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THE SMART GRID—COMING TO A NEIGHBORHOOD NEAR YOU
Summer is just around the corner—scorching sunny days, hot
sticky nights. Hello, Mr. Air Conditioner. The eco-warrior in me
cringes when I switch on the dreaded energy-sucking machine.
But hey, there are limits to what this green mama can take. Occasionally,
the summer nights in New York City are unbearable. As the weather gets wackier with the effects of global warming, I imagine air-conditioning will become more and more essential.
Don’t despair. New technologies are heading our way that might just help us save energy and still stay comfortable. Imagine being able to control the temperature of your air-conditioning based on up-to-the-minute weather forecasts? If the temperature goes down a few degrees outside, your thermostat automatically goes up a few degrees inside. And what if you forget to turn the air-conditioner off before you leave for work? Think you are heading to eco-prison? Not so fast. All you need is a computer and you can remotely turn off your air-conditioner. Sounds like something from The Jetsons. But the smart-grid technology might just be rolling into your neighborhood sooner than you expect.
In a recent article, CNET News explains, “Building the smart grid means adding computer and communications technology to the existing electricity grid. With an overlay of digital technology, the grid promises to operate more efficiently and reliably. It can also accommodate more solar and wind power, which are inconsistent sources of energy that can become more reliable with better controls. Much like computers and routers manage the flow of bits on the Internet, smart-grid technologies use information to optimize the flow of electricity.”
Here are just a few things that a smart grid could provide:
Real-time pricing, offering off-peak electricity at a discount. Set up your washing machine to start running at 9 p.m. and save money while reducing energy use during peak hours.
Access to detailed energy use and cost information. If you know how much energy your dryer uses, you might just decide to hang-dry some items on high peak days to conserve energy and save money.
The ability to program and communicate with home appliances and devices to respond to energy use preferences based on cost, comfort and convenience. If you have access to wind turbine energy, you might choose to defrost your refrigerator on a particularly windy day.
Okay, it sounds a little funny to think of your dishwasher and your dryer communicating with your electrical company, negotiating the best time to run a load. And, hey, do I really want my personal information sent to the electrical company? Maybe I don’t want anyone to know that I watch television most nights. I certainly don’t want to reveal how I never miss an episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County. But I imagine we all felt a little funny when we first started hearing about e-mail and the Internet years ago and probably worried about the same invasions of privacy.
According to an article on Treehugger, “General Electric Co. is now testing out Smart Grid technology in Wailea, a luxury resort community. By timing electronics better and adding a mix of solar and wind power, GE is hoping to reduce energy consumption 15 percent by 2012, reports the Associated Press. … Wailea is not the first smart-grid technology to be piloted. In fact, there are over 70 programs currently running across the United States. The programs allow homeowners to turn thermostats down when demand is high, or to delay running laundry or dishwashers until after demand drops. The program costs roughly $14.5 million USD and is paid partly by the U.S. Department of Energy and partly by GE and Hawaiian Electric. Currently Hawaii imports roughly 90 percent of their fuel and yet has no lack of sun, wind or geothermal. A smart-grid system would help to moderate some of the fluctuations between cloudy days, etc., and allow for the system to take in more renewable energy easily.”
Stay tuned for the smart grid to find its way to your neighborhood. And if you can’t wait for the smart grid, you can buy yourself a smart meter and start gauging your energy consumption today. Check out The Energy Detective (TED) and the Black & Decker EM100B.
In 2006, Francesca Olivieri co-founded the company sage baby, an online eco-friendly baby store offering everything from organic clothes and skincare to furniture. She also writes a monthly blog for Scenic Hudson as well as contributes articles to Daily Candy Kids, CitiScoop and NRDC’s Simple Steps. She continues to watch her green business grow while seeking to apply her values to her own home and family. Francesca lives in New York City with her husband and three kids, 9, 7 and 4.
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