USE OF AGGREGATED GROUPS FOR MANAGING DEMAND RESPONSE RESOURCES

• US 20120271473A1
• Filed: 10/12/2011
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Koch, Edward
• Granted Patent: US 8,676,953 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/295
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90332 Natural language query formulation or dialogue systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00016 using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00022 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/60 Limiting power consumption in the network or in one section of the network, e.g. load shedding or peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/008 involving trading of energy or energy transmission rights
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/144 Demand-response operation of the power transmission or distribution network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5064 Customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/14 Marketing, i.e. market research and analysis, surveying, promotions, advertising, buyer profiling, customer management or rewards

Abstract

A demand response management system which may be used by utilities, independent system operators, intermediaries and others to manage operations of demand response programs relative to customers, clients, participants, and users of outputs from the utilities, independent system operators, and the like. The demand response management system may provide demand response signal propagation and generation from demand response events. There may be an aggregation of customers, clients, participants, users, and the like. The aggregation may be performed and managed by the utility, independent system operator, or the like, before a DR event is initiated and even before a DR signal is generated.

Claims

1. A demand response management system comprising:

a utility and/or independent service operator (utility); and

two or more demand response (DR) resources connected to the utility; and

wherein;

the utility performs an aggregation of the two or more DR resources into one entity;

the utility sends DR signals as one communication from the one entity to the two or more DR resources; and

the two or more DR resources send DR resource information signals which are received by the one entity at the utility.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the aggregation of the two or more DR resources is effected at the utility before:

a DR event is initiated; and

/or

a DR signal is generated.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein if a utility issues a DR event via the one entity, then the DR event is automatically propagated as DR signals to the two or more the DR resources.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the DR signals and DR resource information signals are conveyed via a communications channel; and

the communications channel comprises one or more media selected from a group consisting of a network, cable, internet, satellite, wireless medium and wire medium.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the DR signals comprise business level information;

the business level information comprises one or more items of a group consisting of prices, reliability factors, shed levels, critical consumption periods, and/or other items of such information;

the business level information is for developing a DR program;

the DR program is a basis for the utility to influence load profiles of the DR resources which participate in the DR program at critical consumption periods on a grid; and

the critical consumption periods are referred to as DR events.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein loads of a DR resource are affected by DR events via DR signals to which the DR resource automatically responds.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the utility sends a DR signal specific to a DR event to influence a load profile of the DR resource to ameliorate a detected level of a power commodity occurring during the critical consumption period.

8. A method for managing demand response resources, comprising:

providing a utility/ISO;

providing two or more demand response (DR) resources;

aggregating the DR resources into one DR resource at the utility/ISO

providing a DR event; and

generating DR signals from the DR event for the one DR resource.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving DR resource information at the utility; and

wherein the DR resource information comprises DR resource information from the two or more DR resources.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the DR signals at the utility/ISO are designed for the one DR resource; and

the DR signals are disaggregated at the one DR resource for conveyance to the two or more DR resources.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the DR resource information comprises:

business level information; and

wherein the business level information comprises one or more items of a group consisting of prices, reliability factors, shed levels, critical consumption periods, and/or other items of such information.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the one DR resource is a parent participant to the two or more DR resources;

the two or more DR resources are child participants to the one DR resource;

the parent participant is an aggregated node;

the aggregated node is a parent node;

the child participants are child nodes;

the parent node aggregates virtually all of the information contained within the child nodes;

the parent node is a first level of a hierarchy; and

the child nodes are a second level of the hierarchy.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

adding one or more levels to the hierarchy; and

wherein;

an additional level added to the hierarchy comprises one or more child nodes relative to the one or more nodes of a previous level of the hierarchy; and

the one or more nodes of the previous level of the hierarchy are one or more parent nodes to the one or more child nodes of the additional level of the hierarchy.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the hierarchy is represented by a structure of folders;

the parent node is represented as a first folder; and

the child nodes of the parent node are represented by a plurality of folders, respectively, within the first folder.

15. A system for managing demand response resources, comprising:

a utility/ISO; and

a first set of two or more demand response (DR) resources; and

wherein;

the two or more DR resources are aggregated into an entity at the utility/ISO;

a DR event is determined at the utility/ISO;

DR signals are developed at the utility/ISO from the DR event for the entity;

the DR signals are conveyed from the entity to the two or more DR resources;

DR resource information is conveyed from the two or more resources to the entity; and

the DR resource information is aggregated at the entity by the utility/ISO.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the information aggregated at the entity by the utility contains virtually all of the information provided by the two or more DR resources.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a second set of two or more DR resources; and

the second set of the two or more DR resources are aggregated by at least one DR resource of the first set of the two or more DR resources.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein:

the entity is a parent participant relative to the first set of the two or more DR resources;

the DR resources of the first set of the two or more DR resources are child participants relative to the entity and are parent participants of DR resources of the second set of DR resources; and

the DR resources of the second set of DR resources are child participants of at least one of the DR resources of the first set of DR resources.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein:

a parent participant of DR resources comprises an aggregation of the DR resources;

a child participant of DR resources is a part of an aggregation of the DR resources at a parent participant; and

the entity, the first set of DR resources and the second set of DR resources are organized as three levels of a hierarchy of participants.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising additional DR resources organized as additional levels of the hierarchy.