Bidding for energy supply

• US 20020091626A1
• Filed: 01/31/2002
• Published: 07/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/1997
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Jack J. Johnson, William F. Coyle
• Original Assignee: Jack J. Johnson, William F. Coyle
• Inventors: Coyle, William F., Johnson, Jack J.
• Application Number:
  US10/062,798
• Publication Number:
  US 20020091626A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/201 Price look-up processing, e.g. updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/00 Coin-freed apparatus with meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/008 involving trading of energy or energy transmission rights
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/12 Billing, invoicing, buying or selling transactions or other related activities, e.g. cost or usage evaluation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/14 Marketing, i.e. market research and analysis, surveying, promotions, advertising, buyer profiling, customer management or rewards

Abstract

An auction service is provided that stimulates competition between energy suppliers (i.e., electric power or natural gas). A bidding moderator (Moderator) receives offers from competing suppliers specifying the economic terms each is willing to offer to end users for estimated quantities of electric power or gas supply (separate auctions). Each supplier receives feedback from the Moderator based on competitors'"'"' offers and has the opportunity to adjust its own offers down or up, depending on whether it wants to encourage or discourage additional energy delivery commitments in a particular geographic area or to a particular customer group. Each supplier'"'"'s offers can also be changed to reflect each supplier'"'"'s capacity utilization. The Moderator selects at least two suppliers to provide energy to each end user, with each supplier providing a portion of the energy to be used by each end user at an end-user facility during a specific future time interval.

Claims

1. A method for creating an automated bidding process among energy Providers and end users in which a moderating computer collects economic incentive data from each Provider of a plurality of energy Providers, processes the economic incentive data and selects at least two Providers of the plurality of energy Providers to provide energy to at least one end user, based on an economic choice, wherein the method comprises:

a. receiving in the moderating computer, economic incentive data specifying the economic incentive each Provider will place on a unit of energy provided to the at least one end user, processing the economic incentive data to determine which of the economic incentive data correspond to the at least one end user and to produce derivative data, and storing the economic incentive data and the derivative data in a data base of the moderating computer as first end-user set data;

b. in the moderating computer, transmitting at least a portion of the first end-user set data to at least a portion of the plurality of energy Providers;

c. in the moderating computer, processing the first end-user set data and generating provider selection data; and

d. in the moderating computer, selecting at least two Providers of the plurality of energy Providers to provide energy to the at least one end user, with each of the at least two Providers to supply a portion of the energy to be used by the at least one end user at an end-user facility during at least a portion of a specific future time interval.

2. A method of claim 1 including, in the moderating computer, transmitting a selection notification to each of the at least two Providers.

3. A method of claim 2 including, in the moderating computer, transmitting to the at least one end user'"'"'s local energy distribution company at least a portion of the information contained in the selection notification.

4. A method of claim 1 including, in the moderating computer, transmitting at least a portion of the economic incentive data to the at least one end user.

5. A method of claim 4 in which at least a portion of the economic incentive data associated with the at least one end user is made available by the moderating computer to the at least one end user by means of an Internet website or computer bulletin board.

6. A method of claim 1 comprising, in the moderating computer, receiving decision rules from the at least one end user, processing the first end-user set data and the decision rules to generate provider selection data, and selecting the at least two Providers of the plurality of energy Providers for the provision of energy to the at least one end user.

7. A method of claim 1 in which the at least one end user includes one or more resellers of energy supply.

8. A method of claim 1 in which the moderating computer transmits at least a portion of the first end-user set data to at least a portion of the plurality of energy Providers subsequent to the selection of the at least two Providers.

9. A method of claim 1 in which the moderating computer transmits to each of the at least two Providers one or more specifications of the estimated energy requirements that Provider should expect to provide to the at least one end user during the portion of the specific future time interval.

10. A method of claim 9 in which the specifications are made available by the moderating computer to the at least two Providers by means of an Internet website or computer bulletin board.

11. A method of claim 1 in which the moderating computer transmits to the at least two Providers, periodic usage reports associated with the at least one end user.

12. A method of claim 11 in which the periodic usage reports are made available by the moderating computer to the at least two Providers by means of an Internet website or computer bulletin board.

13. A method of claim 1 in which the moderating computer transmits, to the at least one end user, periodic usage reports associated with the at least one end user.

