GridPoint devices stores, buffers electricity for homes and businesses

With summer temperatures in the United States reaching record levels, electricity demands for running air conditioners and other cooling appliances has stressed the U.S. power grid, causing blackouts and other power outages. GridPoint, a three-year-old company based in Washington, D.C., uses software combined with two refrigerator-sized power units that reduce strain on the power grid by storing power and running a home off battery power during certain hours, which can save consumers money by shifting energy usage to less-demanding times of day.

The company's backup power unit -- GridPoint Protect -- sells for $10,500 and offers consumers a cleaner alternative to diesel generators in the case of blackouts. GridPoint Connect, an $11,000 unit, utilizes an inverter and 7- or 10-kilowatt-hours of storage to accompany a solar electric system. Both systems are equipped with an Intel PC running Windows CE for easy monitoring and servicing via the internet. The computers also use data collection tools to cycle energy usage and save users money on electric bills.

"The computers in these boxes are making decisions with regards to energy based on the value of energy at that point in time and the historical consumption of that residence," says GridPoint's chief operating officer Karl Lewis.

Other companies have also entered the clean technology market, looking to turn a profit on recent higher energy costs. For example, start-up company Ice Energy recently began selling an air conditioner add-on that freezes water in the evening to cool the refrigerant, instead of running the AC in the heat of the day.

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