ENERGY REDUCTION

• US 20100141046A1
• Filed: 12/04/2008
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric IT Corporation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: American Power Conversion Corporation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Paik, Namwook
• Granted Patent: US 8,200,370 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/126
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00006 characterised by information or instructions transport means between the monitoring, controlling or managing units and monitored, controlled or operated power network element or electrical equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/12 The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving

Abstract

A power reduction system includes a central server and a plurality of power reduction devices. The central server of the power reduction aggregation system includes: a network interface configured to transmit and receive information to and from a communication network; a power grid status module coupled to the network interface and configured to transmit a power status message to the network, via the network interface, toward at least two power reduction devices connected to the network; and a power savings compensation module configured to determine an aggregate compensation earned for providing an aggregate energy reduction induced by the at least two power reduction devices in response to receiving the power status message, and further configured to determine individual portions of the aggregate compensation associated with each of the at least two power reduction devices.

Claims

1. A power reduction system comprising:

an input configured to receive power from a power source;

a plurality of outputs configured to provide output power to a plurality of loads;

a plurality of switches coupled to the input and the plurality of outputs;

a network interface configured to receive a power status message from a network;

a controller coupled to the switches and the network interface and configured to control the switches to selectively couple/decouple the input to/from the outputs in response to the power status message; and

an energy consumption module coupled to the input and configured to determine an energy consumption measure of energy provided by the input to the outputs that are coupled to the input,

wherein the network interface is coupled to the energy consumption module and is further configured to transmit the energy consumption measure toward a remote device connected to the network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the energy consumption measure comprises a reduced energy consumption measure based on (1) energy provided by the input during a time period during which the controller decouples the input from at least one of the outputs and (2) a baseline energy consumption estimate for the time period.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the energy consumption module is further configured to determine the baseline energy consumption estimate based on energy provided by the input during a time period during which none of the outputs are decoupled from the input by the controller, and store the baseline energy consumption estimate in memory.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the energy consumption module is further configured to determine an average baseline consumption estimate for a plurality of time periods based on the stored baseline energy consumption estimate, wherein the average baseline consumption estimate time periods comprise at least one of hours, days, weeks, months and years.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the received power status message comprises information indicating to cancel an action induced by a previously received power status message.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the power status message comprises information regarding at least one of instructions regarding a type of device to decouple from the input, instructions regarding a specific output to decouple from the input, instructions regarding an amount of energy reduction to induce, or a level of compensation that will be received for a level of energy reduction induced.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a backup power source, wherein the controller is further configured to couple the backup power source to at least one of the outputs.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the backup power source comprises an uninterruptible power supply.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the energy consumption measure comprises a reduced energy consumption measure based on (1) energy provided to the plurality of outputs during a time period during which the controller decouples the input from at least one of the outputs and (2) a plurality of baseline energy consumption estimates for the time period, and further wherein the energy consumption module is further configured to determine the plurality of baseline energy consumption estimates based on energy provided to each of the plurality of outputs.

10. The power reduction system of claim 1, wherein the energy consumption measure comprises a first energy consumption measure based on energy provided by the input while none of the outputs are de-coupled from the input by the controller in response to any power status message and a second energy consumption measure based on energy provided by the input while at least one of the outputs is decoupled from the input by the controller in response to the power status message.

11. A method of power reduction comprising:

receiving power from a power source;

providing power received from the power source to a plurality of outputs coupled to a plurality of loads;

receiving a power status message from a network;

controlling switches coupled to the power source and the outputs to selectively couple/decouple the power source to/from the outputs in response to receiving the power status message;

determining an energy consumption measure of energy provided by the input to the outputs that are coupled to the input; and

transmitting the energy consumption measure toward a remote device connected to the network.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the energy consumption measure comprises a reduced energy consumption measure based on (1) energy provided by the power source during a time period during which the power source is selectively decoupled from at least one of the outputs in response to the power status message and (2) a baseline energy consumption estimate for the time period.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining the baseline energy consumption measure based on the energy consumed by the loads during a time period while none of the outputs is controlled to be decoupled from the power source in response to the power status message; and

storing the baseline energy consumption measure in memory.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising controlling at least one of the switches to couple at least one of the outputs to a backup power source.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the backup power source comprises an uninterruptible power supply.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the energy consumption measure comprises a reduced energy consumption measure based on (1) energy provided to the plurality of outputs during a time period during which the power source is selectively decoupled from at least one of the outputs and (2) a plurality of baseline energy consumption estimates for the time period, the method further comprising determining the plurality of baseline energy consumption estimates based on energy provided to each of the plurality of outputs.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the energy consumption measure comprises a first energy consumption measure based on energy provided by the input while none of the outputs are de-coupled from the input by the controller in response to any power status message and a second energy consumption measure based on energy provided by the input while at least one of the outputs is decoupled from the input by the controller in response to the power status message.

18. A computer readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instruction including instructions that will cause a processor to:

receive a power status message from a network;

control switches, the switches being coupled to a power source and a plurality of outputs, wherein the outputs are coupled to a plurality of loads, to selectively couple/decouple the power source to/from the outputs in response to receiving the power status message;

determine an energy consumption measure of energy provided by the input to the outputs that are coupled to the input; and

cause a transmitter to transmit the energy consumption measure toward a remote device connected to the network.