SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ESTIMATING AND PROVIDING DISPATCHABLE OPERATING RESERVE ENERGY CAPACITY THROUGH USE OF ACTIVE LOAD MANAGEMENT

• US 20130184888A1
• Filed: 03/04/2013
• Published: 07/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Landis+Gyr Technology, Inc. (Landis+Gyr Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Consert, Inc. (Landis+Gyr Group AG)
• Inventors: Forbes, Joseph W. Jr., Webb, Joel L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,069,337 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/291
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• 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 3/003 Load forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future load demand
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/004 Generation forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future energy generation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/144 Demand-response operation of the power transmission or distribution network
• 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: Y02E 40/70 Smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the energy generation sector
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/50 Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications
• 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

Abstract

A utility employs a method for estimating available operating reserve. Electric power consumption by at least one device serviced by the utility is determined during at least one period of time to produce power consumption data. The power consumption data is stored in a repository. A determination is made that a control event is to occur during which power is to be reduced to one or more devices. Prior to the control event and under an assumption that it is not to occur, power consumption behavior expected of the device(s) is estimated for a time period during which the control event is expected to occur based on the stored power consumption data. Additionally, prior to the control event, projected energy savings resulting from the control event are determined based on the devices'"'"' estimated power consumption behavior. An amount of available operating reserve is determined based on the projected energy savings.

Claims

1. A method for estimating operating reserve of a utility servicing one or more service points, the method comprising:

determining amounts of electric power consumed by at least one device during at least one period of time to produce power consumption data, the at least one device being located at the one or more service points;

storing the power consumption data in a repository;

determining that a first control event is to occur during which a supply of electric power is to be reduced to the at least one device;

estimating, prior to commencement of the first control event and under an assumption that the first control event is not to occur, power consumption behavior expected of the at least one device during a first period of time based at least on the stored power consumption data, wherein the first control event is expected to occur during the first period of time;

determining, prior to commencement of the first control event, projected energy savings resulting from the first control event based at least on the estimated power consumption behavior of the at least one device; and

determining, prior to commencement of the first control event, an amount of available operating reserve based on the projected energy savings.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

distributing the available operating reserve subsequent to commencement of the first control event.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the utility utilizes at least some renewable energy produced by a renewable energy source and wherein the available operating reserve is distributed to provide regulating reserve during times of under-generation by the renewable energy source.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

managing distribution of the available operating reserve subsequent to commencement of the first control event.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that a first control event is to occur comprises:

determining that a first control event is to occur responsive to receipt of an Automatic Generation Control command.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining projected energy savings comprises:

determining an intermediate projected energy savings for each service point at which one or more devices are to be affected by the first control event; and

aggregating the intermediate projected energy savings for a plurality of service points to produce the projected energy savings.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one device includes at least one environmentally-dependent device and wherein the step of estimating power consumption behavior of the at least one device comprises:

determining at least one environmental characteristic expected during the first period of time at a service point at which the at least one environmentally-dependent device is located;

determining, based on stored user settings, a maximum allowable variance of the at least one environmental characteristic in an area at the service point monitored by the environmentally-dependent device; and

estimating, prior to commencement of the first control event and based at least on the stored power consumption data, the at least one environmental characteristic and the maximum allowable variance of the at least one environmental characteristic, an amount of power that the at least one environmentally-dependent device would be expected to consume during the first period of time if the first control event was not to occur.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining at least one environmental characteristic expected during the first period of time comprises:

receiving information associated with the at least one environmental characteristic from at least one of a local weather service, a state weather service, and a national weather service.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein power consumption data associated with the service point further includes at least one of a user setting for the maximum allowable variance of the at least one environmental characteristic at the service point and information relating to operating environments in which the at least one environmentally-dependent device has operated, and wherein estimating power consumption behavior expected of the at least one environmentally-dependent device during the first period of time further comprises:

comparing the first period of time to time periods stored in the repository;

in the event that at least one time period stored in the repository corresponds to at least part of the first period of time, determining whether the repository includes power consumption data for the at least one environmentally-dependent device during the at least one time period;

in the event that the repository includes power consumption data for the at least one environmentally-dependent device during the at least one time period,

determining whether at least some of the power consumption data for the at least one time period corresponds to a user setting and an environmental characteristic expected during the first period of time;

in the event that at least some of the power consumption data for the at least one time period corresponds to a user setting and an environmental characteristic expected during the first period of time, retrieving from the repository values corresponding to amounts of power that the at least one environmentally-dependent device would be expected to consume during the at least one time period if the first control event was not to occur;

in the event that none of the power consumption data for the at least one time period corresponds to a user setting and an environmental characteristic expected during the first period of time, changing at least one of a search value corresponding to an expected user setting and a search value corresponding to an expected environmental characteristic to produce at least one of a changed user setting search value and a changed environmental characteristic search value; and

determining whether at least some of the power consumption data for the at least one time period corresponds to at least one of the changed user setting search value and the changed environmental characteristic search value;

in the event that the repository does not include power consumption data for the at least one environmentally-dependent device during the at least one time period,

determining whether the repository includes at least some power consumption data for the at least one environmentally-dependent device during a time period proximate in time to the at least one time period; and

