I believe the GeoSpring has this capability, or something related.Why not have a data connection so that it draws electricity over a range of internal temperatures, depending upon the instantaneously variable electricity price?
Radical new energy storage, or radical implementation of demand management, or both.
Why does a hot water tank draw electricity whenever internal temperature hits a threshold, without regard to supply conditions?
Why not have a data connection so that it draws electricity over a range of internal temperatures, depending upon the instantaneously variable electricity price?
My internet hub is 2 m from my hotwater tank; the electronics would be simple if made in bulk.
Likewise for electric resistance/storage heat, air conditioning, freezers, refrigerators, slow cookers, electric car charging, even laptop charging etc.
And/or, stagger the timing of local electrical draws; when my water heater goes on, yours goes off etc.
This is already done for large industrial consumers, but could be scaled out.
We are no longer trapped in the model that a consumer can draw electricity in arbitrary amounts, at arbitrary times, for a fixed rate.
As always, cost-effectiveness depends on the area. Germany and UK have relatively modest local energy resources, and what they have in Germany is mostly coal, which is heavily taxed. When you're paying $0.30/kWh (US equivalent), a lot of alternatives look attractive that don't necessarily make sense in the US where the average is $0.11/kWh.
The supposed cycle the article references is flawed, however. If such a cycle starts, it always bottoms out at the cost of energy from the renewable source. The fact that the energy is "free" (it would be better described as paid up front) doesn't change that. To get more generation, you have to spend more money, and the decision whether or not to build more generation comes down to a comparison - e.g. is it cheaper to run my natural gas plant more, or to install more wind turbines or solar panels?
And beyond certain levels, cost stops mattering because you must have enough capacity you can control to meet demand when the sources you can't control aren't producing (night time, calm days, etc).
This is one of several reason why a lot of experts expect wind and solar generation to plateau around 20% of our national supply unless some sort of radical new energy storage technology is developed.
In WA, where up to 7% of the states total electrical energy is wind generated, it is still not too uncommon for windmills to be left locked out at times in order to maintain enough flow on the Columbia river via the Grand Coulee dam. The spillways alone can't provide enough flow so the generators have to be run sometimes.
I think the sought after solution is one in which people themselves would have little to no role, or knowledge, of there being anything amiss. Integrated smart grid automation technology that makes the decisions for us. To the end user, it might simply be a matter of lights being dimmed slightly, or thermostat setting adjusted slightly upwards at certain times of the day. In many cases unnoticeable, or actually working towards an improvement in occupant comfort. There is a ton of savings to be had, without having any adverse affect on comfort levels as it stands today.I suppose panic would strike the US public if citizens actually had to have a material role in energy management. The mere idea of having unlimited power available whenever desired is ridiculous.
I suppose panic would strike the US public if citizens actually had to have a material role in energy management. The mere idea of having unlimited power available whenever desired is ridiculous.
Along with the lowered maintenance costs comes less congestion associated with traffic rerouting around bucket trucks.LA has noted an impressive savings over replaced HPS lighting. Hopefully they will also realize lower maintenance costs.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/justing...es-millions-with-led-street-light-deployment/
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