Sinisterhand
Shut up and drive.
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2009
- Messages
- 223
- Reaction score
- 61
The Basic idea is simple. The ability to monitor and control power for each household on a nation wide scale. You will be able to look at your usage on a real time basis, and so will the powers that be. Think about it, you have a 1000 watt system or a few systems that run on timers. The powers that be will be able to see you are using 3000 kilo watts per hour from exactly 6am to 12am. How would that look? Can this info be used against you? It is something worth consideration.
Furthermore their is a movement in government to limit each households usage. Once you hit your limit for the day the Smart system will be able to automatically decrease you ration of power forcing you to turn off non essentials. So whats it going to be turn off your grow lights or the heater.
This technology is going to be the future.
Each of us should consider the usage of home electric generation systems. Although not a cheap alternative it may be the best option.
(CNN) -- Think of the future of green energy and the mental picture you may conjure up is one of vast solar plants glinting like a beetle's eye in the sun, or ranks of wind turbines turning in the breeze.
Power up: A 'smart grid' could integrate traditional and new energy sources and lead to greater efficiency.
While the years to come will feature more of these power sources, one of the most potent weapons in the green energy arsenal is actually remarkably prosaic: efficiency.
According to research sponsored by the U.S. Government, improving the efficiency of the national electricity grid by 5 percent would be the equivalent of eliminating the fuel use and carbon emissions of 53 million cars.
For years environmentalists have been talking up the idea of a "smart grid" -- an electricity distribution system that uses digital technology to eliminate waste and improve reliability -- as a way of achieving this.
Advocates of a "smart grid" also say that it would open up new markets for large and small scale alternative energy producers by decentralizing generation.
"It would give consumers the potential to have a much more complex relationship with their energy supplier," says John Loughhead, Executive Director of the United Kingdom Energy Research Center.
"Essentially, with a smart grid, traffic goes both ways. If you wanted to install some kind of micro-generation facility in your home, you could use it to sell to the grid and get money back."
Don't Miss
Such a scheme would also use "smart meters" to help consumers reduce their consumption by providing efficiency advice, as well as real-time price information and even coordinating household devices to take advantage of cheaper, off-peak, power.
"You might want to think, 'Electricity is expensive right now, so I'll turn the freezer off, or turn the fridge down for half an hour,'" says Loughhead.
"[With a smart meter] of course you wouldn't have to worry about those decisions, it would all be automated. Most of the technology exists to do this now. The issue is doing everything at a large enough scale, at an affordable price. It's a deployment issue."
Already prototype city-wide schemes are being developed in Austin, Texas, and Boulder, Colorado. But the huge investment and political will needed to create such a system nationally has so far been lacking.
"Even with political support... this is not something that could be done overnight," says Loughland.
However, the $787 billion economic stimulus package in the U.S. has suddenly made available hitherto undreamed of amounts of cash for infrastructure work, and President Obama has repeatedly stated his desire to create a low-carbon, sustainable America; suddenly the smart grid is powering forward -- perhaps with real political support.
In response to the stimulus package senate majority leader Harry M Reid announced on February 25 that the Senate will move ahead with a "smart grid bill" to modernize the country's electricity infrastructure.
Furthermore their is a movement in government to limit each households usage. Once you hit your limit for the day the Smart system will be able to automatically decrease you ration of power forcing you to turn off non essentials. So whats it going to be turn off your grow lights or the heater.
This technology is going to be the future.
Each of us should consider the usage of home electric generation systems. Although not a cheap alternative it may be the best option.
(CNN) -- Think of the future of green energy and the mental picture you may conjure up is one of vast solar plants glinting like a beetle's eye in the sun, or ranks of wind turbines turning in the breeze.
Power up: A 'smart grid' could integrate traditional and new energy sources and lead to greater efficiency.
While the years to come will feature more of these power sources, one of the most potent weapons in the green energy arsenal is actually remarkably prosaic: efficiency.
According to research sponsored by the U.S. Government, improving the efficiency of the national electricity grid by 5 percent would be the equivalent of eliminating the fuel use and carbon emissions of 53 million cars.
For years environmentalists have been talking up the idea of a "smart grid" -- an electricity distribution system that uses digital technology to eliminate waste and improve reliability -- as a way of achieving this.
Advocates of a "smart grid" also say that it would open up new markets for large and small scale alternative energy producers by decentralizing generation.
"It would give consumers the potential to have a much more complex relationship with their energy supplier," says John Loughhead, Executive Director of the United Kingdom Energy Research Center.
"Essentially, with a smart grid, traffic goes both ways. If you wanted to install some kind of micro-generation facility in your home, you could use it to sell to the grid and get money back."
Don't Miss
- <LI _extended="true">Eco Solutions :rant: :rant:
- Google tests home energy-use tracker
Such a scheme would also use "smart meters" to help consumers reduce their consumption by providing efficiency advice, as well as real-time price information and even coordinating household devices to take advantage of cheaper, off-peak, power.
"You might want to think, 'Electricity is expensive right now, so I'll turn the freezer off, or turn the fridge down for half an hour,'" says Loughhead.
"[With a smart meter] of course you wouldn't have to worry about those decisions, it would all be automated. Most of the technology exists to do this now. The issue is doing everything at a large enough scale, at an affordable price. It's a deployment issue."
Already prototype city-wide schemes are being developed in Austin, Texas, and Boulder, Colorado. But the huge investment and political will needed to create such a system nationally has so far been lacking.
"Even with political support... this is not something that could be done overnight," says Loughland.
However, the $787 billion economic stimulus package in the U.S. has suddenly made available hitherto undreamed of amounts of cash for infrastructure work, and President Obama has repeatedly stated his desire to create a low-carbon, sustainable America; suddenly the smart grid is powering forward -- perhaps with real political support.
In response to the stimulus package senate majority leader Harry M Reid announced on February 25 that the Senate will move ahead with a "smart grid bill" to modernize the country's electricity infrastructure.
