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From: KevinJ93 <kevin_es@whitedigs.com>
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 16:01:50 -0700
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On 6/14/25 2:17 PM, john larkin wrote:
> On Sat, 14 Jun 2025 11:15:40 -0700, John Robertson <jrr@flippers.com>
> wrote:
> 
>> On 2025-06-14 8:50 a.m., john larkin wrote:
>>> On Sat, 14 Jun 2025 15:14:48 +0200, "Carlos E.R."
>>> <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> This is an automated translation (DeepL) of an article I found today;
>>>> the original is in Spanish. There is an article in English at the IEEEE,
>>>> but you need an account to read.
>>>>
>>>> 	<https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10783092>
>>>>
>>>> <https://ecoinventos.com/un-equipo-de-investigacion-logro-coordinar-100-aires-acondicionados-domesticos-para-estabilizar-la-red-electrica-en-tiempo-real/>
>>>>
>>>> *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.*
>>>>
>>>> 5-6 minutes
>>>>
>>>> A research team demonstrated that many residential air conditioners can
>>>> be coordinated to support the power grid without affecting the comfort
>>>> of users.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Air conditioning: from enemy to ally
>>>>
>>>>      * Air conditioning use = more electricity demand in summer.
>>>>      * Peak consumption ? risk of blackouts.
>>>>      * New system: controls ACs without affecting comfort.
>>>>      * Technology tested in 100 homes (Texas).
>>>>      * Results: regulates the grid like a power plant.
>>>>      * Zero nuisance for users.
>>>>      * Compatible with smart thermostats.
>>>>      * Contributes to integrating renewable energies.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> How air-conditioning can help the grid instead of overloading it
>>>>
>>>> In summer, the massive use of air conditioners generates peaks in
>>>> electricity consumption. These peaks force expensive and polluting power
>>>> plants to be activated, compromising grid stability and increasing
>>>> carbon emissions. In some cases, this overload can even lead to
>>>> blackouts or planned outages.
>>>>
>>>> However, recent research shows that it is possible to transform this
>>>> problem into a solution. Through intelligent control systems, it is
>>>> feasible to coordinate the operation of hundreds of air conditioning
>>>> units without affecting the comfort of users, while at the same time
>>>> helping to stabilise the electricity grid.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Adjustable equipment, smart grids
>>>>
>>>> Historically, the electricity grid was designed to operate with large
>>>> thermal power plants (coal, natural gas, nuclear) that adjusted their
>>>> output in real time according to demand. But with the increasing
>>>> penetration of intermittent renewables (such as solar and wind), this
>>>> model is no longer sustainable.
>>>>
>>>> Today, the focus is on distributed energy resources: systems that
>>>> generate, store or regulate energy consumption close to the end user.
>>>> This is where electric vehicles, heat pumps, water heaters and smart air
>>>> conditioners come into play, which can automatically modify their
>>>> consumption without human intervention.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> The problem of frequency
>>>>
>>>> The electricity grid must be maintained at a constant frequency (60 Hz
>>>> in North America). When demand exceeds generation, the frequency goes
>>>> down; when there is excess generation, it goes up. Power plants adjust
>>>> their output to maintain balance, a process known as frequency regulation.
>>>>
>>>> But what if household appliances could also participate in this adjustment?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Pilot test: air conditioning as a frequency regulator
>>>>
>>>> Between 2019 and 2023, a team led by the University of Michigan,
>>>> together with Los Alamos National Laboratory and the University of
>>>> California at Berkeley, conducted a pilot test in 100 homes in Austin,
>>>> Texas. The air conditioners were connected to control boards capable of
>>>> modifying the on/off cycle of the compressor depending on the frequency
>>>> of the grid.
>>>>
>>>> The adjustment was minimal: they always stayed within the temperature
>>>> range defined by the thermostats. The aim was to achieve a collective
>>>> change in electricity consumption, almost imperceptible to the users,
>>>> but relevant to the electrical system.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Key results
>>>>
>>>>      * Frequency regulation as accurate as that of a traditional power plant.
>>>>      * No discomfort reported by most users.
>>>>      * Indoor temperature never deviated more than 0.9°C from set point.
>>>>      * Less than 2% of households requested to deactivate the system in
>>>> any test.
>>>>      * Full compatibility with smart thermostats already available on the
>>>> market.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Incentives and adoption
>>>>
>>>> This type of technology can be easily integrated into voluntary
>>>> programmes offered by utilities or manufacturers of smart thermostats.
>>>> In exchange for bill credits, the user allows their air conditioner to
>>>> cooperate with the grid at critical times, without them noticing the
>>>> difference.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Potential
>>>>
>>>> Turning air conditioning into a flexible asset transforms a large energy
>>>> consumer into a balancing and efficiency tool. Deploying it on a large
>>>> scale would:
>>>>
>>>>      * Reduce fossil fuel use at times of high demand.
>>>>      * Increase the capacity to integrate renewable sources (less
>>>> reliance on backup power plants).
>>>>      * Reduce global emissions associated with summer electricity
>>>> consumption.
>>>>      * Improve energy resilience to heat waves and consumption peaks.
>>>>      * Empower citizens to actively participate in the energy transition,
>>>> without sacrificing their comfort.
>>>>
>>>> This approach represents a smart, efficient and cost-effective way to
>>>> move towards a cleaner and more balanced energy model.
>>>>
>>>> More information: Controlling Air Conditioners for Frequency Regulation:
>>>> A Real-World Example | IEEE Journals & Magazine | IEEE Xplore
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
>>>
>>> A/C units don't generate power. When renewables can't meet demand, the
>>> best they can do is load shed.
>>>
>>
>> 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.
>>
>> What I've read sounds like good information for coordinating air
>> conditioners across a wide area.
> 
> 500,000 a/c units, cycling randomly, will be a very smooth load. About
> all that wide-range remote controls can do is crank down their total
> power. That would help, of course, when generation can't meet demand.
> 
> Seems easier to me to have adequate full-time generating capacity.
> That's an old-fashioned concept.
> 
>>
>> 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.
> 
> Improving efficiency by load shedding means hotter homes. Why not just
> mandate that no thermostats can go below 80F?
> 

It can be dynamic. It doesn't have to be all the time.

PG&E operates a system they call SmartAC where they can remotely control 
the temperature of the air-conditioning to reduce grid stress to move 
consumption to times of less stress.

They will only do this during certain hours. In return the user gets 
some benefits.