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Draft
no 2 July 2008 .
This is a draft guide to how you can rate how
sustainably your community can uses its electrical potential. The focus
is on rating how your community is benefiting from the confluence of 230
volt systems, "smart" dwelling appliance and monitoring
technology, broadband, the Internet and, dwelling generation of needs eg
photovoltaics, wind power, solar based heating etc. Its prime purpose is
to illustrate how “smart” grids are not necessarily
“intelligent” grids.
Useful Terms
Community grid – This is a reticulation
network owned by the local city or borough. Members of the community all
have democratic voting rights in how the grid is administered and how
its intelligence is used. Such grids tend to be service-driven.
Corporation grid - This is a reticulation
network owned by private corporations. The grid is administered for the
benefit of the principle shareholders while members of the community
have few or no rights. Such grids tend to be profit-driven. Included in
this category are community-owned networks on which private corporations
own the intelligence. (The resulting commodification of the intelligence
means they are commonly symbolised as “retailers”.)
Central grid – This is the main national
reticulation network connecting local networks and centres
bulk-generating electrical products.
Peak load. The amount of electrical product
being transferred over grids varies with the time of day, the weather
and the general needs of consumers at any moment. The “peak load” or
spike in demand occurs at times when demand for electrical products is
at its highest. Generation and transmissions systems have to be designed
to cater for this peak demand. Intelligent design dictates that the
capacity of the systems does not remain redundant for long periods.
Ripple control system. A small signal of a
certain frequency can be sent over the HV (high voltage) and MV (medium
voltage) networks that turns special switches on and off in dwellings
and streets.
Low Amp dwellings. These are dwelling grids
that can only transmit relatively small electrical loads. For instance
they have only 5 amp fuses that are typically used for lighting
circuits. This puts low limits on the amount of electrical product they
can use at any time. This reduces to demand they can make on the
community grid.
Bulk-gen electrical products. These are
electrical products generated using very large machinery or plant.
Typically such devices have the capacity to generate hundreds of
megawatts of the resource. These may have to be transmitted hundreds of
miles. If the electrical products are in the form of films, news, music
and other media then they are controlled and manufactured by
large-scale, centralised factories.
Distributed-gen electrical products.
These are electrical products generated using devices of less
than one-megawatt capacity, such as a farm-based wind turbine.
Dwelling-based electrical generators may be capable of only 1-2
kilowatts. The resource is typically produced close to the point of use
though it can be up-loaded to the local grid for general reticulation
and use. Electrical products in the form of media tend to be small-scale
and of local value.
“Smart grids”. Grids constructed of very
sophisticated technology enabling detailed time of use monitoring of
product flow and usage. Such structures can be very unsustainable and
even Fascist.
“Intelligent
grids”. These grids can involve very sophisticated technology. The
essential element is the imperative that all parties have an equal say
in how the electrical potential is used. Such structures are inherently
democratic and tend to be more sustainable.
Civil
Protection. Another name for this is Civil Defence. It
refers to strategies and resources created to reduce the destructive
impacts on societies of war and other disasters such as earthquakes,
hurricanes, floods, firestorms, snow and/or ice storms etc.
Note
This rating system was first devised about 2003. Since then
the confluence of technology has occurred on scale. The general trend
was accurately predicted. However cellphone, screen and satellite
technology has outstripped other developments such as broadband over 230
volt grids. Thus this system needs revision.
The rating scale is on the following continuum:
Intelligent
.....................................Incoherent.
It employs six categories varying from high
intelligent meter/grid to high incoherent meter grid. Meters and grids
may exhibit the characteristics of more than one category. Pictorial
versions of them will be added as time allows.
Category 1: High intelligent
meter/grid
All dwellings are encouraged to make a contribution
to their community grid i.e. citizen receives more for exporting 230
volt electrical products to the grid than what they pay to import 230
volt electrical products from it.
Charges on low amp systems reflect the true grid
costs i.e. dwellings that that do not import much product at “peak
load times” pay only for the electrical generation and transmission
capacity that they demand.
Broadband throughout grid system within dwelling
and the occupants can select from wide range of information and
entertainment sources. They can also generate items and broadcast over
cheap, local networks.
Dwelling occupant owns all the data of how and when
their electrical appliances work and the comfort level statistics of the
dwelling. The occupant has complete control over the broadcast of this
information.
Detailed consumption history of dwelling freely
available to occupants.
Local grid managers and dwelling occupant can
maintain seamless two-way conversation using broadband (wireless or grid
wiring).
System primarily driven by democratic, energy
efficiency and Civil Protection imperatives.
