The idea of the “smart grid” envisions demand control to reduce the use of less efficient and or more polluting power plants. One area of possible demand management is in residential refrigerator/freezers (R/F). Addressing this possibility was the focused subject of the project, specifically innovating an energy saving system that the R/F units would be under addressable control over an internet interface. On the RIT campus alone there is the opportunity for demand control over a Mega Watt of electrical load.
A “Smarter Power Plug/Strip” was developed to allow direct addressing and control of the power to the R/F compressor. Previous and ongoing research shows R/F may have 4 hour and longer off cycles, staying in temperature ranges for food not to spoil.
Thermal and control performance has demonstrated the viability of the “Smarter Power Plug/Strip” to be suit for demand management of R/F units. Studies of the thermal behavior of the R/F units under demand control are to continue, along with the fabrication of the “Smarter Power Plug/Strip,” that has begun. The objective would be to include some RIT R/F units under RIT demand management during the summer quarter, ultimately leading to implementation of the “Smarter Power Plug/Strip” permanently at RIT in Fall 2012.
Energy Saving system with a Smarter Power Plug
Authors
Tayler Swanson. Rochester Institute of Technology, Student, tjs1634@rit.edu.
brajraj singh. Rochester Institute of Technology, Student, bxs2352@rit.edu.
Hendrikus Shank. Rochester Institute of Technology, Student, hvs4508@rit.edu.
Carl Lundgren. Rochester Institute of Technology, Faculty, calite@rit.edu.
The idea of the “smart grid” envisions demand control to reduce the use of less efficient and or more polluting power plants. One area of possible demand management is in residential refrigerator/freezers (R/F). Addressing this possibility was the focused subject of the project, specifically innovating an energy saving system that the R/F units would be under addressable control over an internet interface. On the RIT campus alone there is the opportunity for demand control over a Mega Watt of electrical load.
A “Smarter Power Plug/Strip” was developed to allow direct addressing and control of the power to the R/F compressor. Previous and ongoing research shows R/F may have 4 hour and longer off cycles, staying in temperature ranges for food not to spoil.
Thermal and control performance has demonstrated the viability of the “Smarter Power Plug/Strip” to be suit for demand management of R/F units. Studies of the thermal behavior of the R/F units under demand control are to continue, along with the fabrication of the “Smarter Power Plug/Strip,” that has begun. The objective would be to include some RIT R/F units under RIT demand management during the summer quarter, ultimately leading to implementation of the “Smarter Power Plug/Strip” permanently at RIT in Fall 2012.