Refrigerators Can Now Decide When to Consume Power

Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organization (CSIRO) managed to create the first smart fridge that can decide for itself how much power it needs to operate. It can also communicate with other similar devices across the network and decide the best time to use electricity, so as to avoid using it during peak times and placing further strain on the grid. But perhaps the best feature of the new equipment is that it's built mainly to operate on renewable energy, such as solar and wind power.

A team of scientists from CSIRO's Intelligent Energy division came up with the new refrigerator, which they say will reduce overall consumption and will regulate the flow of electricity from alternative resources, so that the grid doesn't black out, or generate unwanted fluctuations.

“The fridges are designed to talk to each other, negotiating when it’s a good time to consume electricity and when it’s better not to. These scheduling decisions improve the quality of electricity produced by renewables and can help increase renewable uptake in the energy market,” explains Sam West, an engineer at CSIRO.

“The fridges work together to decide when to cool down, and thus consume power, based on how much surplus power will be available. They are able to anticipate power shortages and change their running schedules accordingly to use as little power as possible during these times. In short, the fridges are working cooperatively to use the available power supply efficiently,” he adds.

The network was meant to address the issue of power fluctuations, which are endemic to renewable energy sources. A solar panel can be covered by clouds, which reduces its productivity. The same thing happens to wind turbines, when air movements are too slow to generate sufficient energy. At that time, the fridges release the energy they've stored during the day. They can also transfer current amongst themselves, to ensure that the quality of food doesn't deteriorate.