Finland to Connect Smart Meters to Social Networks
Nordic, located in harsh-wintered Finland, is taking radical steps toward redefining its national electric grid. Already at the forefront of grid transformation (a law that requires all homes to have smart meters by 2013), Finland now wants to connect smart meters and homeowners to social networks, ushering in an unprecedented, community-based grid dynamic.
Right now, roughly half of Finland’s 5.3 million citizens have smart meters installed on their homes.
The goal is to create micro-grids where communities and individuals have more control over their power consumption. There will also be a unique opportunity in individual power sharing. For instance, if one household has a home solar power system and produces excess energy, under the new paradigm they would be able to share that power with their neighbor, and do it effortlessly online. This creates a more grassroots power grid — something very different than what we’re used to in the deregulated US energy market — although small-scale, distributed solar power is already throwing a bit of a wrench into that centralized scheme.
This and other moves toward a revamped energy infrastructure are especially important for Finland. Long, cold, bleak winters spur extremely high energy consumption. Per capita energy use in Finland is among the highest in the world.
It is still unclear how Finland’s experiment in an interactive, community-based virtual power grid will pan out. It is a combination of smart meters, social networks and cloud computing. Everyone in each communal micro-grid will be connected and aware of local consumption. Finland’s government hopes that people will use this pioneering knowledge and connection to band together to not only become more energy efficient (seeing that your energy usage is 10 times that of your neighbor will surely raise eyebrows), but also negotiate for cheaper power.
In that last respect, it is reminiscent of group solar buying here in the States, as well as up-and-coming community solar gardens.
Via Greentech Media
Photo Credit: Court
Posted on May 3rd in Solar News by Dan.