Scientists develop Self Monitoring Power Outlets

As far as we have come, the dreams of a true smart house still rest well outside our reach. In fact, the situation has almost gotten worse: we have dozens of gadgets plugged in at any given time, even when we aren't using them, all drinking electricity.

Sandia Labs wants to help solve this problem. A team there has managed to hack together a power plug that can monitor energy consumed and control usage as needed. The system is completely distributed and there is no need for any form of direct management over the system. But the system does come with the ability to network with other plugs over ethernet to better plan its power management.

Anthony Lentine with the smart outlet. Credit : Sandia National Laboratories

The idea isn't new, but it has taken its time to get here. People have been talking about the smart grid for years with little progress being made on the subject. Sandia Labs' tech probably isn't aimed at consumers. Rather it is meant for power companies looking to get a foot in on a smarter grid, one that can respond to power fluctuations with precision and track what gets used when.

That will help them better route power to people, meaning less power needs to be generated and the cost per Kilowatt goes down. Oh, and the tech could help consumers better cope with the variable output of some alternative energy sources like solar and wind power. All in all, a pretty good deal.

Engadget Photo by : Sandia National Laboratories