by psvish
2. September 2010 08:37
Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has announced that it has started field test an end-use device that will permit appliances in the home to participate in utility demand response (DR) programs. The issue EPRI is trying to address is two-fold:
- There is no standard device currently available that a customer could buy from their local electronics or appliance store that will make their appliances or systems [such as HVAC] "DR-Ready" - i.e., enable their appliances/systems to communicate with the utility
and respond to DR system signals.
- There is no common standard design that has been accepted by the utility industry on a nationwide basis, similar to the standards for Wi-Fi or USB devices.
One key to this capability is the need to define a single interface for all major appliances or devices. Work is under way to define such a connection, allowing appliances to communicate via any chosen medium and protocol. Another prerequisite for DR-ready appliances is a functional specification of what constitutes “DR-ready” for specific types of appliances, enabling manufacturers to develop qualifying products. Researchers at EPRI’s Knoxville laboratories have demonstrated the transformation of existing consumer electronics devices into DR-ready resources by adding software that allows consumers to set controls and manage energy consumption according to prevailing grid or market conditions.
Having worked for several years with utilities, appliance manufacturers, controls vendors and various industry groups, I believe for such a product to gain market traction, it's critical that the device specifications is not tied to any particular communications technology [such as powerline, Zigbee, etc.] and to any particular applications language. The industry as a whole need to agree to a generalized interface specifications so that it will work with any of the communications technology with a few clearly defined applications functions [such as on/off, increase/decrease, status, etc.] that any device in the market can be expected to implement. That would enable manufacturers to develop interface modules that will work across the board while assuring the consumer that any device they purchase will provide a guaranteed minimum functionality.
Track. Report. Analyze. Manage.
