Smart Meters in communities? | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: ehrbar (ehrbargreenhouse.economics.utah.edu) | |
Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2011 08:34:27 -0700 (PDT) |
Smart meters are part of the smart grid, which is the electric grid of the future. Renewable energy is distributed, while fossil electricity is centralized. The grid therefore, instead of distributing electricity in a one-way shower-like distribution from big centralized producers of power to many consumers of power, the grid must become able to shift electricity back and forth between many so-called prosumers, who produce electricity with wind and solar power and consume it for their home use. Another feature of the electricity supply of the future is the need for more coordination between production and consumption of electricity. For instance the defrost cycle of the refrigerator, which uses a lot of power, should be scheduled at times when there is an excess power in the grid. Many other examples like that, some of it is already being done today with the scheduling of irrigation pumps for agriculture. For all this, the electric grid must be integrated with modern information technology, you need smart meters and smart applicances. The smart grid is an electric grid which at the same time acts as an internet for all the devices that produce, consume, or store electricity. Many electric utilities resist the introduction of the smart grid, because they want to remain the sole suppliers of electricity and they do not want to use this part of the business to distributed small suppliers. They are trying to scare consumers by saying: if you have a smart refrigerator, the electric utility can see how much food you have in your refrigerator, and they will take your children away from you if they think there is not enough food in the refrigerator. This all is just scare stories, smart applicances are not wired to check for food in the refrigerator but to optimize the timing of electricity consumption, and all this can be overridden by the consumer for a price. These scare stories are similar to global warming denialism, invented by the fossil industries to retard the introduction of the policies and reforms necessary to keep this a livable planet. Hans G Ehrbar Wasatch Commons, SLC UT
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Smart Meters in communities? Valerie McIntyre, July 7 2011
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Re: Smart Meters in communities? Joanie Connors, July 8 2011
- Smart Meters in communities? ehrbar, July 8 2011
- Re: Smart Meters in communities? Jerome Garciano, July 11 2011
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Re: Smart Meters in communities? Norman Gauss, July 8 2011
- Re: Smart Meters in communities? Sharon Villines, July 8 2011
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Re: Smart Meters in communities? Joanie Connors, July 8 2011
- Re: Smart Meters in communities? Alison Etter, July 8 2011
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