Problem It's high noon in July. At 90-plus degrees outside, the masses are jonesing for AC. But it's seriously expensive to keep the juice flowing when demand crests. Firing up turbines that sit idle 360 days a year can multiply electricity costs by a factor of 10. How to keep cool without stressing the grid? Full Story »
Posted by Kaizar Campwala
Interesting recommendation to solve the problem of big power surges by paying big energy users to cut back their consumption during demand peaks. Though this is a brief suggestion, it offers extensive links to factual information from multiple sources on this promising solution.
This week's cover story on Wired is '7 Ways to Fix the Grid, Now' (see link) and this edition has other worthwhile articles on this topic.
The two paragraph story presents a technological innovation to meet demands that exceed normal production by paying commercial accounts who agree to standby on short notice for cutting their delivery. It could explore a more basal attack centering on adequate insulation to prevent excessive demand during heat waves, and promotion of solar powered adsorption cooling.
Some people like to dream up technological trickery to solve problems, when a philosophy of "less is better" is more prudent.
Utilities paid EnerNOC $100 million last year simply to stand at the ready—insurance, in effect, against the inevitable days when every AC unit is humming. More »
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