smart power outlets
smart power outlets
(OP)
This technology looks pretty interesting.
http://www .ted.com/t alks/john_ la_grou_pl ugs_smart_ power_outl ets_1.html
http://www
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RE: smart power outlets
1) He refers to circuit breakers as 130 year old technology. He makes it appear as though there has been no improvement or R&D in that time.
2) He makes no mention of a perfectly competent technology already in existence and being currently implemented in new installations, Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters, which are intended to address some of the very things he says makes his idea so unique.
3) He throws in the now ubiquitous "energy savings" card to sweeten the pot for potential investors. We can go on and on ad nauseum about the effectiveness of energy savings by turning off a hot water heater or disconnecting power from a wall wart, but suffice it to say that he gave no specifics, just generalizations. But used a stat such as "there are 10 million outlets in the US, think of how much energy could be saved" (don't take the number as gospel, I don't want to listed to it again). This smacks of sensationalism. If there are 10 million, or 100 million, only an infinitesimally small number would be of any benefit in having power cut off from it to save energy.
4) He shows a picture of a child playing with a plug and quotes a stat something like "2500 children die from electrical accidents per year". Obviously this is designed to tug at the heart strings, but I can guarantee you, there will be a disclaimer in their product data that says they will not be responsible for the death of a child that sticks something into this and it fails. Accidents are tragic, but from my experience, a certain percentage are unavoidable. This idea might lower the percentage, but it will not prevent 100% as they implied.
So all in all, these factors add up to what appears to me to be a VC grab. I cannot envision a world where you will convince EVERY manufacturer of electrical devices to embed their RFID tag into the plug assembly. And unless that happens, this would be totally useless.
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RE: smart power outlets
And this does nothing to detect faulty wiring in panelboards, services, feeders, etc.
"Theory is when you know all and nothing works. Practice is when all works and nobody knows why. In this case we have put together theory and practice: nothing works... and nobody knows why! (Albert Einstein)
RE: smart power outlets
I don't think I'm going too far out on a limb to say everything we use/touch is increasingly computer-controlled using similar smart technology and it has certainly begun to touch the areas of energy useage (24-hour programmable thermostat etc) and will doubtless expand in that area. I remember hearing one of the supposed benefits of smart grid was going to be to allow creative interaction between the customer and the utility. i.e. program your battery charger to charge only when you have been notified by the grid that the rate has dropped below x.
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