FACILITATING REVENUE GENERATION FROM WHOLESALE ELECTRICITY MARKETS BASED ON A SELF-TUNING ENERGY ASSET MODEL

• US 20130346139A1
• Filed: 05/06/2013
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Viridity Energy Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Viridity Energy Incorporated
• Inventors: Steven, Alain P., Hameyie, Eunice B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,367,825 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.24
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06314 Calendaring for a resource
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/84 Greenhouse gas [GHG] management systems

Abstract

The apparatus, systems and methods herein facilitate generation of energy-related revenue for an energy customer of an electricity supplier. The apparatuses and methods herein can be used to generate suggested operating schedules for the energy assets that including a controllable energy asset, using an objective function. The objective function is determined based on a dynamic simulation model of the energy profile of the energy assets. The dynamic simulation model is adaptive to physical changes in the energy assets based on a parametric estimation using at least one model parameter. The model parameter is at least one of an operation characteristic of the controllable energy asset, a thermodynamic property of the energy assets, and a projected environmental condition. Energy-related revenue available to the energy customer is based at least in part on a wholesale electricity market or on a regulation market.

Claims

1. An apparatus for generating a day-ahead building asset model to determine operation parameters and/or operating schedules for at least one building asset, the apparatus comprising:

at least one communication interface;

at least one memory to store processor-executable instructions and a day-ahead building asset model; and

at least one processing unit communicatively coupled to the at least one communication interface and the at least one memory, wherein, upon execution of the processor-executable instructions, the at least one processing unit;

A) determines the operation parameters and/or operating schedules for at least one building asset using the day-ahead building asset model;

wherein the day-ahead model is a self-tuning energy asset model that adapt itself to the conditions of the at least one building asset; and

B) controls the at least one communication interface to transmit to the energy customer the determined operation parameters and/or operating schedules,

wherein the day-ahead building asset model is used to generate operation parameters and operating schedules for at least one building asset based at least in part on at least one operation characteristic of the building asset, and

wherein input to the day-ahead building asset model includes at least one operation characteristic of the building asset.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein input to the day-ahead building asset model comprises a time period being modeled and/or weather-related parameters.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the weather-related parameters comprise outside air temperature (OAT), outside air humidity (OAH), solar irradiance (Q_irradiance), and/or cloud cover.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operation parameters and/or operating schedules comprise values for building zone air temperature (including a return-air-temperature (RAT)) and/or a set-point (SPT) for one or more building components.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an output of the day-ahead building asset model is used to determine a projected value of energy usage.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an output of the day-ahead building asset model is used to project a day-ahead expected performance of at least one component and/or system of the building asset when they are later operated.