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Saving Energy By Making Appliances Smarter


Tom Raffery of the Cork Internet Exchange looks at technology to save energy by throttling demand. The problem is that renewable energy sources are variable -- wind power doesn't work when the wind is blowing. Demand is also variable, with people wanting to run their appliances at different times of day. Utilities can't control the variability of energy sources, but they can do something about demand, raising prices when demand is higher and lowering them when demand is lower. Then, appliances like dryers, dishwashers, and refrigerators, would include Internet connectivity and onboard intelligence to run when prices are low and throttle back when prices are high. This requires a massive infrastructure build-out, adding intelligence to utilities, meters, and appliances. Rafferty also describes the Cork Internet Exchange, one of nine datacenters in Ireland.