Sunday, April 21, 2013
How Obama is gonna get what he wants
President Obama has big plans for his next term and big vision for efficient energy. In the state of the union address he challenged every US citizen to do more with the energy they use and become more efficient. President Obama states, “Let’s cut in half the energy wasted by our homes and businesses over the next 20 years." When performing this radical of a change, it is estimated that it would create 1,300,00 jobs as well as reduce the yearly household electrical bill by $1000 . While yes, construction is beginning to become more efficient with the use of, LEED-certified silver, gold and platinum buildings. We have hardly tapped into what we are capable to reaching. In order to reach the massive savings in energy consumption, we have to optimize the operation of current urban life.
This is where Big data analytics come in to play. In analyzing how buildings operate, we first need a way to gather data concerning electrical output. Currently, there is no technology that fits into this role without paying a large chunk of money. One company, Seto, has come to the rescue. Seto designed a divice called a WebMeter. This device is easy to install, has a low cost, and monitors the electric flow of up to 36 individual circuits in a building circuit board. Readings from this device are recorded on a server chosen by the user and can be accessed at any point of operation. Now that this new technology has been released, companies can now dive into the applications of big data concerning energy consumption.
source: http://theenergycollective.com/tyhamilton/187006/big-data-key-unlocking-big-gains-energy-productivity
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Actually, I think power companies in each state should consider to implement big data into their program. They usually collect power usage from house meter. I am not sure whether they always send someone to check the usage or the usage can automatically send to their servers. If the situation is the first one, then I think they should introduce some high technology to monitor usage smarter. If the situation is the second one, then I think it is a good way to use big data analytics. By using big data, power companies can monitor the high usage costumers, and alert them. I think it is a good way to save our energy.
ReplyDeleteThere is a pretty serious research project in Austin that is working on this. The Pecan Street Research Project is collecting detailed power usage information for around 900 homes in Austin, Houston, and Dallas. These readings take in 90 million unique readings of voltage and electricity usage per day. A full presentation from the CEO of Pecan Street is available at the website I linked to above.
ReplyDeleteThe study largely compares the power usage for "green" houses versus conventional houses. It was found that "green" houses used less than 50% of the amount of electricity used by conventional homes. It was also found that even conventional homes that were fitted with "green" upgrades used around 25% less electricity. Some of the houses that were studied also used rooftop solar, which the study shows also improve power usage, almost to match their peak power usage during the summer. It was also shown, surprisingly, that electric heaters took up more power than air conditioners, even in the excessively hot Texas climate.
This study really shows the promise of using big data to find trends that could decrease power usage and improve the environmental impact, and also save consumers money.
I am speaking along the lines of residential homes rather than large buildings, but I think a good place to start would be education. I'm sure most people would love to save half of what they currently pay for electricity but don't know how to do it or even where to begin. Yeah, companies could spend millions trying to monitor power consumption patterns among residential homes. But, I think it would be more effective to study and determine the most common "power wasting practices." A simple list that lays out a few, simple things people can do in their own home to save on power costs, in my opinion, would be more effective in reducing energy consumption.
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