An intelligent electrical outlet for autonomous load control for electric power grids with a large percentage of renewable resources

We describe an experimental intelligent electrical outlet that is capable of autonomously controlling loads in a smart grid or micro-grid environment without a centralized computer. The outlet comprises four receptacles, each with voltage sensing, current sensing, actuation, a CPU for implementing closed loop control, and an Ethernet bridge for communicating with other outlets and for transmitting data to a collection PC. The outlet can measure the direction of power flow, and the real and reactive components to power. We demonstrate multiple outlets adapting the collective load to the available supply from one and two photovoltaic inverter sources, responding to changes in ~ 100ms intervals.