Demand Side Response

[Potemkin Villager]

Thanks to Tim Watkins for this.

https://consciousnessofsheep.co.uk/2020 ... h-hot-air/

“The Government is trying to solve the [intermittency] problem of a lack of energy storage through what is calls “capacity auctions�. The bids for batteries, however, are losing out to something called Demand Side Response.�

While the establishment media were distracted with the surge in people testing positive for Covid-19, government ministers and regulators were quietly considering how a future demand-side response might operate in practice. As Sarah Davidson at This is Money reports:

“The Government is considering giving energy networks the power to switch off a household’s energy supply without warning or compensation for those affected.

“A series of ‘modifications’ to the Smart Energy Code have been proposed by officials and look set to pass into law by next spring.

“These include giving networks the right to decide when they consider the grid to be in a state of ’emergency’ and the power to switch off high usage electrical devices such as electric vehicle chargers and central heating systems in British homes.�

In short, according to Ross Clark:

“… the electricity industry has worked out that it is going to be cheaper not to bother building batteries but instead to cut us off when the sun isn’t shining and wind isn’t blowing. As far as the Government’s capacity market is concerned, a kilowatt-hour of energy saved is the equivalent of a kilowatt-hour stored.�

[Little John]

Well well well... what a surprise.

To some....

To others, this was the prime suspicion that led to them not have "smart" meters installed.

People are stupid.

And the most stupid of these are those who don't think they are.

[adam2]

The electricity supply industry ALREADY have the capability to turn the electricity off without warning, consultation, or compensation, only used in extreme circumstances.
Last used in August 2019 when about 5% were blacked out, and previously about ten years before that.

What is changing is the proposal to disconnect individual consumers via smart meters, rather than by switching off EVERY consumer in a significant geographical area.
In theory this should be an improvement over the present system since street lighting, public transport, hospitals, and PRE-REGISTERED priority consumers could be left on.

Remotely disconnecting large loads such as electric vehicle chargers could be most helpful, and I have previously advocated exactly this.
Consider an simple to use to use push button controller.
Press the red button to charge as quickly as possible, though at an extra cost.
Press the yellow button to charge at a reduced price, subject to a delay not exceeding one hour.
Press the green button to charge at a much reduced price, subject to a delay not exceeding three hours.
Costs might reasonably be per unit
Red----------25 pence.
Yellow--------12 pence.
Green---------8 pence.

[vtsnowedin]

In a short while they will be able to draw power back from the charging cars letting you buy all the batteries for them. Of course an MP's car would never be drawn down but you might have yours tapped to top his off.

[adam2]

No, the proposal is to pause charging at times of high demand, not to withdraw energy from the EV battery.

[vtsnowedin]

What a government tells you it wants to do and what you actually get in the end are often far apart. Most famous one in the US being "You can keep your doctor and you can keep your plan".
There is nothing wrong with what I suggest above as it will be beneficial for us as a whole. It does need to be run carefully so you always have a full charge when you need it. That should not be difficult as every Tesla already connects to WIFi every time you plug it in. The car and Tesla will know your driving habits and needs as well as you do after a few weeks of ownership. You will certainly be able to tell it to take and keep a full charge if a long trip is planned and you will probably be able to give the power companies leave to occasionally leave you with less then full but adequate for your normal commute in exchange for a very cheap rate on your electric bill.

[kenneal - lagger]

I have said for years that people should be building high thermal mass, well insulated houses with two forms of heating so that if your mains gas, as it was when I first gave this advise, or electricity, as it will be very soon with the emphasis on heat pumps, goes off you will still have an alternative source of heating and cooking.

As most of my clients live in rural or semi rural areas wood is the main alternative. Those living in cities will not have much of an alternative, electrical storage heaters being one as long as they are charged when the power goes off. A large phase change salt store would be another alternative and that would give more heat storage than small storage heaters.

If your house was well insulated and high mass the alternative might not be so important.

[vtsnowedin]

If you have an 85 KWH battery sitting in the garage you could run your heat pump off it quite a while.

[adam2]

If you have an 85 KWH battery sitting in the garage you could run your heat pump off it quite a while.

Yes you could, but the voltage is wrong so a special inverter would be needed.
The EV battery will typically be a few hundred volts DC and the heat pump will require line voltage AC.

[BritDownUnder]

One of the those vehicle to grid inverters has been offered for sale in Australia.
At an eye watering $10,000 (even pretty steep at the current Australian dollar exchange rate) it has been met by some derisory comments at the bottom of the article. $10,000 would represent about the next 7-8 years of my current power bill.

Trombe walls anyone?

[vtsnowedin]

I don't think there is anything special about any inverter other then it has to be built for the two voltages and cycles involved.
$10,000 AD seams pretty steep but gives the manufacturers plenty of room for price cutting.
So that is not practical yet but look at what was available in EVs just ten years ago. A few more years and they will solve that problem.