How does this work? Here's what I imagine: You load your dishwasher and push a button that's contains pre-set instructions telling it to run at the cheapest rate it can negotiate, but not later than 7 a.m. tomorrow morning, when you want your coffee pot to be ready to fire you up for the day. A smart grid software package with a robust, woolly algorithm checks the weather forecast (which predicts 8 to 10 knots steady from now until 4 a.m.) then starts a conversation with your dishwasher and a hundred thousand other appliances around town, as well as the other players on the electricity grid. The software makes a deal with your dishwasher to give you electricity at a rate well below your threshold, with a 2 a.m. time slot to run the dishwasher. The wind dictates when to wash the dishes.
The two way communication enabled by the smart grid opens up whole new worlds for intermittent power sources like solar and wind. Wind could make ice in off peak times to help cool buildings during peak power consumption. Charge electric vehicles that don't absolutely, positively have to be charged right now. Pump water topside to create more hydro-electric power when it's needed.
Who knows what creative arrangements we'll come up with as the smart grid becomes real and we settle into the possibilities.
For an interesting aside from the real world on how to best shape dynamic pricing for the consumer, see this post from CNT Energy's Anthony Star.
Tags: Smart Grid, Smart Homes, Wind Power
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