Category 2: Moderate
intelligent meter/grid.
Dwelling can make contribution to the grid with
minimal impediment and no net profit from exchange of 230 volt
electrical products.
Low amp dwellings pay true grid cost plus 10%
subsidy towards maintaining systems to cope with the excess demand
created by higher amp dwellings.
Dwelling occupant owns all the data of how and when
their electrical appliances work and the comfort level statistics of the
dwelling. The occupant has partial control over whom this information
can be broadcast to.
Detailed history of occupant’s consumption
history freely available from community grid owner.
Community grid management and dwelling occupant can
maintain seamless two-way conversation using 56 Kbps (wireless or grid
wiring).
Broadband not available throughout dwelling
circuitry but may exist over wireless links between the dwelling and the
community grid owner.
The performance of “smart” appliances can be
monitored at the switchboard by dwelling occupier.
System mainly driven by democratic, energy
efficiency and Civil Protection imperatives.
Category 3: Low intelligent
meter/grid.
Dwelling can make a contribution to the grid with
minimal impediment and small loss on the exchange of 230-volt electrical
products.
Low amp dwellings pay true grid cost plus 30%
subsidy towards maintaining systems to cope with the excess demand
created by higher amp dwellings.
Dwelling occupants share ownership with the
community grid owner of all the data of how and when some of their
electrical appliances work. The occupant has very limited control over
whom this information can be broadcast to.
Broadband not available throughout grid system
within dwelling but exists for one-way communication for benefit of grid
owner.
Local grid owners and dwelling occupant can
maintain two-way conversation using the “ripple control” system.
System partially driven by democratic, energy
efficiency and Civil Protection imperatives.
Category 4: Low incoherent
meter/grid.
Dwelling can make a contribution to the grid but
faces technical impediments and moderate loss on the exchange of
230-volt electrical products.
Low amp dwellings pay true grid cost plus 50%
subsidy towards maintaining systems to cope with the excess demand
created by higher amp dwellings.
Dwelling occupant share access to the data of how
and when some of their electrical appliances work with the grid owner
and retailer. The occupant has very limited control over whom this
information can be broadcast to.
Broadband not available throughout grid system
within dwelling but exists for one-way communication for benefit of grid
owner and/or retailer.
Citizen has token democratic rights in how local
electrical potential is used.
Minimum or conflicting support for energy
efficiency practice.
Civil Protection considerations given minimal
value.
Category 5: Moderate incoherent
meter/grid.
Dwelling occupier can make contribute 230-volt
electrical products to the grid but is subject to serious impediments
such as double metering, high tax and transaction costs plus hostile
pricing mechanisms.
Low amp dwellings pay true grid cost plus over 50%
subsidy towards maintaining systems to cope with the excess demand
created by higher amp dwellings.
Estimation algorithms and faulty metering produce
an average billing inaccuracy of 10-20%.
Bulk-gen electricity supplier effectively owns all
the data of how and when some of dwelling electrical appliances work.
Some “smart” appliances connected to display computer on dwelling
switchboard. The occupant has very limited control over whom this
information can be broadcast to.
Dwelling occupier has no direct vote in how local
electrical potential is used. National legislation dictates they can
belong to democratic structures that own the community grid or that
retail the products transmitted over it but they cannot do both.
Short-term profit imperatives prevail.
Energy efficiency practice not supported.
Civil Protection considerations given token value
as part of PR strategy.
Category 6: High incoherent
meter/grid.
Meter switched off to two-way flow i.e. only flow
of Bulk-gen electricity permitted i.e. dwelling occupier can only import
product off the community grid from Bulk-gen electricity retailer.
Low amp dwellings pay true grid cost plus over 100%
subsidy towards maintaining systems to cope with the excess demand
created by higher amp dwellings.
Dwelling consumption histories not maintained or
hard to access. Occupant must measure the consumption of each appliance
individually by manual means.
Estimation algorithms and faulty metering produce
an average billing inaccuracy of over 20%.
System driven by short-term profit imperatives of
bankers of Bulk-electricity/fossil fuel, media or other narrow sector
group. Citizens have no effective vote in how their local electrical
potential is used and are deemed tradeable commodities by legislation,
existing for the sole benefit of the corporations.
System promotes inefficient uses of
Bulk-electricity and actively destroys concepts of energy efficiency
e.g. associates energy efficiency with deprivation.
Civil Protection considerations given zero value or
rated as liabilities.
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Enjoy
the rewards of being a conservator of the potential of our greatest
symbols.
Page last updated:
Aug 2010
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