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posted by Fnord666 on Tuesday November 19 2019, @06:13AM   Printer-friendly
from the piggyback-ride dept.

Submitted via IRC for SoyCow1337

VoltServer adds a data layer to electricity distribution in a move that could help smart grid rollout – TechCrunch

Stephen Eaves, the chief executive of a new startup that promises to overlay data on electricity distribution, has spent years developing data management technologies.

Eaves’ first company, the eponymous Eaves Devices, focused on energy systems in aerospace and defense — they converted the military’s fleet of B2 bombers to use lithium ion batteries.

The second company he was involved in was developing modular array devices to install in central offices and cell towers and conducted early work on electric vehicle development.

His goal, Eaves says, was to “make electricity inherently safe.”

VoltServer is the latest company from Eaves to pursue that goal. Eaves makes transmission safer by breaking electrical distribution into packets; those packets are sent down transmission lines to ensure that there are not faults. If there’s a break in the line, the equipment stops transmitting energy.

[...] Already roughly 700 stadiums, large offices and indoor grow facilities have deployed the company’s technology. And the traction was enough to attract the attention of Alphabet subsidiary Sidewalk Labs, which led a recent $7.4 million financing into the company. To date, the company has raised $18 million from a clutch of investors, including: Marker Hill Capital, Slater Technology Fund, Natural Resources Capital Management, Clean Energy Venture Group, Angel Street Capital and Coniston Capital.

[...] "Electricity powers our world, but the fundamental danger inherent in AC or DC electricity makes today's electrical systems expensive to install or change,” said Sidewalk Labs chairman and chief executive, Dan Doctoroff in a statement. “[This technology] is a breakthrough, offering a less expensive, safer and more efficient way to distribute electricity that can make buildings more affordable and flexible. Over time, that can make cities more affordable, sustainable, and adaptable as our needs change."


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  • (Score: 2) by VLM on Tuesday November 19 2019, @01:09PM (4 children)

    by VLM (445) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday November 19 2019, @01:09PM (#921902)

    Now, ok, sometimes due to line faults the leccy goes where it ain't supposed to

    Although the RFI would be unimaginable and you'd have airplanes falling out of the sky from navigation interference blah blah blah I've always thought it would be fun to transmit a broadband spread spectrum signal at a very low power along power lines and then use a very smart spectrum analyzer on the other end to act like a continuous TDR / vector analyzer / radar like thing continuously. Live real time data on plants growing near the lines and stuff like that.

    I should ask my ex-coworker in the energy industry... they probably already do this (plus or minus massive EMI problems LOL)

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  • (Score: 2) by Muad'Dave on Tuesday November 19 2019, @03:29PM (3 children)

    by Muad'Dave (1413) on Tuesday November 19 2019, @03:29PM (#921943)

    They don't do it for TDR, but they do sometimes transmit PLC data [wikipedia.org] over the transmission lines. We hams recently had to register with an organization before we could operate on two new bands that share PLC freqs.

    • (Score: 2) by VLM on Tuesday November 19 2019, @08:58PM (2 children)

      by VLM (445) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday November 19 2019, @08:58PM (#922078)

      Right, I'm pretty familiar with that. The idea that would be fun, in ham radio terms, is slap something like a duplexer on the power line that sends below 160M to the power stuff, and above 160M to what amounts to an antenna analyzer, and I bet stuff like trees growing to touch the wires or high wind swaying would look interesting on the analyzer.

      • (Score: 2) by Muad'Dave on Thursday November 21 2019, @12:00PM (1 child)

        by Muad'Dave (1413) on Thursday November 21 2019, @12:00PM (#922950)

        I'm sure that would look cool indeed. I'd rather your 500kV-rated duplexer send everything above 160M to my transceiver! Can you imagine having a many mile long antenna?!? It would be interesting to model the pattern in NEC - I bet for a long straight run it'd be somewhat directional, like a Beverage.

        I've looked lovingly at my 20kV primary that runs in front of my house more than once. 20 kV isn't _that_ much for a blocking capacitor ... (just kidding)

        • (Score: 2) by VLM on Thursday November 21 2019, @12:31PM

          by VLM (445) Subscriber Badge on Thursday November 21 2019, @12:31PM (#922963)

          LOL those services have nice ground systems too.