Apparatus and method for controlling consumer electric power consumption
First Claim
1. A system for reducing electric power consumption within an electric power distribution system, said electric power distribution system including a plurality of computers, each of said computers within said electric power distribution system including a processor and associated memory from which computer instructions are executed by an associated processor, said electric power distribution system comprising:
- an electric power customer having at least one computer-controlled device that consumes said electric power, said computer-controlled device being scheduled to start according to a policy set by said customer and issuing a computer-based start request message according to said policy;
an electric power provider for supplying said electric power to a plurality of electric power customers,a demand response aggregator for managing said electric power provided to said electric power consumer by said electric power provider, said demand response aggregator including a load control system coupled to said customer and said electric power provider, said load control system receiving said computer-based start request message, said load control system having an active pool data structure containing a group of computer-controlled devices for which computer-based start request messages have been received and for which said associated computer-controlled devices have been started by said load control system for said customer, said load control system having a reservation pool data structure containing a group of computer-controlled devices for which computer-based start requests have been received and for which said associated computer-controlled devices have not been started by said load control system for said customer, said load control system establishing an active pool parameter according to which said active pool data structure and said reservation pool data structure are managed in connection with said customer policy data, said load control system receiving a computer-based accumulation message from one of said electric power provider or said load control system, said load control system changing said active pool parameter in response to said accumulation message and moving at least one device from said active pool data structure to said reservation pool data structure in response to said change in said active pool parameter and sending a computer-based delayed demand message associated with said at least one device to said customer so as to temporarily stop said at least one device based on said change.
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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 and stop requests according to policies established by either or both of the electric power consumers and electric power suppliers. The energy system collects accumulation messages to reserve electrical power and processes them using the prescribed customer and supplier policies and according to an overall optimization criterion of the energy system. Stop messages are then subsequently issued to cease device operation and the devices are then moved to a reservation pool until the energy system'"'"'s operational criterion is relaxed or the accumulation messages become obsolete. Similar accumulation requests for delayed or conservation-based operation may also be applied to the distribution of other utilities, such as water, natural gas, or guaranteed internet bandwidth.
35 Citations
11 Claims
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1. A system for reducing electric power consumption within an electric power distribution system, said electric power distribution system including a plurality of computers, each of said computers within said electric power distribution system including a processor and associated memory from which computer instructions are executed by an associated processor, said electric power distribution system comprising:
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an electric power customer having at least one computer-controlled device that consumes said electric power, said computer-controlled device being scheduled to start according to a policy set by said customer and issuing a computer-based start request message according to said policy; an electric power provider for supplying said electric power to a plurality of electric power customers, a demand response aggregator for managing said electric power provided to said electric power consumer by said electric power provider, said demand response aggregator including a load control system coupled to said customer and said electric power provider, said load control system receiving said computer-based start request message, said load control system having an active pool data structure containing a group of computer-controlled devices for which computer-based start request messages have been received and for which said associated computer-controlled devices have been started by said load control system for said customer, said load control system having a reservation pool data structure containing a group of computer-controlled devices for which computer-based start requests have been received and for which said associated computer-controlled devices have not been started by said load control system for said customer, said load control system establishing an active pool parameter according to which said active pool data structure and said reservation pool data structure are managed in connection with said customer policy data, said load control system receiving a computer-based accumulation message from one of said electric power provider or said load control system, said load control system changing said active pool parameter in response to said accumulation message and moving at least one device from said active pool data structure to said reservation pool data structure in response to said change in said active pool parameter and sending a computer-based delayed demand message associated with said at least one device to said customer so as to temporarily stop said at least one device based on said change. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of scheduling electrical power distribution within an electric power distribution system, said system including a demand response aggregator having a plurality of computers that implement an 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 system coupled to an electric power customer having at least one computer-controlled device that consumes electric power, said computer-controlled device being scheduled to start according to a policy set by said customer and issuing a computer-based start request message according to said policy set by said customer;
- said load control system also coupled to a electric power provider from which said computer-controlled device receives said electric power, said load control system having an active pool data structure containing a group of computer-controlled devices for which computer-based start request messages have been received and for which said associated computer-controlled devices have been started by said load control system for said customer and a reservation pool data structure containing a group of computer-controlled devices for which computer-based start requests have been received and for which said associated computer-controlled devices have not been started by said load control system for said customer, said load control system establishing an active pool parameter according to which said active pool data structure and said reservation pool data structure are managed, said method comprising;
placing said at least one computer-controlled device in said active pool data structure for starting said device according to said policy and said active pool parameter; receiving at said demand response aggregator a computer-based accumulation message from one of said electric power provider or said load control system, said message; changing the value of said active pool parameter in response to receiving said accumulation message; moving said at least one device from said active pool data structure to said reservation pool data structure upon detecting said change; and sending a computer-based delayed demand message to said at least one computer controlled device associated with said customer so as to temporarily stop said at least one device.
- said load control system also coupled to a electric power provider from which said computer-controlled device receives said electric power, said load control system having an active pool data structure containing a group of computer-controlled devices for which computer-based start request messages have been received and for which said associated computer-controlled devices have been started by said load control system for said customer and a reservation pool data structure containing a group of computer-controlled devices for which computer-based start requests have been received and for which said associated computer-controlled devices have not been started by said load control system for said customer, said load control system establishing an active pool parameter according to which said active pool data structure and said reservation pool data structure are managed, said method comprising;
Specification