7 July 2014
Taking charge in electricity research
A Victoria University engineering lecturer is shedding light on household power usage, as part of her research into
improving the way New Zealand uses electricity.
Dr Rebecca Ford, from the School of Engineering and Computer Science, is part of a nationwide research team exploring
the future of electricity supply and consumption in New Zealand.
The GREEN Grid project, funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE), is a wide-ranging
investigation into how New Zealanders use power, how demand can best be met using renewable sources, and how the
national grid can be made smarter and more efficient.
Joining researchers from Auckland, Canterbury and Otago universities, Dr Ford will be helping to explore the potential
development of a Smart Grid, which incorporates information and communications technology into New Zealand’s electricity
infrastructure—advancements which, she says, are well overdue.
“We’ve currently got electricity infrastructure which is relatively ‘dumb’, in the sense that we have some elements of
control but we don’t really know what’s going on throughout the entire network,” says Dr Ford.
It’s hoped that improved information about electricity flows will lead to increased flexibility and efficiency within
the grid, putting more control in the hands of consumers and the industry.
“A consumer who had a smart meter would no longer get a bill once a month, but would be able to log on and see a chart
of how much electricity they’re using every day.”
Dr Ford says a better understanding of how and when consumers are using power would equip them to have greater control
of their electricity energy usage.
Power companies would also benefit from the information gathered by smart meters she says. It would provide them with a
greater understanding of both their customer’s needs and the needs of the network in general.
Dr Ford says in the future this knowledge could lead to financial incentives for customers to use power in off-peak
times when the network is under less strain. While this is not currently an option in New Zealand, the development of
smart appliances could mean it is not far off.
“More and more home appliances are being developed with information and communications technology which means they can
be switched on and off remotely. With this level of control, consumers could choose to run energy hungry appliances
during off peak, lower cost periods to decrease their power bill and help out the network.”
Household electricity usage has been the focus of Dr Ford’s research, who completed her PhD in engineering at Oxford
University with research that looked at how people can better manage the way they use energy in their homes.
“With our research, we want to get a better idea of what people are doing, how they’re using their appliances and then
what options they have for better managing them and shifting patterns of demand. This could help people save energy and
money, and could also help improve our overall management of the electricity grid.”
The research will inform new operating models for the wider electricity system which are being investigated by the New
Zealand Smart Grid Forum, a group of industry stakeholders and customers. The Smart Grid Forum, established by MBIE and
the Electricity Networks Association, is also looking at the infrastructure and commercial arrangements needed to
benefit from new operating models.
ENDS