Re: [smartpowerdir] [smartpower-interest] FYI OSTP requests inputon SmartGrid

All

One interesting item to me.  I worked for DOE WAPA in the 80's, consulted a bit for some PUDs in 2000/2001 and have been looking again recently at the load patterns.  Every year the nighttime peaks are a higher percentage of the peak load; the late night loads in the in the 70s and 80s were really low as a percentage of the peak.

I assume that this is from the growth of "always on" electronics" (PCs, modems, appliance displays, more billboard lights, more street lights, etc).   The hybrid and electric cars I would expect to cause even more flattening of the load curves still as they charge overnight.

Take care
Terry

________________________________
From: smartpower-interest-bounces@ietf.org [mailto:smartpower-interest-bounces@ietf.org] On Behalf Of Gene Gaines
Sent: Saturday, February 13, 2010 12:59 PM
To: andyb
Cc: smartpower-interest; smartpowerdir
Subject: Re: [smartpower-interest] [smartpowerdir] FYI OSTP requests inputon SmartGrid

Richard.

1) The cost of electricity DOES vary significantly during the day.
Actually for many (but not all) types of power generation, a huge
factor in cost of power is the peak load.  Spread (delay) the peak
load even just a small amount and the cost of power (to the
power company) can be reduced significantly.

The above is cost to the utility company; the price they charge
you is a different thing.  I expect that in the future as more is
known by consumers, the charge for power will come to more
closely mirror the cost of power.

2)  Not true for all appliances.  I could make 100 statement to
refute your statement.  Big systems such as home heating
and conditioning systems can be shut off or turned to lower
power consumption during short peak periods.  The dozens of
power adapters just sitting plugged in, the TV and HiFi
equipment that sits drawing power all day can easily be
redesigned to save typically hundreds of dollars a year in
many homes.  I could go on.

The best argument is to purchase one of the portable power
consumption meters, or have an electrician install a home
power use transmitter and monitor with Google or similar.
Turn the data over to the typical housewife or better,
teenager, and you view and usage habits of power will change.

It, like most things in live, is a matter of becoming aware.

We could discuss power shedding (peak power delay)
benefits for steel mills, brick factories, food processing plants,
etc., another day.

Gene Gaines

On Sat, Feb 13, 2010 at 2:47 PM, Andy Bierman <andyb@iwl.com<mailto:andyb@iwl.com>> wrote:
Richard Shockey wrote:
>
> http://www.poten.com/NewsDetails.aspx?id=10352770
>

I am very interested in how the SmartGrid affects
residential customers.  There seems to be a couple
built-in assumptions wrt/ cost reduction:

 1) the cost of electricity varies throughout the day
    by a significant amount.

 2) the home includes many electrical devices which are
    used in a lowest-energy-cost mode, rather than in
    an on-demand mode.

Where I live, these assumptions are completely false.

I cannot imagine how device manufacturers would design
consumer products which would need to interact with
the power grid in order to minimize power consumption.
Even washers and dryers are used as on-demand devices.
I do not see why people will want to let the grid
decide when their appliances will operate, unless the
energy savings are dramatic.

Are there papers which explain why residential SmartGrid
service is worthwhile?

thanks,
Andy

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