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Networked Fridges 'Negotiate' Electricity Use

Posted by samzenpus on from the share-the-juice dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Researchers have developed a way to network household and commercial fridges together in a distributed peer-to-peer fashion that lets them 'negotiate' with each other on the best time to consume electricity. A retrofittable controller is attached to each fridge and then a temperature profile is built around the unit. The controller enables communication between other fridges on the network and also the power source. It enables fridges to work together to decide when to cool down, and thus consume power, based on how much surplus power will be available, and to anticipate power shortages and change their running schedules accordingly to use as little power as possible during these times."

5 of 217 comments (clear)

  1. Cold beer by pondermaster · · Score: 5, Funny

    My fridge better not negotiate its way out of cold beer at 7pm.

    1. Re:Cold beer by Foolicious · · Score: 4, Funny

      My fridge better not negotiate its way out of cold beer at 7 AM.

      There -- fixed that for you.

      --
      Please don't use "umm" or "err" or "erm".
  2. Correction... ICEnet by denzacar · · Score: 3, Funny

    Those are not flying fridges - yet.

    And it is quite obvious that should there be a nuclear war fridges would be the only things to survive.
    Indiana Jones taught me that.

    --
    Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
  3. Re:Won't be useful to many people by troc · · Score: 5, Funny

    If I step in the shower all power can be diverted to the water heater, etc.

    But what about the forward deflector shields?

    --
    Troc's dubious podcast and blog: http://www.trocnet.net
  4. Re:What else? by Smivs · · Score: 4, Funny

    Let's give every appliance a connection to the Internet!

    Do you really want your Fridge wasting all day on Slashdot?

    --
    Smivs on the intertubes!