Honda Smart Home System
Honda has unveiled a demonstration house in Saitama, Japan, to showcase and test its new Honda Smart Home System (HSHS). Featuring a line-up of innovative energy production, management and conservation solutions, the company hopes HSHS will free homeowners from the constraints of on-grid living somewhat, give them a leg up on self-sufficiency when disaster strikes and help reduce carbon dioxide emissions both at home and on the road by networking electric vehicles into the mix.
Included in the concept dwelling are thin-film solar cell panels, a gas engine-driven cogeneration unit and water-heating system, a rechargable home battery and an energy control device called the Smart e Mix Manager that ties everything together.
The HSHS-equipped home will produce clean energy utilizing new solar cell modules that incorporate high-efficiency, thin-film CIGS (copper, indium, gallium, selenium) cells.
To further lower greenhouse gases produced by home heating/cooling, cooking and water heating (functions which account for about 60% of the energy typically used by average Japanese homes), a cogeneration system driven by a specially-designed high-expansion-ratio engine, dubbed EXlink (for Extended Expansion Linkage Engine), will provide combined power generation and heat recovery efficiencies of up to 92 percent.
The Smart e Mix Manager functions as the central control for the entire system and keeps track of all energy produced by the system’s components as well as power supplied from the grid. Additionally, in tandem with the Home Battery Unit, it can supply emergency electricity in the event of blackouts or disasters such as earthquakes, of which Japan has more than its fair share.
via Gizmag – Randolph Jonssonᔥ
Bookmark this page for “smart home” and check back regularly as these articles update on a very frequent basis. The view is set to “news”. Try clicking on “video” and “2” for more articles.