POWER CONSUMPTION COMPLIANCE MONITORING SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20120123995A1
• Filed: 11/17/2010
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Digital Holdings LLC (GE Vernova, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Boot, John Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 8,825,215 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/54
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/1333 adapted for special tariff measuring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• 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: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances

Abstract

Systems and methods for monitoring compliance with a request not to run a type of load (e.g., a high-power-consuming appliance) during a demand response event are provided. One such system may include storage containing a load profile representative of a pattern of power consumption by a type of load and data processing circuitry. The data processing circuitry may compare a power usage profile representing power consumption by a consumer at least over a period of time to the load profile to determine whether the consumer is running the type of load over the period of time.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

storage containing a load profile representative of a pattern of power consumption by a type of load; and

data processing circuitry configured to compare a power usage profile representing power consumption by a consumer at least over a period of time to the load profile to determine whether the consumer is running the type of load over the period of time.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the power usage profile represents power consumption by the consumer at specific points in time over the period of time.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the power usage profile represents power consumption by the consumer every 5 seconds or longer to preserve consumer privacy.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the power usage profile or the load profile, or both the power usage profile and the load profile, comprise two-dimensional vectors.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the power usage profile or the load profile, or both the power usage profile and the load profile, comprise raw power consumption values relative to time.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the power usage profile or the load profile, or both the power usage profile and the load profile, represent real and reactive power consumption.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the period of time comprises a demand response event.

8. The system of claim 1, comprising communication circuitry configured to communicate to the consumer a request not to run the type of load during the period of time.

9. The system of claim 1, comprising a power meter configured to sample the power consumption by the consumer at least over the period of time to obtain the power usage profile.

10. An article of manufacture comprising:

one or more tangible, machine-readable media at least collectively having instructions encoded thereon for execution by a processor, the instructions comprising;

instructions to receive a power usage profile representing power consumption by a consumer that took place at least during a demand response event;

instructions to receive a load profile representative of a pattern of power consumption by a type of load;

instructions to compare the power usage profile to the load profile; and

instructions to indicate, when a component of the power usage profile matches the load profile, that the consumer ran the type of load during the demand response event.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 10, wherein the instructions to compare the power usage profile to the load profile comprise instructions to subtract a baseline component of the power usage profile from a component of the power usage profile occurring during the demand response event.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the baseline component of the power usage profile comprises a component of the power usage profile occurring before the start of the demand response event.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 10, wherein the instructions to compare the power usage profile to the load profile comprise instructions to subtract an average of two or more baseline components of the power usage profile from a component of the power usage profile occurring during the demand response event, wherein the two or more baseline components comprise components of the power usage profile occurring before the start of the demand response event.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 13, wherein the two or more baseline components of the power usage profile comprise a first component of the power usage taking place over a first period of time prior to the start of the demand response event and a second component of the power usage taking place over a second period of time prior to the start of the demand response event.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein the first period of time comprises the second period of time.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 10, wherein the type of load comprises a general class of appliance.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 10, wherein the type of load comprises a specific brand of appliance.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 10, wherein the instructions to compare the power usage profile to the load profile comprise instructions to identify a power consumption identity code occurring in the power usage profile that indicates the type of load that consumed power when the power usage profile was sampled.

19. A method comprising:

receiving a power usage profile in an electronic device before a start of a demand response event, wherein the power usage profile represents power consumption by a consumer measured by a power meter before the start of the demand response event;

determining, using the electronic device, whether the power usage profile indicates that the consumer is running a type of load; and

when the power usage profile indicates that the consumer is running the type of load, causing an indication to be displayed at the power meter that the type of load has been determined to be running.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising, before the start of the demand response event, causing an indication to be displayed at the power meter requesting that the consumer not run the type of load during the demand response event.