in the event that the repository includes at least some power consumption data for the at least one environmentally-dependent device during a time period proximate in time to the at least one time period, retrieving from the at least some power consumption data values corresponding to amounts of power that the at least one environmentally-dependent device would be expected to consume during the at least one time period if the first control event was not to occur.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one environmental characteristic is at least one of air temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed, rainfall amount, and water temperature.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one device includes at least one environmentally-independent device and wherein estimating power consumption behavior expected of the at least one device during the first period of time comprises:

determining whether, absent occurrence of the first control event, the at least one environmentally-independent device is expected to be consuming power during the first period of time period based on the stored power consumption data;

in the event that, absent occurrence of the first control event, the at least one environmentally-independent device would be consuming power during the first period of time,

determining a duty cycle for the at least one environmentally-independent device based on the stored power consumption data; and

estimating, based on the stored power consumption data and the duty cycle, an amount of power that the at least one environmentally-independent device would be expected to consume during the first period of time if the first control event was not to occur.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein estimating power consumption behavior of the at least one device comprises:

comparing the first period of time to time periods stored in the repository;

in the event that the first period of time corresponds to at least one particular time period stored in the repository, determining whether the repository includes power consumption data for the at least one device during the at least one particular time period; and

in the event that the repository includes power consumption data for the at least one device during the at least one particular time period, retrieving from the repository one or more values corresponding to one or more amounts of power that the at least one device would be expected to consume during the first period of time if the first control event was not to occur.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

in the event that the repository does not include power consumption data for the at least one device during the at least one particular time period,

determining whether the repository includes power consumption data for the at least one device during time periods before and after the at least one particular time period; and

interpolating, based on the power consumption data for the at least one device during the time periods before and after the at least one particular time period, one or more values corresponding to one or more amounts of power that the at least one device would be expected to consume during the at least one particular time period if the first control event was not to occur.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

in the event that the first period of time does not correspond to at least one time period stored in the repository,

determining whether the repository includes power consumption data for the at least one device during time periods before and after the first period of time; and

interpolating, based on the power consumption data for the at least one device during the time periods before and after the first period of time, one or more values corresponding to one or more amounts of power that the at least one device would be expected to consume during the first period of time if the first control event was not to occur.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of storing the power consumption data in a repository comprises:

storing the power consumption data in a repository remote from the one or more service points.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein determining projected energy savings resulting from the first control event comprises:

determining an amount of power expected to be consumed by the at least one device during the first period of time absent occurrence of the first control event to produce first energy savings;

determining an amount of power that is not expected to be dissipated in transmission lines as a result of not delivering power to the at least one device during the first control event to produce second energy savings; and

summing the first energy savings and the second energy savings.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining projected energy savings is performed on a service point by service point basis.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining projected energy savings is performed on a utility-wide basis.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating the first control event;

determining that a first set of one or more devices is to be released from the first control event prior to termination of the first control event; and

determining a second set of one or more devices to replace the first set of devices, wherein projected energy savings from the second set of devices is greater than or equal to an energy savings from the first set of devices.

20. A method for a first utility to acquire operating reserve from a second utility, the method comprising:

requesting operating reserve from the second utility sufficiently in advance of a transfer time at which the operating reserve will be needed so as to facilitate measurable and verifiable load-controlled generation of the operating reserve, wherein load-controlled generation of the operating reserve results from;

remote measurement of power consumed by at least one device during at least one period of time prior to the request for operating reserve to produce power consumption data, the at least one device being located at one or more service points serviced by the second utility;

storage of the power consumption data in a repository;

determination that a control event is to commence at the transfer time, wherein a supply of electric power is to be reduced to the at least one device during the control event;

estimation, prior to commencement of the control event and under an assumption that the control event is not to occur, of power consumption behavior expected of the at least one device during a time period after the transfer time based at least on the stored power consumption data;

determination, prior to commencement of the control event, of projected energy savings resulting from the control event based at least on the estimated power consumption behavior of the at least one device; and

determination, prior to commencement of the control event, of an amount of the operating reserve based on the projected energy savings;

receiving an acknowledgment from the second utility indicating that the second utility will supply the operating reserve at the transfer time; and

receiving at least some of the operating reserve from the second utility at the transfer time and for a period of time thereafter.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein requesting operating reserve from the second utility sufficiently in advance of a transfer time at which the operating reserve will be needed comprises:

communicating an Automatic Generation Control command to the second utility.

22. A system for implementing a virtual utility that is operable to at least offer energy to one or more requesting utilities for use as operating reserve for the requesting utilities, the system comprising:

a repository; and

at least one processor coupled to the repository, the at least one processor operable to;

determine amounts of electric power consumed by at least one device during at least one period of time to produce power consumption data, the at least one device being located remotely from the processor;

store the power consumption data in the repository;

determine that a control event is to occur during which a supply of electric power is to be reduced to the at least one device;

estimate, prior to commencement of the control event and under an assumption that the control event is not to occur, power consumption behavior expected of the at least one device during a first period of time based at least on the stored power consumption data, wherein the control event is expected to occur during the first period of time;

determine, prior to commencement of the control event, projected energy savings resulting from the control event based at least on the estimated power consumption behavior of the at least one device;

determine, prior to commencement of the control event, an amount of operating reserve based on the projected energy savings; and

manage distribution of the amount of operating reserve to at least one of the requesting utilities subsequent to commencement of the control event.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the at least one processor is further operable to determine that the control event is to occur responsive to receipt of an Automatic Generation Control command.