ManyMedia

This is a moment reminiscent of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The supercomputer, Deep Thought, was asked about the ultimate meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything. Deep Thought began to “think” on this question, and then the wait began.

While I don’t think we’ll have to wait 7.5 million years, it sometimes feels like a Smart Grid for electric power is following a similar path. What’s a Smart Grid? CNet has a nice article called FAQ: What the smart grid means to you. In it, author LaMonica answers some of the frequently asked Smart Grid questions:

What is the smart grid?
Building the smart grid means adding computer and communications technology to the existing electricity grid. With an overlay of digital technology, the grid promises to operate more efficiently and reliably. It can also accommodate more solar and wind power, which are inconsistent sources of energy that can become more reliable with better controls. Much like computers and routers manage the flow of bits on the Internet, smart-grid technologies use information to optimize the flow of electricity.

What would a smart grid be able to do that today’s not-so-smart grid can’t?
Right now, if there’s a breakdown at your local substation, the utility usually finds out when customers call to complain. Placing a networked sensor inside a transformer or along wires could locate and report a problem, or prevent it from happening in the first place.

Despite living in the age of information, most of us only get a glimpse of our energy consumption when the utility bills come once a month. …

Indeed, many of us are surprised each month to find that 1) we’ve used more (or occasionally less) power than the month before, and/or 2) rates just went up again.

What about asking appliance manufacturers to help? Appliances like washers, dryers, and refrigerators must be able to recognize and accept commands from the grid or from home controllers (such as pictured above). Ars Technica’s article GE brings smart grids to life as appliances gain support points out that GE supplies up to a third of the appliances sold in the US. Ars reports that GE has signed a deal with software provider Tendril, allowing GE appliances to “play nicely with the smart grid.”

The promise of a smart grid depends on the degree of sophistication of the hardware and software involved. …

At their most sophisticated, these kinds of appliances will enable two-way communications in order to provide demand response management. Utilities can provide a signal when electricity supplies are getting tight; consumers can set their appliances to respond accordingly, by temporarily shutting off the hot water heater or raising the thermostat slightly on hot days. The consumer will get lower electric rates for their participation, while the utility gets to avoid activating its oldest and least efficient plants.

To get all of that to work, however, you need the right hardware in place; a dumb refrigerator won’t contribute much to the smart grid. …

So where are we in the process? CNet’s LaMonica continues:

OK, so the smart grid is supposed to reduce wasted energy, give consumers better information, and allow the grid to use more solar and wind power. What’s the hold-up?

Where to start?

Utilities aren’t known as the most fleet-of-foot businesses and the energy industry invests a lower percentage of revenue in technology than most industries. This helps explain why we’ve been hearing about the grid for 10 years but very few of us actually have it.

But lack of investment is only part of the picture. The whole point of a smarter grid is to use electricity more efficiently, but in many states in the U.S. utilities operate without strong incentives for efficiency, say industry executives. They invest big dollars–think multibillion-dollar power plants–based on their ability to sell more kilowatt-hours, not less. The more progressive utilities have found ways to justify their investments in the smart grid based on savings from energy reductions, but many utilities aren’t nearly as enthusiastic because of how they are regulated.

Regulation. That’s an interesting place to start. Right now the House has passed and the Senate is considering the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. It’s a long and comprehensive proposal to make our nation more energy efficient. HR2454 goes a long way to change the promise of a smart grid–and renewable energy, clean transportation, energy efficiency, and more–into a reality. I am optimistic!

Devices, Network, Policy appliances, control, efficiency, electric, gas, HR2454, power, smart grid, utilities, water

Flexible mobile charging device for your car:

Enjoy the convenience of powering your iPOD in your car and the ability to use a single charger for many FireWire powered devices. Also, the convenience of charging cell phones, PDAs, other USB MP3 players and even Gameboy Advance SP on the road with a USB charger.

The USB port of the Firepod is regulated to the strict standard of USB power specification; works with popular bus-charging devices such as USB link cable for popular portable devices (PDA, cell phones, etc). The FireWire port of the Firepod outputs a steady and regulated current that is identical to your Apple FireWire port, so you don’t have to worry about battery-butchering power surge from accelerating and braking in everyday commute. …

Devices iPod, mobileTech, power, recharge, USB

This article is high on promise but fuzzy on details about the “extracting hydrogen from methanol” part. Still, 16 hours of laptop power is no small feat.

The polymer electrolyte fuel cell, which is being developed for use in automobiles and home appliances, has been miniaturized to almost the same size as a conventional lithium ion battery. Its capacity is nearly four times higher than that of a conventional battery, and it can power a typical laptop computer for eight to 16 hours.

The unit features a device that extracts hydrogen from methanol and sends the hydrogen to the main fuel cell. Casio, working jointly with Akira Igarashi, an engineering professor at Kogakuin University, succeeded in making the device as small as a 500 yen coin so that the entire unit would fit in a laptop PC.

Devices fuel cell, hydrogen, laptop, power

New batteries charge (and can discharge) fast for people on the go. Batteries are expected to cost about the same as conventional rechargables.

It takes only about 30 seconds to recharge the battery enough to allow 80 hours of continuous operation of an MD player, compared with around an hour needed by conventional rechargeables, the company claims.

Because of its ability to recharge faster, the new battery, which stores power in a special resin, is expected to make radio-controlled toy cars, shavers and other products much more convenient to use.

The battery can also discharge power in a short time, making it useful in applications requiring a large amount of power.

Devices batteries, charge, mobileTech, power

Hurricane Isabel had its nasty effects on many east coast offices, causing many workers to seek a digital connection elsewhere.

When the lights went out in Bethesda last week, Clemens Kochinke fired up his emergency generator and plugged in three things, in this order: the fridge, the freezer and the computers.

Then he put a sign in his front yard to let any laptop-toting neighbors know that if they wanted to check their e-mail, they could log on to the Internet through his wireless connection. ‘Internet Access. Free Access when Generator is on,’ his sign proclaimed.” …

Marie-Louise Murville, a business strategy consultant, has been staying on top of her projects by hauling her laptop to places with wireless Internet connections — Starbucks, the “Jamba Juice Cafe” at Whole Foods, a friend’s apartment in Georgetown. She normally works from her home office near the Naval Observatory but has been without power since last week.

The hurricane caused power outages and phone problems (including cell phones in some areas), among other disaster-related results. Many people responded by quickly addressing their digital disconnect: life will return to normal once they’re online again.

Devices, Network disaster, emergency, hurricane, mobileTech, natural disaster, networking, outages, phone, power, wireless