ENERGY OPTIMIZATION SYSTEM

• US 20110106328A1
• Filed: 12/17/2009
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Zhou, Zhi, Kern, John Michael, Biyik, Emrah, de Bedout, Juan Manuel, Chandra, Ramu Sharat
• Granted Patent: US 8,359,124 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/291
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/024 in which a parameter or coefficient is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier

Abstract

A system for optimizing customer utility usage in a utility network of customer sites, each having one or more utility devices, where customer site is communicated between each of the customer sites and an optimization server having software for optimizing customer utility usage over one or more networks, including private and public networks. A customer site model for each of the customer sites is generated based upon the customer site information, and the customer utility usage is optimized based upon the customer site information and the customer site model. The optimization server can be hosted by an external source or within the customer site. In addition, the optimization processing can be partitioned between the customer site and an external source.

Claims

1. A utility management system, comprising:

a plurality of customer sites connected to a utility network, wherein each of the customer sites comprises one or more utility devices;

a plurality of utility management user interfaces associated with the customer sites, respectively; and

a controller coupled to the utility management user interfaces via a private network and configured to communicate customer utility optimization information to the utility management user interfaces, wherein the controller comprises;

a first module configured to exchange information with each of the customer sites;

a second module configured to generate a customer site model for each of the customer sites based on the information;

a third module configured to generate the customer utility optimization information based on the customer site model and the information for each of the customer sites; and

a fourth module configured to output the customer utility optimization information to each of the customer sites.

2. The utility management system of claim 1, wherein the information comprises at least one of utility device information, acquired information, and customer input information

3. The utility management system of claim 2, wherein the acquired information comprises at least one of weather information, solar insolation forecast information, cost of utility unit, utility program information, and load demand.

4. The utility management system of claim 2, wherein the customer input information comprises at least one of usage preferences, customer site specification information, and customer settings.

5. The utility management system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further coupled to the utility management interfaces via a public network.

6. The utility management system of claim 5, wherein the public network is the Internet.

7. The utility management system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the information is exchanged between the controller and the utility management interfaces via the private network.

8. The utility management system of claim 7, wherein at least a portion of the information is exchanged between the controller and the utility management interfaces via the public network.

9. The utility management system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the customer optimization information is communicated to the utility management user interfaces via the private network.

10. The utility management system of claim 9, wherein at least a portion of the customer optimization information is communicated to the utility management user interfaces via the public network.

11. The utility management system of claim 1, wherein the utility management user interfaces each comprise:

a data module configured to receive the information and the customer optimization information for the associated customer site; and

a control module configured to control the one or more utility devices based on the information and the customer optimization information.

12. The utility management system of claim 11, wherein the control module outputs local control commands to the one or more utility devices via a wireless network.

13. The utility management system of claim 11, wherein the control module generates local optimization information based on the input information, and controls the one or more utility devices based on the local optimization information.

14. The utility management system of claim 1, wherein the third module generates the customer optimization problem by formulating an optimization problem including an objective function and at least one of an inequality constraint parameter and an equality parameter;

and solving the optimization problem of the objective function with respect to the at least one of the inequality constraint parameter and an equality parameter.

15. The utility management system of claim 1, wherein the second module generates the customer site model by performing a system identification process on the information.

16. A system for optimizing customer utility usage at a customer site connected to a utility network, comprising:

one or more utility devices; and

a controller coupled to the one or more utility devices for optimizing utility usage at the customer site, wherein the controller comprises;

a first module configured to receive customer site information;

a second module configured to generate a customer site model based on the customer site information; and

a third module configured to generate customer utility optimization information based on the customer site model and the customer site information.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the customer site information comprises at least one of utility device information, acquired information, and customer input information

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the acquired information comprises at least one of weather information, solar insolation forecast information, cost of utility unit, utility program information, and load demand.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the customer input information comprises at least one of usage preferences, customer site specification information, and customer settings.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the controller outputs commands to the one or more utility devices via a wireless network.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein at least a portion of the customer site information is received from an external source via a public network.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the public network is the Internet.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein at least a portion of the customer site information is received from an external source via a private network.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the private network is wireless.

25. The system of claim 16, wherein the second module generates the customer site model by performing a system identification process based on the customer site information.

26. The system of claim 16, wherein the third module generates the customer optimization information by formulating an optimization problem including an objective function and at least one of an inequality constraint parameter and an equality parameter;

and solving the optimization problem of the objective function with respect to the at least one of the inequality constraint parameter and an equality parameter.