Apparatus and method for controlling consumer electric power consumption

• US 20120150359A1
• Filed: 12/06/2011
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Henrik Westergaard
• Original Assignee: Henrik Westergaard
• Inventors: Westergaard, Henrik
• Granted Patent: US 8,938,322 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/291
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06313 Resource planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• 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 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 20/00 Management or operation of end-user stationary applications or the last stages of power distribution; Controlling, monitoring or operating thereof
• 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 50/14 Marketing, i.e. market research and analysis, surveying, promotions, advertising, buyer profiling, customer management or rewards

Abstract

A computer-based electrical power management and allocation system is provided that collects demand for electric power usage and allocates electric power supply in satisfaction thereof. A load control server is used to collect and schedule electrical power start requests according to policies established by either or both of the electric power consumers and electric power suppliers. The energy system collects electrical power start requests and holds them in a reservation pool for later satisfaction according to prescribed customer and supplier policies and according to an overall optimization criterion of the energy system. Start messages are then subsequently issued to begin device operation once the energy system'"'"'s operational criterion is relaxed and the devices are then removed from the reservation pool. Similar queuing for later satisfaction may also be applied to the distribution of other utilities, such as water, natural gas, or guaranteed interne bandwidth.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented electric power distribution system, each of said computers within said system including a processor and associated memory from which computer instructions are executed by an associated processor, said system comprising:

an electric power customer having a device that consumes said electric power, said device being scheduled to start according to a policy set by said customer;

an electric power provider for supplying said electric power to said device; and

a load control computer system coupled to said customer and said provider, said load control computer system and having an active pool containing devices that have been started for said customer and a reservation pool for holding devices that have not been started for said customer, said load control computer system establishing an active pool parameter according to which said active pool operation is evaluated, said load control computer system receiving a start request message from said device after being scheduled to start, said load control computer system placing said device in said reservation pool for starting said device in compliance with said customer policy and said active pool parameter, said load control computer system processing said start request by moving said device from said reservation pool to said active pool when said customer policy is satisfied and said active pool parameter is satisfied and sending a start message to said customer so as to start said device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said customer policy includes one of a price policy, a latest device start time, a guaranteed finish time, an energy source preference, and a local energy source preference.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said active pool parameter is one of an ideal electric power load level, an energy source preference, an electricity price limit, a margin between a maximum electrical load and an actual electrical load, and a geographic load consideration.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said active pool parameter is an ideal electric power load provided by said provider and said active pool parameter is satisfied when a total power for all devices within said active pool is within a range of said ideal electric power load.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said devices with outstanding start requests within said reservation pool are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said customer policy overrides said first come, first served processing.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said unprocessed devices within said reservation pool are processed according to a latest device start time and a subset of said devices in said reservation pool having outstanding start requests are processed when said electric power price changes.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said load control computer accounts for a load curve in determining whether said customer policy is satisfied.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising a supplier policy, said supplier policy including one of:

a customer type, a geographic preference, a price policy, an energy source preference, and an environmental consideration.

10. A computer-implemented electric power load control system, each of said computers within said system including a processor and associated memory from which computer instructions may be executed by said processor, said system comprising:

a load control computer system coupled to an electric power customer having a device that consumes electric power, said device being scheduled to start according to a policy set by said customer;

said load control computer system also coupled to a provider from which it receives electric power supply, said load control computer system having an active pool containing devices that have been started for said customer and a reservation pool for holding devices that have not been started for said customer, said load control computer system establishing an active pool parameter according to which said active pool is operated operation is evaluated, said load control computer system receiving a start request message from said device after being scheduled to start, said load control computer system placing said device in said reservation pool for starting said device according to said customer policy and said active pool parameter, said load control computer system processing said start request by moving said device from said reservation pool to said active pool when said customer policy is satisfied and said active pool parameter is satisfied, and sending a start message to said customer so as to start said device.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said policy of said customer policy includes one of:

a price policy, a latest device start time, a guaranteed finish time, an energy source preference, and a local energy source preference.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein said active pool parameter is one of an ideal electric power load level, an energy source preference, an electricity price limit, a margin between a maximum electrical load and an actual electrical load, and a geographic load consideration.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein said active pool parameter is an ideal electric power load provided by said provider and said active pool parameter is satisfied when a total power for all devices within said active pool is within a range of said ideal electric power load.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein said devices with outstanding start requests within said reservation pool are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said customer policy overrides said first come, first served processing.

16. The system of claim 10 wherein said unprocessed devices within said reservation pool are processed according to a latest device start time and a subset of said devices in said reservation pool having outstanding start requests are processed when said electric power price changes.

17. The system of claim 10 wherein said load control computer accounts for a load curve in determining whether said customer policy is satisfied.

18. A method of scheduling electrical power distribution within an electric power distribution system using a computer-implemented electric power load control system, each of said computers within said load control system including a processor and associated memory from which computer instructions may be executed by said processor, said load control computer system coupled to an electric power customer having an device that consumes electric power, said device being scheduled to start according to a policy set by said customer;

said load control computer system also coupled to a electric power provider from which said electric power distribution system receives electric power, said load control computer system having an active pool containing devices that have been started for said customer and a reservation pool for holding devices that have not been started for said customer, said load control computer system establishing an active pool parameter for the operation of said active pool, said method comprising;

receiving at said load control computer system a start request message from said device after being scheduled to start;

placing said device in said reservation pool for starting said device according to said customer policy and said active pool parameter;

processing said request by moving said device from said reservation pool to said active pool when said customer policy is satisfied and said active pool parameter is satisfied; and

sending a start message to said customer to start said device.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said step of processing includes the steps of establishing a range of operation about said active pool parameter and determining that said active pool parameter is satisfied when the movement of said device to said active pool allows the active pool to operate within said range.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein said step of placing includes the step of ordering said device for processing within said reservation pool in a first-come, first-served basis.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said step of ordering includes the step of overriding said first-come, first-served basis based upon a latest start time in said customer policy.

22. A computer-readable media having executable instructions for causing a processor within a computer-based system to perform a method of scheduling electrical power distribution within an electric power distribution, said system using a computer-implemented electric power load control system, each of said computers within said load control system including a processor and associated memory from which computer instructions may be executed by said processor, said load control computer system coupled to an electric power customer having an device that consumes electric power, said device being scheduled to start according to a policy set by said customer;

said load control computer system also coupled to a electric power provider from which said electric power distribution system receives electric power, said load control computer system having an active pool containing devices that have been started for said customer and a reservation pool for holding devices that have not been started for said customer, said load control computer system establishing an active pool parameter for the operation of said active pool, said computer-readable media having steps for performing the method of;

receiving at said load control computer system a start request message from said device after being scheduled to start;

placing said device in said reservation pool for starting said device according to said customer policy and said active pool parameter;

processing said request by moving said device from said reservation pool to said active pool when said customer policy is satisfied and said active pool parameter is satisfied; and

sending a start message to said customer to start said device.