Glenn Fleishman (of Wi-Fi Net News and TidBITS fame) has a good write up over at WorldChanging on the Green Plug solution to the phantom power problem.

Their solution is based on an the idea of standardising the power connector that is used by electronics on the standard USB connector. They have developed a variant of it for devices like laptops that need more power than a regular USB connector can deliver. This seems like a smart move since that connector is already becoming a de facto standard for low power electronics like cameras, phones etc. Additionally, USB power outlets are appearing on aircraft and even in airport lounges now, allowing people to power and recharge their small devices easily with just a cable.

Power Hub
At the center of the Green Plug idea is a single DC power hub that can be used to power all kinds of devices that need DC power. The hub itself is smart, and using a protocol they’ve called Greentalk it can detect the power needs of the device attached on each port and adjust accordingly. When a device is fully charged, it shuts off the power (regular chargers still have a trickle current flowing once the battery is full).

Scheduling
In addition to being more proactive about shutting off the power when a device is charged, the hub can also schedule the charging cycle in off peak hours, which can be cheaper if you have time based metering, but is better for smoothing out the power load on the grid even if you don’t (for those of us who lived through California’s rolling blackouts, that’s a good thing!).

Tags: greenplug, greentalk, hub, phantom power, usb

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