METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ACTIVELY MANAGING CONSUMPTION OF ELECTRIC POWER SUPPLIED BY AN ELECTRIC UTILITY

• US 20100161148A1
• Filed: 03/01/2010
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Landis+Gyr Innovations Incorporated (Landis+Gyr Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Consert, Inc. (Landis+Gyr Group AG)
• Inventors: FORBES, JOSEPH W. JR., Webb, Joel L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,032,233 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/295
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/14 Displaying of utility usage with respect to time, e.g. for monitoring evolution of usage or with respect to weather conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06393 Score-carding, benchmarking or key performance indicator [KPI] analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/34 Smart metering supporting the carbon neutral operation of end-user applications in buildings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/14 Marketing, i.e. market research and analysis, surveying, promotions, advertising, buyer profiling, customer management or rewards

Abstract

A client device manages consumption of power supplied by an electric utility to multiple power consuming devices. Power flow to the power consuming devices is selectively enabled and disabled by one or more controllable devices controlled by the client device. The client device receives a power control message from a load management server. In one embodiment, the power control message indicates at least one of an amount of electric power to be reduced and an identification of at least one controllable device to be instructed to disable a flow of electric power to one or more associated power consuming devices. Responsive to the power control message, the client device issues a power management command or instruction to one or more controllable devices under the client device'"'"'s control. The power management command causes the controllable device(s) to disable a flow of electric power to at least one associated power consuming device.

Claims

1. A method for a client device to manage a flow of power supplied by an electric utility to a plurality of power consuming devices, the client device being responsive to power control messages issued by a load management server and controlling one or more controllable devices that selectively enable and disable a flow of electric power to at least some of the plurality of power consuming devices, the method comprising:

receiving a power control message from the load management server, the power control message indicating at least one of an amount of electric power to be reduced and an identification of at least one controllable device to be instructed to disable a flow of electric power to one or more associated power consuming devices; and

responsive to the power control message, issuing a power management command to a controllable device, the power management command causing the controllable device to disable a flow of electric power to at least one associated power consuming device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the power control message is encrypted, the method further comprising:

decrypting the power control message responsive to receiving the power control message.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating a report message to the load management server, the report message including an indication of an amount of power consumed by at least one power consuming device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating a status message to the load management server, the status message indicating statuses of the one or more controllable devices.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating a status message to the load management server, the status message indicating a total amount of power consumed by power consuming devices under control of the one or more controllable devices.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

subsequent to issuing the power management command, receiving a second power control message from the load management server, the second power control message instructing the client device to enable a flow of electric power to power consuming devices that had a flow of electric power previously disabled.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one smart meter is coupled to the client device, the method further comprising:

receiving a control message from the load management server instructing the client device to read the at least one smart meter;

responsive to receipt of the control message, issuing a command to the at least one smart meter requesting a power reading; and

responsive to receipt the power reading, communicating the power reading to the load management server.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a status message from the load management server, the status message requesting status information for the one or more controllable devices;

polling the one or more controllable devices responsive to the status message;

receiving a status response message from each of the one or more controllable devices responsive to the polling, each status response message including operational information for a particular controllable device; and

storing each status response message in a memory for reference in connection with power reduction events, wherein the power control message is associated with a power reduction event.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device includes a Layer-3 router and wherein at least one Internet-accessible device is coupled to the client device, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the Layer-3 router, an Internet Protocol (IP) message that includes an IP address;

determining, by the Layer-3 router, whether the IP message is directed to an Internet-accessible device coupled to the client device; and

communicating the IP message to the Internet-accessible device responsive to a determination that the IP message is directed to the Internet-accessible device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the IP message is encrypted, the method further comprising:

determining, by the Layer-3 router, whether the IP message is directed to the client device instead of the Internet-accessible device; and

decrypting the IP message responsive to a determination that the IP message is directed to the client device instead of the Internet-accessible device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device is coupled to a host Internet Protocol (IP) network, the method further comprising:

dynamically requesting IP addresses for at least one of the client device and the one or more controllable devices from a dynamic host configuration protocol server on the host IP network.

12. A client device for use in a system that manages consumption of power supplied by an electric utility to a plurality of power consuming devices, wherein power flow to at least some of the plurality of power consuming devices is enabled and disabled by a plurality of controllable devices, wherein at least one controllable device operates under the control of the client device, and wherein the client device receives power control messages from a remote load management server, the client device comprising:

at least one controllable device interface facilitating communication of power control instructions to the at least one controllable device, the power control instructions causing the at least one controllable device to selectively enable and disable a flow of electric power to at least one power consuming device of the plurality of power consuming devices; and

a device control manager operably coupled to the at least one controllable device interface, the device control manager generating the power control instructions responsive to the received power control messages.

13. The client device of claim 12, wherein at least one of the received power control messages indicates at least one of an amount of electric power to be reduced and an identification of a controllable device to be instructed to disable a flow of electric power to one or more associated power consuming devices.

14. The client device of claim 12, further comprising:

a communications interface facilitating communications between the load management server and the client device,

wherein the device control manager communicates at least one power consumption indicator and at least one power management status to the load management server via the communications interface.

15. The client device of claim 14, wherein the at least one power consumption indicator includes a power consumption indicator associated with each controllable device and wherein the at least one power management status includes a power management status associated with each controllable device.

16. The client device of claim 14, wherein the communications interface comprises an IP-based interface.

17. The client device of claim 16, wherein the IP-based interface is one of a WiMax interface and a High Speed Packet Access interface.

18. The client device of claim 12, wherein at least one of the received power control messages includes Internet Protocol addresses of one or more controllable devices to be instructed to disable a flow of electric power to one or more associated power consuming devices.

19. The client device of claim 12, further comprising:

a Layer-3 router operable to receive an Internet Protocol (IP) message that includes an IP address and determine whether the IP message is directed to the client device or an Internet-accessible device coupled to the client device; and

an IP device interface, coupled to the Layer-3 router, that receives the IP message from the Layer-3 router when the IP message is directed to an Internet-accessible device coupled to the client device and communicates the IP message to the Internet-accessible device.

20. A client device for use in a system that manages consumption of power supplied by an electric utility to a plurality of power consuming devices, wherein power flow to at least some of the plurality of power consuming devices is selectively enabled and disabled by a plurality of controllable devices, wherein one or more of the plurality of controllable devices operates under the control of the client device, and wherein the client device receives a plurality of power control messages from a remote load management server, the client device comprising:

a communications interface that receives the plurality of power control messages from the load management server, a power control message of the plurality of power control messages indicating at least one of an amount of electric power to be reduced and an identification of at least one controllable device to be instructed to disable a flow of electric power to one or more associated power consuming devices;

at least one controllable device interface facilitating communication of a power control instruction to at least a first controllable device, the power control instruction causing the first controllable device to disable a flow of electric power to at least one power consuming device of the plurality of power consuming devices; and

a device control manager operably coupled to the communications interface and the at least one controllable device interface, the device control manager generating the power control instruction responsive to the power control message.

21. The client device of claim 20, wherein the power control message includes a list of controllable devices to be instructed to disable a flow of electric power to associated power consuming devices.

22. The client device of claim 20, further comprising:

a Layer-3 router operable to receive an Internet Protocol (IP) message that includes an IP address and determine whether the IP message is directed to the client device or an Internet-accessible device coupled to the client device; and

an IP device interface, coupled to the Layer-3 router, that receives the IP message from the Layer-3 router when the IP message is directed to an Internet-accessible device coupled to the client device and communicates the IP message to the Internet-accessible device.

23. The client device of claim 20, wherein the communications interface comprises an IP-based interface.