14. A method of claim 13 in which the periodic usage reports associated with the at least one end user are made available by the moderating computer to the at least one end user by means of an Internet website or computer bulletin board.

15. A method of claim 1 in which the at least one end user'"'"'s local energy distribution company transmits periodic usage reports to the at least two Providers or the at least one end user.

16. A method of claim 11 in which the local energy distribution company includes an independent third party meter reading service entity.

17. A method of claims 15 in which the periodic usage reports are made available to the at least two Providers or the at least one end user by means of an Internet website or computer bulletin board.

18. A method of claim 1 in which the derivative data provided by the Moderator includes information derived from the prices or quantities of energy contained in the economic incentive data received by the moderating computer from the plurality of energy Providers.

19. A method of claim 1 in which at least one Provider of the at least two Providers is selected by the moderating computer to supply a specific quantity or block of energy.

20. A method of claim 1 in which at least one Provider of the at least two Providers is selected by the moderating computer as a default Provider or a contract Provider.

21. A method for creating an automated bidding process among energy Providers and end users in which a moderating computer collects economic incentive data from each Provider of a plurality of energy Providers, processes the economic incentive data and distributes processed data to a first control computer associated with at least one end user, thereby enabling the first control computer to select at least two Providers of the plurality of energy Providers to provide energy to the at least one end user, based on an economic choice, wherein the method comprises:

a. receiving in the moderating computer, economic incentive data specifying the economic incentive each Provider will place on a unit of energy provided to the at least one end user, processing the economic incentive data to determine which of the economic incentive data correspond to the first control computer and to produce derivative data, and storing the economic incentive data and the derivative data in a data base of the moderating computer as first control computer data;

b. in the moderating computer, transmitting at least a portion of the first control computer data to the first control computer associated with the at least one end user;

c. in the moderating computer, transmitting at least a portion of the first control computer data to at least a portion of the plurality of energy Providers;

d. in the first control computer, receiving the first control computer data, processing the first control computer data and generating provider selection data; and

e. in the first control computer, selecting at least two Providers of the plurality of energy Providers to provide energy to the at least one end user, with each of the at least two Providers to supply a portion of the energy to be used by the at least one end user at an end-user facility during at least a portion of a specific future time interval.

22. A method of claim 21 including, in the first control computer, notifying the moderating computer of the selection of the at least two Providers to provide energy to the at least one end user.

23. A method of claim 21 in which the first control computer is a computer adjunct to the moderating computer.

24. A method of claim 21 in which the moderating computer performs at least a portion of the first control computer'"'"'s processing and communications functions.

25. A method of claim 21 comprising, in the first control computer, receiving decision rules from the at least one end user, processing the first control computer data and the decision rules to generate provider selection data, and selecting the at least two Providers of the plurality of energy Providers for the provision of energy to the at least one end user.

26. A method of claim 21 in which the moderating computer transmits to each of the at least two Providers one or more specifications of the estimated energy requirements that Provider should expect to provide to the at least one end user during the portion of the specific future time interval.

27. A method of claim 21 in which the at least one end user'"'"'s local energy distribution company transmits periodic usage reports to the at least two Providers or the at least one end user.

28. A method of claim 21 in which the first control computer is operated by the at least one end user, by a reseller to end users, or by the local energy distribution company that distributes energy to the at least one end user associated with the first control computer.

30. A method of claim 29 in which at least a portion of processing and communications functions of the energy management computer are performed by an adjunct computer or a computer associated with the energy management computer.

29. A method for managing the provision of energy, by at least two Providers of a plurality of energy Providers to at least one end user of a plurality of end user in accordance with economic incentives arrived at through a bidding process involving a central processor, referred to as a moderator, comprising the steps of:

a. collecting energy availability data for each of the Providers, each Provider entering the energy availability data, corresponding to the energy the Provider can make available to the at least one end user, into its energy management computer'"'"'s energy management database;

b. each energy management computer (i) receiving management instructions from that Provider'"'"'s energy management administrator, (ii) formulating economic incentives for the portion of the Provider'"'"'s energy the Provider can make available to the at least one end user, based on the management instructions and the energy availability data, and (iii) transmitting the economic incentives to the moderator;

