Off/On/Standby?

Ikea Toy cash register

The Ikea DUKTIG Toy cash register has a green button for On and a red button for Off. Unfortunately, both buttons are labelled with the international power symbol for standby power:

(IEC 60417-5009). The green button should be labelled with a vertical bar, indicating ON (IEC 60417-5007) and the red button with a circle for OFF (IEC 60417-5008).

EduTECH Asia in Singapore 8 to 11 October

EduTECH Asia is on 8 to 11 October 2018 at the Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre in Singapore. I am speaking on Decreasing Campus Energy Use With Flexible Classrooms and e-Learning in the new EduBuild stream on 9 October and the next day taking part in a discussion of "Learning to use new  tech-infused teaching spaces". There are also some free activities and exhibition.

City-wide simulations of distributed photovoltaic power production

Nicholas Engerer will speak on his thesis project "City-wide simulations of distributed photovoltaic power production", at the Australian National University in Canberra, 1pm, 2 April 2015.

"The 4GW of solar energy installations in Australia are dominated by small-scale photovoltaic arrays, with average system sizes of 1.5kW in 2011, growing to 4.5kW by the end of 2014. With the continuing rapid pace of installations nationwide, providing estimates of the current and future power output of these systems is becoming more crucial.
Nicholas’ thesis project has focused on providing a simulation system capable of producing such estimates. To accomplish this, he has developed a methodology for using a selection of monitored PV systems to produce estimates of the power output from non-monitored systems.

Using Canberra as a proof-of-concept, a city-wide simulation of its 12,500+ embedded PV generators is now possible. The seminar will place an emphasis on simulations for critical ramp events, which are situations where the local meteorology causes all of the PV generators in a region to suddenly produce much less or much more power over a short period of time."

G20 Energy Efficiency Action Plan Includes Networked Devices

The G20 Energy Efficiency Action Plan issued in Brisbane today includes as the second of its six priorities: "Participating countries will work together to accelerate the development of new ways to improve the energy efficiency of networked devices". These devices not only include smart phones, computers and televisions, but now home appliances, heaters and air conditioners. As the G20 plan points out, these devices use power, even when in standby mode: "In 2015, this work will include consideration of options for goals for reducing the global standby mode energy consumption of networked devices".

For devices such as smart phones, the standby power could be a significant proportion of their energy use. However, for devices such as air conditioners the standby power is an insignificant part of overall power consumption. The G20 will also work on harmonization of domestic product energy efficiency standards. This could result in significant savings in Australia electricity consumption, as Australia currently has low standards for appliances such as refrigerators and air conditioners. There is considerable scope for reducing the energy consumption of air conditioners in particular with smart technology and for making them more compatible with renewable energy sources. How to progress the G20's energy efficiency plans would be a good project for my "ICT Sustainability" students.

A set of G20 Principles on Energy Collaboration were also issued. G20 countries agreed to work together to: "Rationalise and phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption, over the medium term ..." (item 6) and "... promoting cost-effective energy efficiency, renewables and clean energy" (item 7). This is at odds with the G20 chair last month saying: "Coal is good for humanity, coal is good for prosperity, coal is an essential part of our economic future, here in Australia, and right around the world ..." (from: "Coal 'good for humanity', Prime Minister Tony Abbott says at $3.9b Queensland mine opening", ABC, 13 October 2014).