Path: news.eternal-september.org!eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail
From: Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid>
Newsgroups: sci.electronics.design
Subject: Re: A research team has managed to coordinate 100 domestic air
 conditioners to stabilise the power grid in real time, as if they were a
 flexible power plant.
Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2025 15:01:28 -0700
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On 6/14/2025 11:15 AM, John Robertson wrote:
> Pretty sure the point of the research was to find a simple way for air 
> conditioners loading to be applied to the grid in a controlled fashion, rather 
> than random starts and stops. This aids in keeping the loading factor under 
> better control so another power generation source isn't needed to keep the line 
> frequency stable.

Exactly.  The goal is to have a constant load and then get generation
to be able to meet that load.  That was where nukes were a win.

If the load varies, then you need short term (i.e., expensive) generation
mechanisms to come online to address the increased demand.

Historically, we've done this by over-provisioning -- which only makes sense
to people who don't think about the economics (i.e., you're paying for that
capacity EVEN IF YOU AREN'T USING IT -- this is why businesses on demand
tariffs do "silly things" like making ice on the off hours:  they're paying
for power that they aren't otherwise using so why not USE it?!)

You wouldn't want to drive a panel truck as your "everyday vehicle" *just*
so you had it available for those few times you need to transport some
large pieces of furniture or construction materials, would you?  And
deal with the inefficiencies of operating it BELOW it's capacity...

You wouldn't want to size the seats in an aircraft so a morbidly obese
passenger could have equal access to *any* on the aircraft -- at the expense
of being able to carry fewer total passengers?  (Imagine the uproar if
you had 3 different sized seats and the flight attendant or reservationist
made the judgement call as to which class YOU were assigned to!)

> What I've read sounds like good information for coordinating air conditioners 
> across a wide area.

In the US, refrigerators and air conditioners can have this ability as part
of the ENERGY STAR certification.  But, it relies on the individual
appliances to honor this "need".  (E.g., I've got it turned off on our
refrigerator as there is no inducement to let someone dick with it
without compensating me).

> Nowhere in the post does it say that air conditioners are generating 
> power...the reduction of fuel use is due to increased efficiency of power usage.
> 
> Isn't something like this used industrially for load balancing and scheduling? 
> This is taking it to the homes...
> 
> https://www.testworld.com/wp-content/uploads/saving-energy-through-load-balancing-and-load-scheduling.pdf

Look at the limiting case:  when instantaneous demand exceeds power
availability.  The only remedy is brownout or blackout (either
unilateral or selective).

Load balancing acknowledges the fact that SOMETHING is usually better
than NOTHING.  I.e., you'll settle for a home that it a little warmer
than you would LIKE (should we implement the energy police to mandate
no home should have their internal temperature "more comfortable"
than any other??) if the alternative is a home that is a LOT warmer
AND DARK!

When we had our natural gas (supply) shortage, the only remedy that could
be IMPOSED was to literally cut off gas supply to certain parts of town.
That allowed the available pressure to rise sufficiently for SOME of
the town to have COMPLETELY NORMAL HEAT.  I bet the folks who were
left with *no* heat would much rather a solution that let everyone
have A LITTLE heat!