Indesit Company is to join the smart grid technology company RLtec, and energy company npower, in Europe’s largest residential trial of dynamic demand technology. The trial will demonstrate the potential for “smart” appliances fitted with dynamic demand technology to reduce CO2 emissions in the UK, by up to 2 million tons per annum.
Indesit Company will provide and distribute the fridge-freezers, which will have RLtec’s dynamic demand technology installed.
Andrew Howe, CEO of RLtec explains: “Appliances fitted with our dynamic demand technology automatically modify their power consumption in response to second-by-second changes in the balance between supply and demand on the grid. This means that the amount of carbon emitting generating capacity used to maintain that balance can be dramatically reduced. What’s more, it’s effectively a silent solution as it doesn’t affect appliance performance in any way and no action is needed on the part of the consumer. We are really pleased to have Indesit Company as the manufacturing partner and are delighted that npower is supporting the trial through its CERT obligations.”
Bob Jackson, Acting Head of Energy Efficiency at npower, said: “Dynamic demand has the potential to significantly reduce the amount of carbon emissions – so these trials with domestic customers are very important and we hope they will show the impact that this technology could have in the UK and around the world.”
Enrico Vita, CEO Indesit Company UK: “We are excited to be involved with this project, and to be playing a pioneering role in the world of smart grids. Indesit has a long history of innovating for the benefit of consumers and the environment. Indeed, our strong environmental credentials have won us numerous international awards over the years. The efforts of our highly specialised research team, working alongside RLtec in Italy and the UK, should lead to the first results of this trial coming through early next year.”
The first phase of the trial will involve the distribution of 300 fridges to npower customers before the end of 2009. Following the initial roll-out, a total of 3,000 fridges and freezers of different types and models will be deployed so that the carbon savings from dynamic demand can be assessed and calculated against a full range of variables.