ELECTRICAL THERMAL STORAGE WITH EDGE-OF-NETWORK TAILORED ENERGY DELIVERY SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20120296479A1
• Filed: 05/16/2011
• Published: 11/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VCharge, Inc. (OVO Energy Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: VCharge, Inc. (OVO Energy Ltd.)
• Inventors: Millar, Jessica, Durfee, David A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,768,528 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/277
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 19/1048 Counting of energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 2200/08 Electric heater
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/47 Responding to energy costs
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/64 using pre-stored data
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/262 Weather information or forecast
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/277 Price
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/355 Control of heat-generating means in heaters
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/414 using electronic processing, e.g. computer-based
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 15/457 using telephone networks or Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 7/0416 the transfer fluid being air
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1923 using thermal energy, the cost of which varies in function of time
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A method and apparatus of controlling the electric power usage of electric thermal storage heaters and systems are based on: 1) current and recorded measurements local to the heater and building; 2) current measurements external to the heater and building; 3) forecasts communicated to the apparatus. The method also includes sending out communications about power use as well as various other local measurements. The apparatus has local controls on the electric thermal storage, including but not limited to the relays that control flow of power into the heating elements, a logic module that integrates the local controls, as well as communication channels that extend outside the building to entities capable of providing automatic forecasts and potentially other types of information not available locally.

Claims

1. An energy management system for at least one device drawing power from an electric grid, comprising:

a system having at least one controller, the system able to connect to a computer network, the at least one controller operating on an ETS heater, the ETS heater including a heat sink, wherein the system uses characteristics of the ETS heater, heated space characteristics, temperature data, current weather data, forecasted weather data, and electricity price data to operate the heater to control the draw of power from the electric grid.

2. The energy management system of claim 1 wherein the system further uses historical electricity price data, present electricity price data and forecasted electricity price data to control the draw of power from the electric grid.

3. The energy management system of claim 1 wherein the system further comprises a plurality of controllers each operating to control one of a plurality of ETS heaters and wherein each of the plurality of controllers is in communication with the other controllers in the plurality of controllers over a local area network.

4. The energy management system of claim 3 wherein the system further includes a logic module and each of the plurality of controllers is in communication with the logic module over the local area network, wherein the logic module takes the heater characteristics, heated space characteristics, temperature data, current weather data, forecasted weather data, and electricity price data to determine control data, the logic module to provide the control data to each of the plurality of controllers.

5. The energy management system of claim 1 wherein the system further comprises a logic module further wherein the logic module takes the heater characteristics, heated space characteristics, temperature data, current weather data, forecasted weather data, and electricity price data to determine control data, the logic module to provide the control data to the at least one controller.

6. The energy management system of claim 5 wherein the logic module further comprises an estimator, an energy calculator, an optimizer and a power controller.

7. The energy management system of claim 1 wherein the system uses GPS data in controlling the ETS heater.

8. The energy management system of claim 1 wherein the system controls the ETS heater such that a minimum temperature of heated space is maintained, power is drawn under a maximum price of electricity, and maximum temperature of the heat sink is not exceeded.

9. The energy management system of claim 1 wherein the system responds to a signal generated from real-time measurements on the electric grid.

10. The energy management system of claim 9 wherein the system is in communication with one or more larger grid energy management systems over a communications network and wherein the energy management system responds to signals generated from real-time measurements on the electric grid and to signals from the larger energy management systems.

11. The energy management system of claim 1 wherein the system is in communication with a control system over a communications system, the control system responsive to the electric grid and wherein the energy management system responds to a signal from the control system.

12. A distributed energy management system responsive to an electric grid, comprising:

a controller that receives and dispatches individually-tailored signals relevant to real-time power consumption and commitments for future energy use to a larger grid energy management system and to a plurality of ETS systems each having a local energy management system;

a communications device to establish a communications connection with the larger grid energy management system and to establish communications connections with each ETS system in the plurality of ETS systems ; and

a plurality of proxies, each proxy associated with one of the the ETS systems in the plurality of ETS systems, each proxy including a data store storing weather data, characteristics of the associated ETS system and characteristics of the location of the associated ETS system,

wherein the plurality of proxies develops data that can implement improved operational strategies for each of the ETS systems based on data stored in the data stores.

13. The distributed energy management system of claim 12 wherein the data stores further store electricity price data including present price data, historical price data and forecasted price data.

14. The distributed energy management system of claim 12 wherein the control system is responsive to signals generated from real-time measurements on the electric grid such that a balance of power generation and power draw on the electric grid is maintained.

15. The distributed energy management system of claim 12 wherein the controller further develops control data to control the plurality of ETS systems with the local energy management systems such that energy generated by intermittent energy sources is absorbed.

16. The distributed energy management system of claim 15 wherein the data store further includes historical energy generation data of the intermittent energy sources and seasonal conditions.

17. The distributed energy management system of claim 12 wherein the control system commits to follow, with verification, an external provided set-point by sending signals to the plurality of ETS systems such that the control system balances draw of power from the electric grid with power requirements of the ETS systems in the plurality of ETS systems.

18. The distributed energy management system of claim 17 wherein the data store stores weather data, history of energy consumption, and characteristics of the location of each ETS system.

19. A method for an energy distribution security system, comprising:

implementing a hierarchical energy distribution system having a plurality of levels of energy management systems;

establishing a threshold for total power control; and

controlling a lowest level of the hierarchical energy distribution system such that each lowest level energy management system does not exceed the threshold for total power control.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of implementing a hierarchical energy distribution system further comprises distributing control systems of the energy management systems over a plurality of geographic locations.