‘Collisions' details the world-altering genius of Luis Alvarez
Nobel laureate physicist Luis W. Alvarez appears in only a few scenes in 'Oppenheimer,' director Christopher Nolan's Oscar-winning blockbuster about the tortured father of the atomic bomb. As played by Alex Wolff, Alvarez is the figure who runs out of a barbershop mid-cut in search of the film's title character upon learning the Germans had succeeded in splitting the atom.
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Fast Company
an hour ago
- Fast Company
From strain to support: Your AC could help stabilize the power grid
As summer arrives, people are turning on air conditioners in most of the U.S. But if you're like me, you always feel a little guilty about that. Past generations managed without air conditioning—do I really need it? And how bad is it to use all this electricity for cooling in a warming world? If I leave my air conditioner off, I get too hot. But if everyone turns on their air conditioner at the same time, electricity demand spikes, which can force power grid operators to activate some of the most expensive, and dirtiest, power plants. Sometimes those spikes can ask too much of the grid and lead to brownouts or blackouts. Research I recently published with a team of scholars makes me feel a little better, though. We have found that it is possible to coordinate the operation of large numbers of home air-conditioning units, balancing supply and demand on the power grid—and without making people endure high temperatures inside their homes. Studies along these lines, using remote control of air conditioners to support the grid, have for many years explored theoretical possibilities like this. However, few approaches have been demonstrated in practice and never for such a high-value application and at this scale. The system we developed not only demonstrated the ability to balance the grid on timescales of seconds, but also proved it was possible to do so without affecting residents' comfort. The benefits include increasing the reliability of the power grid, which makes it easier for the grid to accept more renewable energy. Our goal is to turn air conditioners from a challenge for the power grid into an asset, supporting a shift away from fossil fuels toward cleaner energy. Adjustable equipment My research focuses on batteries, solar panels, and electric equipment—such as electric vehicles, water heaters, air conditioners, and heat pumps—that can adjust itself to consume different amounts of energy at different times. Originally, the U.S. electric grid was built to transport electricity from large power plants to customers' homes and businesses. And originally, power plants were large, centralized operations that burned coal or natural gas, or harvested energy from nuclear reactions. These plants were typically always available and could adjust how much power they generated in response to customer demand, so the grid would be balanced between power coming in from producers and being used by consumers. But the grid has changed. There are more renewable energy sources from which power isn't always available, like solar panels at night or wind turbines on calm days. And there are the devices and equipment I study. These newer options, called 'distributed energy resources,' generate or store energy near where consumers need it—or adjust how much energy they're using in real time. One aspect of the grid hasn't changed, though: There's not much storage built into the system. So every time you turn on a light, for a moment there's not enough electricity to supply everything that wants it right then: The grid needs a power producer to generate a little more power. And when you turn off a light, there's a little too much: A power producer needs to ramp down. The way power plants know what real-time power adjustments are needed is by closely monitoring the grid frequency. The goal is to provide electricity at a constant frequency—60 hertz—at all times. If more power is needed than is being produced, the frequency drops and a power plant boosts output. If there's too much power being produced, the frequency rises and a power plant slows production a little. These actions, a process called 'frequency regulation,' happen in a matter of seconds to keep the grid balanced. This output flexibility, primarily from power plants, is key to keeping the lights on for everyone. Finding new options I'm interested in how distributed energy resources can improve flexibility in the grid. They can release more energy, or consume less, to respond to the changing supply or demand, and help balance the grid, ensuring the frequency remains near 60 hertz. Some people fear that doing so might be invasive, giving someone outside your home the ability to control your battery or air conditioner. Therefore, we wanted to see if we could help balance the grid with frequency regulation using home air-conditioning units rather than power plants, without affecting how residents use their appliances or how comfortable they are in their homes. From 2019 to 2023, my group at the University of Michigan tried this approach, in collaboration with researchers at Pecan Street Inc., Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the University of California, Berkeley, with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. We recruited 100 homeowners in Austin to do a real-world test of our system. All the homes had whole-house forced-air cooling systems, which we connected to custom control boards and sensors the owners allowed us to install in their homes. This equipment let us send instructions to the air-conditioning units based on the frequency of the grid. Before I explain how the system worked, I first need to explain how thermostats work. When people set thermostats, they pick a temperature, and the thermostat switches the air-conditioning compressor on and off to maintain the air temperature within a small range around that set point. If the temperature is set at 68 degrees, the thermostat turns the AC on when the temperature is, say, 70, and turns it off when it's cooled down to, say, 66. Every few seconds, our system slightly changed the timing of air-conditioning compressor switching for some of the 100 air conditioners, causing the units' aggregate power consumption to change. In this way, our small group of home air conditioners reacted to grid changes the way a power plant would—using more or less energy to balance the grid and keep the frequency near 60 hertz. Moreover, our system was designed to keep home temperatures within the same small temperature range around the set point. Testing the approach We ran our system in four tests, each lasting one hour. We found two encouraging results. First, the air conditioners were able to provide frequency regulation at least as accurately as a traditional power plant. Therefore, we showed that air conditioners could play a significant role in increasing grid flexibility. But perhaps more importantly—at least in terms of encouraging people to participate in these types of systems—we found that we were able to do so without affecting people's comfort in their homes. We found that home temperatures did not deviate more than 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit from their set point. Homeowners were allowed to override the controls if they got uncomfortable, but most didn't. For most tests, we received zero override requests. In the worst case, we received override requests from 2 of the 100 homes in our test. In practice, this sort of technology could be added to commercially available internet-connected thermostats. In exchange for credits on their energy bills, users could choose to join a service run by the thermostat company, their utility provider, or some other third party.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Tell us: what poem would you choose to read at a wedding?
Weddings are constantly being reinvented, from small to huge, camp to Star Trek-themed. But many of us are still reading out the same old Shakespeare sonnets. Have you come up with an alternative? What do you think are the best poems for modern marriages? We would like to hear what poem you would read – or have read – at a wedding and why.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Spotted Kissing in Multiple Fan Videos From Last Night
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce could. not. stop. being adorable last night. In case you missed their surprise appearance, the pair showed up to the Stanley Cup Final in Florida—where they're currently spending time while Travis trains for the NFL season. Their general vibe? But Taylor and Travis were also caught on camera kissing and cuddling multiple times from multiple angles and can't lie: The footage (gathered by @swifferupdates) is extremely sweet. Literally me after watching these videos: FYI, all this romance comes amid a source telling People, 'Taylor is really looking forward to the upcoming NFL season' thanks to it being the first full season that she hasn't also been juggling a tour schedule. 'This fall will be completely different,' the source said. 'It's the first season where she's not constantly flying back and forth or working around an entire touring calendar. The past two seasons were a whirlwind between performing across multiple countries, long flights, and trying to squeeze in alone time together wherever possible. It wasn't easy but they made it work. Her schedule is much more open now that the Eras Tour is wrapped and she's genuinely excited to have the time and flexibility to show up for Travis more consistently.' Apparently, Taylor will be at 'as many of his games as possible,' so get ready. You Might Also Like Here's What NOT to Wear to a Wedding Meet the Laziest, Easiest Acne Routine You'll Ever Try
