37 comments on How Smart is Ontario's Smart Metering Plan?
Comments can no longer be added to this story.
| Show without comments | PDF version
37 comments on How Smart is Ontario's Smart Metering Plan?
Comments can no longer be added to this story.
| Show without comments | PDF version
User login
Personnel
Archives
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- March 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- March 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- March 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
GAIA Host Collective
"Smart Meters" are a baby step in the right direction of intelligent devices that can adjust demand in real-time to substantially reduce energy peak demand.
Imagine a "smart electric panel" that knew the temperature in your freezer and coudl stage the compressor motors in sync with other fridges, freezers and pool pumps. This could easily reduce electric generation demand by 10-15%.
When there are rolling black-outs to dampen excessive demand whole neighborhoods are cut off. Imagine if the "smart panel" could distinguish between critical and non-critical loads (say a dialysis machine vs a hot tub).
Imagine, with distributed generation resources in a given geography, small-generators (owners of PV, standby power equipment, etc) could be compensated for their emergency ready power that would be distributed to customers paying a premium to light up certain circuits in their smart panels.
The opportunity to build intelligence at the edge via smart devices is just now emerging as a significant way to reduce capital and operating expenses, increase competition, reliability and security.
Having lived in the UK for many years, especially as a poor student, I still find it amazing here in Canada that the hot water tank is "on" all day and all night, despite only needing it mornings and evenings. Unheard of over there!
In the UK they have these horrible instant electric showers that dribble on you as you stand in a freezing bathroom (due to dodgy insulation mostly), but at least you only use 5KW of electricity for 5-10 minutes, depending on how long you can put up with it :-)
Cheers,
Gary M.