Smart Grid WiFi

Friday, 08 January 2010 09:43

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Tenrehte Technologies is developing Wi-Fi-enabled smart plugs to be used in lieu of smart meters. Dubbed Picowatts, the smart plugs will provide a real-time read-out of electricity for consumers and will control appliances from a central point.

The Rochester, New York start-up says the smart plug, about the size of an Apple AirPort, will be available in April of this year for $79 and will be sold directly to consumers. The smart plugs fit over existing outlets, act as tiny Wi-Fi routers running Linux. Each plug can gather data and control devices. Consumers can view energy usage data from a WiFi-enabled PC or through a Facebook application that can be downloaded to a smart phone. Another smart feature of the PicoWatt is that it eliminates stand-by power.

In another “smart” innovation, engineers at the University of Southampton’s School of Electronics and Computer Science have developed a new iPhone application that monitors the UK electricity grid. Named GridCarbon by its inventors – Dr Alex Rogers, Dr. Perukrishnen Vytelingum and Professor Nick Jennings – the app enables users to monitor the carbon intensity of the grid, defined to be the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere when one  kilowatt hour of electricity is used by a consumer.

“The app shows people how using appliances and machinery at different times of the day can reduce their carbon footprint,” explains Dr. Rogers. “For example, at some times of the year, running washing machines and dishwashers overnight rather than at peak times in the evening, can reduce carbon emissions by as much as 40 percent. While developing this app, we were surprised at how much the carbon intensity of the grid varies at different times of the day, and between different days in the week.”