c. in the moderator, receiving the economic incentives, entering the economic incentives from each Provider in the moderator'"'"'s database, sorting the economic incentives to identify all economic incentives associated with the at least one end user producing derivative data, and storing the economic incentives and the derivative data in the moderator'"'"'s database as first end-user set data;

d. in the moderator, transmitting at least a portion of the first end-user set data to at least a portion of the plurality of energy Providers;

e. in each Provider'"'"'s energy management computer, entering the portion of the first end-user set data received from the moderator in each Provider'"'"'s energy management database, and adjusting each Provider'"'"'s economic incentives in consideration of the first end-user set data reflecting at least one other Provider'"'"'s economic incentives;

f. in the moderator, processing the first end-user set data, thereby generating provider selection data, and populating the moderator'"'"'s database with the provider selection data;

g. in the moderator, selecting at least two Providers of the plurality of energy Providers, in accordance with the provider selection data, for the provision of energy to the at least one end user, with each of the at least two Providers to supply a portion of the energy to be used at the same at least one end-user facility during at least a portion of a specific future time interval;

h. the moderator notifying each of the at least two Providers of their selection and transmitting, to a computer associated with each of the at least two Providers'"'"' energy management computers, one or more specifications of an estimated energy requirement that Provider should expect to provide to the at least one end user; and

i. each of the selected Providers processing the specifications and periodic usage reports, received from the moderator or from the at least one end user'"'"'s local energy distribution company, and adjusting its energy production in accordance with the specifications and periodic usage reports.

31. An energy bidding moderator for enabling the selection of at least two Providers of a plurality of energy Providers for the provision of energy to at least one end user, in accordance with economic incentives generated by the Providers, comprising:

a. a computer with a processor and a memory;

b. means for receiving economic incentive data from the at least two Providers and storing the economic incentive data identified with the at least two Providers in the memory;

c. means for processing the economic incentive data received from the plurality of energy Providers to determine a first subset of the economic incentive data associated with the at least one end user and to produce derivative data, storing the economic incentive data and the derivative data in the memory as first end-user set data, and generating provider selection data; and

d. means for transmitting at least a portion of the first end-user set data to at least a portion of the plurality of energy Providers.

32. A moderator of claim 31 further including means for receiving decision rules from an administrator associated with the moderator and applying the decision rules to the first end-user set data to generate the provider selection data.

33. A moderator of claim 31 including means for selecting at least two Providers to supply energy to the at least one end user, with each of the at least two Providers to supply a portion of the energy to be used at the same at least one end-user facility during at least a portion of a specific future time interval.

34. A moderator of claim 31 including means of notifying each of the at least two Providers of its selection by the moderator to provide energy to the at least one end user and notifying the at least one end user'"'"'s local energy distribution company of the Provider selections.

35. A moderator of claim 31 including means for transmitting at least a portion of the economic incentive data to the at least one end user.

38. A method of claim 37 in which the Moderator (i) receives request data from the first Buyer on a first software defined template as part of an Internet website or computer bulletin board, (ii) distributes the processed requests to the energy Providers by posting the processed requests on a website or computer bulletin board accessible to the energy Providers, and (iii) receives response data from at least two Providers on a website or computer bulletin board by means of a second software defined template for the entry of the response data by the at least two Providers.

39. A method of claim 37 in which the Moderator receives a set of decision rules from the first Buyer and processes the economic incentive data and the decision rules to generate first Buyer set data.

36. A method for conducting an automated bidding process among a plurality of energy Providers and end users, comprising:

a. collecting economic incentive data from a plurality of energy Providers;

b. prioritizing the economic incentive data that apply to at least one end user;

c. designating at least two Providers of the plurality of energy Providers to be the designated Providers of energy to the at least one end user on the basis of the prioritized economic incentive data; and

d. informing each of the at least two designated Providers of its designation, one or more specifications of estimated energy requirements and periodic usage reports associated with the at least one end user, thereby enabling each of the at least two Providers to efficiently adjust its energy supply during the time interval in which each designated Provider supplies energy to the at least one end user.

