Smart energy management

‘Intelligent fuse box’ to run homes powered by microgeneration Here’s something crying out for a well-pitched marketing campaign. Just the kind of practical invention we need to help us over the hurdle of unfamiliarity into the new era of micro-power generation. The ‘intelligent fuse box’ is designed to co-ordinate the electrical input from different kinds of sources in the home - the electricity grid, solar panels and a wind turbine, for instance - and allow household appliances, lights, phone systems and so on to draw power according to sensible priorities. It should learn to be predictive, too, adapting to the outside environment and becoming familiar with different usage scenarios. So, in a power cut, it could keep the phone, the fridge and the central heating timer controls going. Over time, it could give you energy savings of about 20%. “Microgeneration is about people taking control of their power,” says Green Alliance associate Rebecca Willis. “Rather than being passive consumers, they begin to understand more about how energy is made and used - and act accordingly. Technologies like this help make it easier to take action.” Assuming they work smoothly, of course, scientists at Southampton University, where the ‘intelligent fuse box’ was conceived, are running a 12-month trial to check it all out. Dr Peter Wilson, who works in the electronic systems design group at the university’s School of Electronics and Computer Science, says his team has deliberately set out to keep it as simple as possible. “This is technology that is intended to be obtained and used by average domestic electricity users.” Which should be music to the ears of energy minister Malcolm Wicks, whose consultation paper on micro-generation seeks ways of getting more people to produce their own power and sell the surplus. [See ‘Switched-on solution’  for more on the plans to boost microgeneration.] - Roger East

20 September 2005

Roger East