New York — When a heat wave hits, millions of air conditioners turn on simultaneously, straining the electrical grid and increasing the risk of power outages — and residents’ electricity bills. To relieve this pressure, energy companies may ask customers to do something that many people probably won’t do: Adjust the air conditioner A few notches higher.
Now, a renter-friendly pilot program in New York City is testing a different approach: batteries that can be connected to power air conditioners offline during peak demand, helping to take pressure off the grid in the most stressful moments while keeping residents cool.
“It’s basically an upgraded version of a power bank that you can use to charge your phone when you go out,” said Andrew Wang, CEO of Every Electric, the company behind the pilot, which has partnered with the city’s energy company Con Edison.
The devices, which are about the size of a microwave, charge when electricity demand is low and then run window air conditioning units for a few hours when demand is high. It is one of several partners participating in Con Edison’s demand response programs, which pay customers to reduce or shift electricity use to support the grid.
The pilot program is expanding to more than 1,000 homes this summer, and participants can receive cash rewards.
Experts say the initiative reflects the broader shift toward so-called virtual power plants, where many small, distributed energy resources are coordinated to reduce pressure during peak demand. When scaled up, such solutions can have a significant impact on energy reliability and affordability.
When demand for electricity risesUtilities often turn to backup power plants that don’t run as often, are typically less efficient and more polluting, said Kevin Brehm, a director at RMI, a nonprofit that researches energy systems and the transition to clean energy.
Over time, these increases could prompt utilities to build more power plants, often reliant on fossil fuels, to meet demand, with the costs ultimately passed on to consumers.
“There’s the issue of emissions, and then there’s also a really important question of affordability,” Brehm said.
That’s why energy companies often ask residents to conserve energy during the hottest days of the year, and set higher rates during peak hours to encourage people to conserve energy. Brehm added that these strategies “may be difficult to rely on because they do not know exactly how consumers will behave.”
This is where solutions like Every Electric can help.
Utilities and governments are increasingly looking for ways to manage growing electricity demand Heat waves are becoming more frequent and intense.
One approach is Every Electric’s demand response program, which pays customers to reduce or shift electricity use during periods of high demand.
Virtual power plant software is another solution for scaling One country after another. They connect thousands of small power devices, such as home batteries or smart devices, and coordinate them to send power back into the grid when demand spikes, relieving pressure without building new plants. California, for example, is developing one The largest in the worldand they paid hundreds of thousands of participants to return stored energy to the grid during extreme weather events. Most of these programs are limited to homeowners with solar panels.
Con Edison said batteries could help reduce peak demand, support renewable energy, and reduce the need for new infrastructure.
Each of Electric’s programs works specifically for people with window air conditioning units, who are usually renters, even though it does not export power back to the grid. Instead, it reduces demand by using stored battery power.
However, Brehm said programs like this are part of a broader drive to integrate consumer energy appliances into the grid and reward the services they provide.
“I can’t put solar panels on my roof,” said Bianca Pasternak, a New York City renter enrolled in the program. “That’s at least something that’s accessible and accessible. It’s very set and forget it.”
The battery is connected to the AC unit, then to the wall outlet. It’s connected to a smartphone app that detects when demand is low, charges the battery outside peak hours and uses it to run the air conditioning during peak times, typically 1-4pm or 4-8pm during the hotter months.
Participants can also earn money for participating, which is roughly equivalent to the cost of their July electricity bill, according to the company. Pasternak said she received a $100 gift card at the end of the season.
The company says its pilot project is growing from about 200 kilowatts of flexible capacity last year to nearly 2 megawatts this summer, and could expand much further. By comparison, California’s program exceeds 200 megawatts. Wang said the company is looking to expand to other cities.
Although Every Electric is currently operating on a small scale, Brehm says systems like this could significantly reduce pressure on the grid if they reach enough households.
“It’s about how we can get to that scale,” he said, noting that widespread adoption is a key issue that depends on how easily the technology can be deployed and integrated into the network. He added that the installation process of each electrical company is easily accessible. “It’s plug and play and doesn’t need a lot of permissions.”
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