Power utilities are following the portal strategy to avoid being
commoditized as raw power suppliers (not unlike AOL and Genie wanting to
be Internet portals, with everything going through their web.)
It's likely doomed to fail as before, this time for two reasons:
- household-class batteries are around the corner, and
- power lines and generation are most efficient at constant loads
(minimum amount of peaks.)
It's only a matter of time - when will the cost of batteries beat peak
pricing, combined with the local generation that needs not pushing back.
Then the house will suck the power at constant rate 24/7 (if it's not
generating it all), and the utility won't be able to see patterns.
Motivator:
The other day the news ran that by 2030 all
electrical metering must be replaced by smart
metering in Germany. I understand the wish to
optimize energy production, but I am not quite
satisfied that the ability of these technologies
to monitor every time I put on the kettle or go
to the toilet is only limited by some EU regu-
lation stating that it is isn't permitted.
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