One of the most discussed benefits of smart grid technology is increased visibility into energy consumption and its ability to decrease energy use. But behavioral change is only part of the path to a greener future. Increasingly, we’ll have to consider the energy consumption of devices as we purchase them. Just as today the fuel economy of a vehicle is an important specification, perhaps even the primary consideration, when in the market for a new car, energy prices and financial opportunities (e.g. DR programs) may elevate the importance of efficiency when we shop for new appliances and technology.
While dimmable lighting ballasts and intelligent refrigerators encourage conservation through increased access to demand response opportunities, there are simpler and cheaper things we can all buy to reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions: stop buying energy hogs. But when is the last time you compared the energy consumption of two coffee machines, stereos, or refrigerators?
I considered this question as I recently stumbled across what I believe is a new feature on the technology website CNET - their product reviews now include statistics on energy consumption. Perhaps this is a result of the increased awareness of electricity-gobbling TVs or general consumer consciousness about climate change, but regardless of the reason(s), it’s good news.
Take a look at this Gateway computer review, posted a few days ago:
“We use a lengthened version of our multimedia multitasking (MMT) benchmark to judge a PC’s power consumption under load, and while it’s not designed to overwhelm a quad-core CPU like the one in the Gateway, the Gateway’s efficiency is no less impressive. Consider that the Gateway outperformed every other system in this category on the MMT benchmark by a large margin, but that it also used the second lowest amount of power on that same test. If you were to consistently run programs on this Gateway that ran on all four processing cores, its annual power consumption cost would likely increase, but for mainstream tasks, the more common work scenario for a PC in this price range, the Gateway demonstrates commendable efficiency.”
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Microsoft’s residential energy management software, Hohm, went live at 9am this morning. My utility isn’t a Hohm partner, so I’ll need to input my own energy data, but the software is surprisingly accurate - it came pretty close to guessing my annual energy spend just based on the questions about my home.
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NPR’s Morning Edition has been looking at the future of the grid recently in a new 10-part series called “Power Hungry: Reinventing the US Electric Grid.” They also developed some cool web-specific content on the topic, like this interactive map of the US that shows existing and planned transmission lines, power plants, and renewable capacity. While the whole series is worth checking out, here are the must-listen “episodes” if you’re interested in the smart grid:
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Last week, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce released a discussion draft of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. The bill, sponsored by Representatives Waxman and Markey, represents a substantial step forward for those eager to see the development of a clean technology economy here in the US. From a clean energy standpoint alone the proposed legislation calls for a package that includes a federal RPS (requiring 6% renewable power by 2012 and 25% by 2025), carbon capture and sequestration, clean fuels and vehicles, and smart grid and electricity transmission deployment. But the bill (nice summary found here) is about more than just clean energy, as it includes title provisions on energy efficiency, global warming pollution, and economic transition. In short, the bill contemplates not only our fuel sources, but the manner in which we deliver and consume fuel, how we manage the associated greenhouse gas emissions, and the necessary economic and trade steps to ensure a successful transition.
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Using thermal imaging cameras to look for criminal activity within homes is a tactic usually reserved for law enforcement in the fight against drugs. But a municipal government in the UK has appropriated the tactic, and hired a plane outfitted with such technology to identify homes that are wasting energy. Apparently, it’s not the first UK city to do so either.
The tactic obviously raises privacy concerns, even in the UK, where the use of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras is common. In the US, the approach would likely be considered illegal - the Supreme Court has ruled that the use of thermal imaging technology, even for offenses like marijuana cultivation, requires a warrant.
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As the concept of a smart grid builds momentum, a disconnect in its public persona slowly emerges: while the most prominent challenge associated with our existing grid centers on transmission and distribution (T&D - the system that physically connects supply resources to customers), the highest profile solutions focus instead on supply (integration of renewables, vehicle-to-grid) and end-user (smart meters communicating with smart appliances) technologies. How will the smart grid impact the T&D system?
I attended last week’s EUCI conference, Implementation of the Smart Grid for Electric Utilities, and two presentations helped answer this question by detailing utility initiatives to leverage technology as a means of controlling voltage on the T&D system.
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The wires were buzzing this morning with news that the South Carolina Public Service Commission had officially rejected Duke Energy’s energy efficiency program and cost recovery plan, known broadly as Save-A-Watt. While Duke must no doubt be disappointed with this decision on their widely-publicized plan, they can take encouragement from the fact that the topic of utility incentives for demand-side investments is only going to get more and more attention going forward. What may have initially seemed like a radical approach may find itself with more company as states begin taking bolder steps to incent utilities to do more with the demand side of the equation.
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One of the common misconceptions about the “smart grid” is that advanced metering infrastructure is inherently “smart.” But the truth is that AMI only becomes “smart” when applications leverage the technological capabilities of this new infrastructure, like two-way communication, to create new solutions like next-generation energy-efficiency and demand response. Proprietary communication protocols and closed systems will make the development of such applications difficult, if not impossible. This is why standards like OpenADR have emerged and why smart meter companies like Silver Spring Networks and are building standards-based networks. Now residential energy management firm Tendril has joined the fray, not just signing on to the OpenADR bandwagon, but also opening up their application programming interface (API) to partners so that third-parties can interface with its software and devices. So far, partners include major meter vendors like Silver Spring Networks, Itron, Landis+Gyr, and in-home device companies like Energate and Onzo.
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The internet is abuzz with the results from a report by a Harvard physicist showing that a typical Google search generates ~7 grams of carbon dioxide (something the search giant disputes). But the fact that Google owns data centers full of servers that consume electricity, and consequently contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.
However, the increasing focus on “cloud” computing and its reliance on such server farms raises an important question - how will expanded server-based computing affect overall power consumption?
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Kind of a slow news week so I thought I’d share this story of a guy in my hometown of Arlington, MA who has embarked on a project to make his home the most insulated on the block (here, here, and and a news clip here).
I love people who take things to the extreme, and homeowner Alex Cheimets is certainly doing just that. Cheimets is literally wrapping the entire exterior of his two-family house in 4-6 inch thick super-insulating foam, plugging all cracks between pieces of foam, and upgrading all 58 of his windows with airtight super-efficient replacements. Cheimets is looking to dramatically cut his heating and cooling costs as well as reduce his home’s environmental impact.
Photo credit: CNET Networks
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