Closer look into CFLs and smart grid technology

Closer look into CFLs and smart grid technology: "Closer look into CFLs and smart grid technology
April 27, 10:31 PMSt. Louis Alternative Energy Technologies ExaminerMelissa Cody
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smart grid
Smart grid technology: future energy designs

“What comes to mind when you hear the words ‘alternative energy’?” The question was asked to residents of Salem, Missouri. Anticipated answers included ‘solar’ and ‘wind’ technologies. One bewildered young man replied, “Computers and lights bulbs.”

His response was somewhat unexpected. It indicated either an in-depth knowledge of the latest computerized, programmable energy devices, integrable with the publicized smart grid technology; or his response may have been a display of the lack of education about alternative energy sources, to include the social conditioning via television, commercials and other media and advertising.

For example, Sylvania and GE, among the makers of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), claim that their bulbs use 75% less energy than regular incandescent light bulbs. However, the energy-saving benefits are misleading due to the low power factor of CFLs. Optimally, the power factor should equal 1, meaning the device utilizes the full cost of the energy paid for by the consumer. On the other hand, the power factor of 0.5—as found in the CFLs—cost the consumer more. Therefore, roughly, a 40-watt CFL, having a power factor of 0.5, can equate to 60 watts of cost for only 40 watts of actual lighting.

“...an overall power factor of less than 1 means that an electricity supplier has to provide more generating capacity than actually is required.”

“It is sneaky how utility companies charge consumers for a higher kilowatt per hour bill. Most utility companies claim that they do not add fees for consumer use of low power factored appliances. Yet, the cost of electricity rises overall, due to the low power factor of those appliances. That necessitates the utility companies compensate for the problem. In turn, they increase your utility bill,” said Brian D. Prater of Cavetronics R&D Energy Labs, who specializes in power management. “Not only are we, as a single customer, being billed for our low power factored appliances, but we also get billed for others too. On the whole, the inefficiency of this system calls for more coal, uranium or some other non-renewable fossil fuel.”

An energy bill, enacted in 2008, will phase out 100-watt incandescent light bulbs by 2012; and 40-watt bulbs by 2014. As purchases of CFLs increase, consumers should be aware of new classifications. Non-power factor corrected bulbs are labeled NPF CFL; and high power factor rating CFLs are labeled HPF CFLs, such as those introduced by PureSpectrum in February this year. PureSpectrum’s new bulbs are not only power factor corrected to 0.9 but the bulbs have less mercury than other CFLs.

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI ) recommends that all commercial indoor hardwired ballasts meet a minimum power factor of 0.9. ANSI also requires that residential hardwired luminaries below 120 watts meet a power factor of at least 0.5.

Incandescent and CFL comparison chart

Incandescent and CFL energy/PF comparison chart

Accompanying recent political movements towards energy savings, the smart grid technology attempts to change consumer behavior with variable electrical rates, so that consumers will pay more during high demands conditions, like the use of low power factored air conditioners in the summer.

The smart grid enables users to control or be controlled by smart appliances and intelligent equipment, such as the advanced control systems utilized in China, which facilitate power system automation. Some of the technologies include distributed intelligent agents control system, software algorithms and high-speed computers, artificial intelligent programming techniques, and Voltage Stability Monitoring and Control (VSMC) software, which uses successive linear programming to reliably determine the optimal solution.

Interconnected energy management systems will allow consumers to better manage their energy use and reduce overall energy costs. Generation resources, like solar panels and wind turbines, will spark a revolution in the energy industry by allowing homes and small businesses to sell power to their neighbors or back to the utility company. The same will hold true for larger commercial businesses. Some of these systems can provide back-up power for a price during peak demands. Typically, in the summer, when air conditioning units places a strain on the grid, this participation by smaller entities has been labeled ‘democratization of energy.’"


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