6 ms·

UK’s Power Switch-Off Shows Future for Cleaner Energy Grid

6 points by helsinkiandrew 4y ago

helsinkiandrew 4y ago
https://archive.ph/jpyZr https://archive.ph/jpyZr
gadders 4y ago
Is it still a brownout if it's voluntary?
nullish_signal 4y ago
"Opportunities will only increase as economies decarbonize." This is so nauseating to read. It feels sinister, like there's an additional essay of context in here that is being implied but not communicated clearly. I guess the point does clearly come across when the article lays out hopes for power companies having the ability to remotely raise the temp of your fridge without your knowledge. But at least they'll have your (implied) consent, and you will be happy to have your fridge temp raised by those who know better than you do.
yurishimo 4y ago
I'm curious if some UK/IE residents can chime in; in practice, do you actually flip outlets to the off position or are they routinely left "ON"? The few appliances I can think of that have an oversized phantom load are the TV and maybe a computer? For TVs, flipping the wall switch seems insanely inconvenient. It all just seems wildly inconvenient from a modern view. Is it safer? Probably, but I don't think anyone is routinely saving more than a few pounds annually unless they are hyper religious about turning off the outlets when not in use. But if there isn't anything plugged in to an outlet, the fact that it's off means nothing. EDIT: commented before reading the article. My question isn't really relevant to the article, but I'm still curious as it could be tangentially related. :)
- viraptor 4y ago
  For some things. For example I switch off the toaster at the outlet. It shouldn't use any power until it's activated / pressed down, but the extra safety doesn't cost me anything, so why not do it? May prevent a fire one day if something falls into it or a cat steps on just the right place.
- gertrunde 4y ago
  Depends what it is. Things like mobile chargers are more likely to be treated like this, you're going near the socket (and the switch) already, and it's relatively simple to flip the switch when disconnecting the phone. (Equally, plug sockets tend to be switched off when there's nothing plugged in, but that's irrelevant in the context of energy usage). Or electric cookers, there's usually a physical switch within close reach of the cooker itself. (Although arguably the power draw of an off cooker should be fairly minimal, even with a small LED/LCD display/timer/control panel, and resetting the clock time repeatedly is... quite annoying). For something like a TV, where the power socket may be hidden behind the TV and furniture, far less likely. (And obviously depends on the householder caring about it at all).
- helsinkiandrew 4y ago
  With one of the energy companies participating (Octopus Energy) the reward was for every KW you used less than your average [1], and the average saved looks like it was about half a kilowatt (108MW saved by 200K homes - 400K homes signed up but presumably half of them used the same or more power than normal and half used less and were eligible for a reward). So presumably this was people not using ovens, kettles, and washing machines for an hour, rather than sitting in the dark and unplugging phone chargers. [1] https://octopus.energy/saving-sessions/ https://octopus.energy/saving-sessions/ [2] https://octopus.energy/press/believe-it-or-watt-octopus-energy-customers-provide-108mw-of-grid-flexibility-in-first-saving-session-equivalent-of-a-gas-power-station/ https://octopus.energy/press/believe-it-or-watt-octopus-ener...
- mytailorisrich 4y ago
  I turned absolutely everything off, including central gas heating, and disconnected what I couldn't turned off. My house's use dropped to below 40W during those periods (you need to have a smart meter to take part so you know exactly your usage and the impact of turning things off) and I earned about £2 per 1 hour session so far. They are trying to put spin on this but this is really neither positive nor, I hope, the future. Rather the grid and energy supply are f*cked and they are trying to avoid blackouts with effectively soft rationing... It has worked so far but really, these are voluntary blackouts. And, yes, I was sitting in the dark for an hour every time.

helsinkiandrew 4y ago

https://archive.ph/jpyZr https://archive.ph/jpyZr

gadders 4y ago

Is it still a brownout if it's voluntary?

nullish_signal 4y ago

"Opportunities will only increase as economies decarbonize." This is so nauseating to read. It feels sinister, like there's an additional essay of context in here that is being implied but not communicated clearly. I guess the point does clearly come across when the article lays out hopes for power companies having the ability to remotely raise the temp of your fridge without your knowledge. But at least they'll have your (implied) consent, and you will be happy to have your fridge temp raised by those who know better than you do.

yurishimo 4y ago

I'm curious if some UK/IE residents can chime in; in practice, do you actually flip outlets to the off position or are they routinely left "ON"? The few appliances I can think of that have an oversized phantom load are the TV and maybe a computer? For TVs, flipping the wall switch seems insanely inconvenient. It all just seems wildly inconvenient from a modern view. Is it safer? Probably, but I don't think anyone is routinely saving more than a few pounds annually unless they are hyper religious about turning off the outlets when not in use. But if there isn't anything plugged in to an outlet, the fact that it's off means nothing. EDIT: commented before reading the article. My question isn't really relevant to the article, but I'm still curious as it could be tangentially related. :)

viraptor 4y ago
For some things. For example I switch off the toaster at the outlet. It shouldn't use any power until it's activated / pressed down, but the extra safety doesn't cost me anything, so why not do it? May prevent a fire one day if something falls into it or a cat steps on just the right place.
gertrunde 4y ago
Depends what it is. Things like mobile chargers are more likely to be treated like this, you're going near the socket (and the switch) already, and it's relatively simple to flip the switch when disconnecting the phone. (Equally, plug sockets tend to be switched off when there's nothing plugged in, but that's irrelevant in the context of energy usage). Or electric cookers, there's usually a physical switch within close reach of the cooker itself. (Although arguably the power draw of an off cooker should be fairly minimal, even with a small LED/LCD display/timer/control panel, and resetting the clock time repeatedly is... quite annoying). For something like a TV, where the power socket may be hidden behind the TV and furniture, far less likely. (And obviously depends on the householder caring about it at all).
helsinkiandrew 4y ago
With one of the energy companies participating (Octopus Energy) the reward was for every KW you used less than your average [1], and the average saved looks like it was about half a kilowatt (108MW saved by 200K homes - 400K homes signed up but presumably half of them used the same or more power than normal and half used less and were eligible for a reward). So presumably this was people not using ovens, kettles, and washing machines for an hour, rather than sitting in the dark and unplugging phone chargers. [1] https://octopus.energy/saving-sessions/ https://octopus.energy/saving-sessions/ [2] https://octopus.energy/press/believe-it-or-watt-octopus-energy-customers-provide-108mw-of-grid-flexibility-in-first-saving-session-equivalent-of-a-gas-power-station/ https://octopus.energy/press/believe-it-or-watt-octopus-ener...
mytailorisrich 4y ago
I turned absolutely everything off, including central gas heating, and disconnected what I couldn't turned off. My house's use dropped to below 40W during those periods (you need to have a smart meter to take part so you know exactly your usage and the impact of turning things off) and I earned about £2 per 1 hour session so far. They are trying to put spin on this but this is really neither positive nor, I hope, the future. Rather the grid and energy supply are f*cked and they are trying to avoid blackouts with effectively soft rationing... It has worked so far but really, these are voluntary blackouts. And, yes, I was sitting in the dark for an hour every time.