In reply to Jed Rothwell's message of Wed, 13 Mar 2013 18:07:05 -0400: Hi, [snip] ><mix...@bigpond.com> wrote: > > >> Yes, I know, but my way is better. It's completely automatic. > > >Kind of problematic though. What if the voltage does not drop in my locale >but the power company wants to reduce power anyway? >
You are talking about reducing power consumption at times of high demand. I was talking about increasing it at times of low demand. More accurately, moving the new load that lots of electrical vehicles will add, to times when excess power is available. That would be e.g. when it's windy. However there is also the possibility that a parked vehicle that already had fully charged batteries could return some power if the voltage dropped below a certain level. Whether or not it did so, would depend on the car "knowing" when next it would be used, and calculating how long it would take to recharge what it had sold back to the power company. This isn't a panacea, but it would help even out supply and demand. Essentially all the nation's electric vehicles would be acting as a large battery storage for wind and solar power. That would mean that wind and solar could increase their share of the total supply. > >It's comparable to >> a free market compared to centralized control in a communist system. >> Besides who wants a centralized authority turning off the power that is >> charging >> their car? A bit too much room for abuse IMO. >> > >I can't imagine what kind of abuse there could be. Suppose that someone who doesn't like you decides to tell the power company computer to tell your car to stop charging, so that come morning, when you are about to drive away, you discover that you have a flat battery. Suppose that this happens regularly to people that someone in government considers to be "trouble makers". >Anyway, if they want to >give me a reduced rate in return for this, I would be pleased. That's a decision that each car owner should be able to make for themselves. > >When corporations and factories give the power company remote access to >turn down their equipment, they get a price break. That's fine, as long as it remains within control of the individual. I.e. it should be possible to press a button in your car, allowing you to opt out at any time. > >With the smart meter, I get a price break now, for not using power during >peak summer hours. > >- Jed ...and there is no reason why the mechanism I described above shouldn't also lead to a price break. The only difference is that mine is automatic, whereas yours is controlled by a central computer at the power company. Smart meters log exactly when you consume power, so the power company can compare this to the times when excess power was available, and charge you a lower rate accordingly. Since my method results in automatic matching, you always get the lowest possible rate. Regards, Robin van Spaandonk http://rvanspaa.freehostia.com/project.html
