UK set to trial 'smart fridges'

Widespread use of dynamic demand fridges could save 2m tonnes of CO2 a year, according to a report out today

Tuesday 2 December 2008 10.30 GMT

Three thousand "intelligent" refrigerators, which will adapt their power use to the ebb and flow of demands on the national electricity grid, are to be given away in a trial by the UK government next year. A report from the Department of Energy and Climate Change on this dynamic demand technology, published today, says its widespread use in Britain could save about 2m tonnes of carbon dioxide a year and a further 222m in energy savings. It is also hoped that the technology will ease the introduction of renewable energy, such as wind and wave power, which are generated intermittently. It would do this by reducing the baseload demand on the grid - the minimum amount of power needed to keep the grid stable. Baseload power is currently supplied by continuously running fossil fuel power stations. Dynamic demand technology can also be used for other devices such as air conditioners, immersion heaters and electric car chargers. The trial, run by energy company npower, will be the first trial of new technology to be approved under the government's carbon emissions reduction target. Lord Hunt, the minister for energy and innovation, said: "Dynamic demand [has] the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase the grid's capacity to absorb wind energy key elements of the government's energy strategy for renewables. "The trial will help us gain a better understanding of how dynamic demand can work to reduce our use of fossil fuels. If successful it could help pave the way for the uptake of this technology nationwide." Paul Lazarevic, a director at RLtec, which will supply the dyanmic demand technology, said: "The national grid is balanced at 50Hz and there are power stations on standby to kick in if it goes below that level, for example when everyone goes to boil a kettle for tea at half time of football match on television." He added: "An algorithm device sits in the fridge and monitors grid frequency and if the grid frequency goes up or down it adjusts energy use within safe parameters. "The beauty of it is that you don't know it's happening and there's no safety risk with your fridge defrosting." He said savings from the technology could be passed to consumers. "The national grid forecasts a spend of 544m on balancing the grid for the year 2008-09 but that estimate has now spiralled to 770m.

"This is passed on to consumers and works out at about 2 on each bill. It's estimated that balancing costs will increase to around 5 by 2020. Dynamic demand technology could dramatically reduce this charge." RLtec estimates that large numbers of appliances running with dynamic demand technology would create a "virtual power station" that could displace coal-fired generators. For example, fitting all the fridges in the UK with dynamic demand technology would allow the decommissioning of a 750-megawatt "back-up" power station Laura Schmidt, for the Association of Electricity Producers, the representative body for British electricity generators, said: "We welcome technology that makes demand more predictable. "Frequency response power stations cost money and it's stressful on the equipment. Any technology that reduces that is a good thing." She added: "However it is very hard to predict what's going to happen that more energy efficiency in homes and businesses will reduce electricity demand or that the electricity will just be used somewhere else. "It doesn't necessarily mean there will be no need for power stations.