THE CSIRO has developed ‘smart’ refrigerators which run on renewable electricity and can communicate with each other to work out the most energy efficient way of maintaining the cold chain.
Like many other devices which run on solar cells, the refrigerators feed extra energy into the electricity grid. However, the Intelligent Energy team claims the refrigerators work as a network, each fitted with control technology for communications and power sharing.
The communications allow the refrigerators to negotiate schedules for electricity consumption. For example, they can detect interruptions to the electricity streaming from the photovoltaic source due to cloudy periods.
The units will then turn off and on accordingly, smoothing out fluctuations in the flow of electricity and resulting in a more stable electricity grid.
The refrigerators can also anticipate power shortages and change their running schedules to use as little power as possible during these times. Surplus energy from solar panels can be used to lower the temperatures by a few more degrees than necessary, creating a thermal energy store which will reduce power use later.
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