Described by one commentator as "TiVo for electricity," the Gridpoint Connect Series is more than just a big battery that stores electricity when it's cheap so you can use it when it's not. It's also a computer that intelligently manages your energy use while telling you about it through a private Web portal. Less creepy than other forms of total information awareness (for example, those GPS bracelets folks have started slapping on their kids) and about twice as useful, this system might just convince you that remembering to turn off the lights makes a genuine difference.
See the product page here and CNBC video coverage of the technology here.
Having worked as an engineer in the power industry, this sounds really cool! It would put less reliance on peak-load machines and potentially cut down on the burning of fossil fuels. If nothing else, if it gained widespread use, it could help drive down costs of energy by requiring fewer gas and steam turbines to meet current power demands. Not only that, but it could act like an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for an entire business or household during power outages.
I'm curious what the current price on this is and how cost-effective it would be? I'm skeptical of there being a large market for this right now residentially, but believe it could be a real boon for many industries. If they are able to make this technology cost-effective enough, something like this would be extra-useful in countries like India which have unreliable power availability.
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