Method to Predict Power Load Requirements Using Smart Appliances (18-Aug-2009)

Method to Predict Power Load Requirements Using Smart Appliances

Smart power grids are being developed to make power distribution more efficient. Most of the effort in this area has been focused on reducing the spikes in power demand by spreading the load to non-peak times. To do this, the appliances communicate with the grid to determine the off-demand time to run non-essential jobs. The problem is that this does not help the power plant prepare for peak demand times. It just tries to spread out the load to make the peak not as high. The power plant must still have power on reserve to accommodate for the peaks, which can be wasteful.

An intelligent appliance can estimate how much power it will need over a period of time. An example of this is a programmable thermostat. The thermostat will know what time it will turn on. It can also calculate the amount of power required to cool or heat the house to the set point based on the current temperature. This information can be communicated to the smart power grid using a variety of methods such as the internet, wireless communication, or over the power lines. The power company will then be able to plan for the increase in demand by bringing additional generators online, connecting more wind turbines to the grid, or routing power from other sources to meet the expected demand.

Since the highest demand...