GE came up released study results of energy efficiency and wireless communication options for smart grid devices. According to the report, ZigBee is at least two times more cost-effective and efficient than WiFi . To realize the benefits of the smart grid, it is critical that the underlying communications technology consume as little power as possible. Because of the widespread use of these communication technologies at the residential level in home area networks and in smart devices, the choice of technologies is critical,” one of the paper's authors David Najewicz said while explaining the background of the study. Najewicz is a manager of external technology programs at GE Appliances.
In the report, GE mentioned WiFi (802.11/n) and ZigBee (802.15.4) as the two technologies that best meet the overall performance and cost requirements for home-area network communications. The technologies were evaluated under typical HAN, smart-device conditions and in a configuration representative of future mass-production implementation. According to the report, on average, the ZigBee system consumed 0.39 watts over a 24-hour period, while the WiFi solution consumed more than twice (2.2 times) as much, a total of 0.87 watts over the same period.
In the report, GE anticipated that there will be 750 million to one billion smart, connected devices in the U.S by 2017. On the basis of this difference in device-level power consumption, GE estimates that consumers will be able to attain 370 MW power saving and $315 million cost saving while opting for ZigBee over WiFi. GE estimated that this power savings is equivalent to about two-thirds the annual output of a large coal plant and would represent a carbon dioxide emissions reduction of 2.17 million tons per year — or the yearly emissions of 380,000 automobiles. “Based on this experimental data, the ZigBee wireless communication technology results in the lowest energy consumption, while meeting the communication performance requirements for smart devices within a home area network. Given that cost-effectiveness and efficiency are key smart grid deliverables, the choice of ZigBee over WiFi should be clear,” the advanced systems engineer for GE Appliances, and co-author of the white paper, noted in the report.
In a separate press release, GE also announced that its nucleus energy manager with Brillion technology will be the first ZigBee-certified home energy gateway for smart grid communications and home energy management. GE’s Brillion suite of home energy solutions is already being deployed in utility pilots. These solutions include Nucleus energy manager; a programmable thermostat; an energy display; a smart phone application currently under development; a web portal; and GE Profile smart appliances.
