GridBallast Controller
This is a modular low-cost controller for demand-side load management of water heaters.
High power appliances like water heaters account for among the highest loads in the residential sector. Thus hot water usage contributes to peak load periods (usually morning and evening) causing grid stress. This results in the actuation of operating reserves which are typically low-efficiency polluting fossil-fuel based generators.
However, the inherent thermal inertia of water can be used to defer water heater activation, so as to alleviate periods of peak demand on the grid. Hence the idea is to use water heaters as virtual grid storage to dump energy during times of low demand and to cut-off during times of high demand.
The controller is designed to monitor the grid parameters and water heater vitals, observe usage patterns and intelligently control its activation.
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