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Among the many solar-related gadgets displayed at this year’s Solar Power International Conference in San Diego was the EcoTouch Energy Management System.
While home energy management systems are popping up everywhere, this one is specifically designed to work with solar PV units. The wireless, touchscreen device displays real-time energy production by the solar PV unit alongside the home’s total energy usage.
Homeowners can access information on what devices consume the most energy and make adjustments through the system. The EcoTouch generates graphs that show daily, weekly and monthly energy production and usage. It summarizes a home’s environmental impact by translating that information into carbon emissions, trees saved and auto miles avoided.
Additionally, the system can be accessed anywhere there’s an Internet connection and users can make adjustments remotely.
I get excited using my remote control garage door opener; I can only imagine the thrill of remotely controlling my house’s energy consumption. As home solar PVs become more feasible through tax credits and greater supply, these types of systems will probably become more commonplace. If this is the future thermostat, sign me up!
via Business Wire
Image via Open Energy
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What's lacking is standards for connecting all the equipment. To make a "smart grid" we don't need technology-- it's already available-- we just need to agree upon how all the equipment is supposed to talk to each other and what policies are communicated. (That's politics not technology.) If the US government had it's act together, it would sponsor development of patent-free wired and wireless standards for energy information exchange between appliances and feeds.