37. A method for creating an automated bidding process among energy Providers and Buyers of energy in which a moderating computer collects economic incentive data from each Provider of a plurality of energy Providers, processes the economic incentive data and selects at least two Providers of the plurality of energy Providers to provide energy to a first Buyer, based on an economic choice, wherein the method comprises, in the Moderator:

a. receiving from the first Buyer, a request for energy supply to be delivered to a specified delivery destination during at least one specific future time interval;

b. processing the request and distributing the processed request to a plurality of energy Providers;

c. receiving a response, including the economic incentive data, from at least two Providers;

d. entering the economic incentive data in a database, processing the economic incentive data, producing derivative data and storing the economic incentive data and the derivative data in a database of the Moderator as first Buyer set data;

e. transmitting at least a portion of the first Buyer set data to at least a portion of the plurality of energy Providers;

f. processing the first Buyer set data and selecting at least two Providers of the plurality of energy Providers to provide energy to the first Buyer, with each of the at least two Providers to supply a portion of the energy to be used by the at least one end user at an end-user facility during at least a portion of a specific future time interval; and

g. transmitting a selection notification to each of the at least two Providers selected by the Moderator to provide energy to the first Buyer.

40. A method for creating an automated bidding process among energy Providers and Buyers of energy in which a moderating computer collects economic incentive data from each Provider of a plurality of energy Providers, processes the economic incentive data and distributes processed data to a first control computer associated with at least one Buyer, thereby enabling the first control computer to select at least two Providers of the plurality of energy Providers to provide energy to the Buyer, based on an economic choice, wherein the method comprises:

a. in the Buyer, formulating a request for energy supply to be delivered to a specified delivery destination during at least one specific future time interval and transmitting that request to the moderating computer;

b. in the moderating computer, processing such request and distributing a processed request to a plurality of energy Providers;

c. in at least two Providers, receiving the processed request, formulating a response to the processed request and transmitting such response, including economic incentive data, to the moderating computer;

d. in the moderating computer, receiving the response from at least two Providers, including economic incentive data specifying the economic incentive each Provider will place on a unit of energy provided to the Buyer, processing the economic incentive data to determine which of the economic incentive data correspond to a first control computer and to produce derivative data, and storing the economic incentive data and the derivative data in a data base of the moderating computer as first control computer data;

e. in the moderating computer, transmitting at least a portion of the first control computer data to the first control computer associated with the Buyer;

f. In the moderating computer, transmitting at least a portion of the first control computer data to at least a portion of the plurality of energy Providers;

g. in the first control computer, receiving the first control computer data, processing the first control computer data, and generating provider selection data; and

h. in the first control computer, selecting at least two Providers of the plurality of energy Providers to provide energy to the Buyer, with each of the at least two Providers to supply a portion of the energy to be used by the at least one end user at an end-user facility during at least a portion of a specific future time interval.

41. A method of claim 40 in which the moderating computer performs at least a portion of the processing and communications functions of the first control computer

42. A Moderator for enabling the selection of at least two Providers of a plurality of energy Providers for the provision of energy to the at least one end user, in accordance with economic incentives arrived at through a bidding process, comprising:

a. a computer with a processor and a memory;

b. means for receiving from a Buyer, a request for energy to be delivered to a specified delivery destination during at least one specific future time interval and storing the request in the memory;

c. means for processing the request to formulate a processed request;

d. means for transmitting the processed request to the plurality of energy Providers;

e. means for receiving a response, including the economic incentive data, relating to the request for energy from at least two Providers and storing the data in the memory;

f. means within the processor for producing derivative data based on the economic incentive data and storing the economic incentive data and derivative data in the memory as first Buyer set data;

g. means for transmitting at least a portion of the first Buyer set data to at least a portion of the plurality of energy Providers;

h. means for processing the first Buyer set data and selecting at least two Providers of the plurality of energy Providers to provide energy to the Buyer, with each of the at least two Providers to supply a portion of the energy to be used by the at least one end user at an end-user facility during at least a portion of a specific future time interval; and

i. means for transmitting a selection notification to each of the at least two Providers.

43. A Moderator of claim 42 comprising a website or a computer bulletin board (i) provided with a first software defined template, accessible by the Buyer, for the entry of request data by the Buyer, (ii) accessible by the plurality of energy Providers, for the posting of requests processed by the Moderator and (iii) provided with a second software defined template, accessible by the plurality of energy Providers, for the entry of response data by the energy Providers.