Track Olympic Games energy usage in real time with new site

How much energy will the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games use?

For the first time, we might find out. The new Venue Energy Tracker Web site by energy management software firm Pulse Energy lets anyone keep track of the amount of energy being consumed in Olympic sports arenas.

For example, did you know that the Olympic Oval is using 1,159 kilowatts right at this moment?

The energy monitoring site is a collaboration between the Olympic Committee, Pulse Energy and local utility BC Hydro. It shows the collection of data from electrical, gas, and hot water meters and calculates how each facility should be performing in real time under optimal conditions -- potentially exposing inefficiencies during the course of the games.

Of course, the site also shows you how much energy is being saved thanks to Pulse's software.

The monitoring system is quite expensive to deploy, at a few thousand dollars for the Olympic Oval alone -- but use it for more than a year in a high-energy situation, and the savings start rolling in, the company says.

Monitoring energy use during the Olympic Games? Now that's a smart idea.

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com