Pinpoint sensors integrated into smart meters and home appliances have the potential to create home area networks (HANs) capable of remote control of appliances in the home by either the individual consumer or the power company. RFID technology operates over radio frequencies, eliminating the need to install computer equipment that other wireless technologies require.