Smart Grid Test Yields 20 Percent Energy Savings

A smart grid is basically a power grid that’s aware of factors like weather, energy prices, and customer’s needs and can adapt to swings in power supply and demand. The promises of such a system include improved reliability, lower costs and a vast reduction in energy use. We’ve been hearing about eco-friendly smart grids for years now, but now it looks like widespread implementation may be just around the corner.

The New York Times’ Green Inc. recently reported about a smart grid experiment is being carried out on the Fayetteville Public Works Commission system in North Carolina, and the initial results seem to justify all of the hype. The trial includes 100 homes and features collaboration between technology companies IBM and Consert.

Controllers were attached to high-use electrical appliances such as air conditioners and pool pumps in participant’s homes. The participants then logged into the system, completed a detailed profile of their lifestyle (when they leave for work, what temperature they like to keep their house at, etc.) and set targets for their electricity bill. Based on a combination of that information, the customer’s billing history and local weather conditions, the grid’s software then started controlling their appliances.

The result? After the first month, a 20 percent decline in the amount of electricity used. The test has been so successful, that the Fayetteville Public Works Commission is now rethinking the scale of a proposed new power plant.