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Yes, we'd just need some kind of signal that was proportional to demand. If the demand was high, the signal would also be high, so that consumers would know it
by GregBuchholz 12y ago
Yes, we'd just need some kind of signal that was proportional to demand. If the demand was high, the signal would also be high, so that consumers would know it was time to cut back on consumption. And likewise, for producers, a high signal would indicate that it was time to bring on extra capacity. Of course, we'd want the signal to be something meaningful that people wouldn't ignore. It would be best if the whole signaling infrastructure was decentralized, so that producers and consumers could act according to their own needs without coordinating through a central authority. It seems like there may be a startup opportunity in there somewhere.
- toomuchtodo 12y agoYou just described how Nest is using their data and how utilities are trying to use Time Of Data metering to signal pricing to consumers (using smart meters). Also, most if not all industrial electricity users have load shedding agreements with utilities; in the event of demand spikes, those industrial users are required to curb their power use within X number of minutes.