COORDINATION OF THERMOSTATICALLY CONTROLLED LOADS

• US 20160092978A1
• Filed: 09/25/2015
• Published: 03/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute, Ohio State Innovation Foundation (Ohio State University)
• Original Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
• Inventors: Lian, Jianming, Kalsi, Karanjit, Li, Sen, Zhang, Wei
• Granted Patent: US 10,607,303 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/041 in which a variable is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 7/01 Probabilistic graphical models, e.g. probabilistic networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/64 The condition being economic, e.g. tariff based load management
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/00 Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/008 involving trading of energy or energy transmission rights
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• 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: 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for a market-based control framework to coordinate a group of autonomous thermostatically controlled loads (TCL) to achieve system-level objectives with pricing incentives is disclosed. In one example of the disclosed technology, a method of providing power to a load via a power grid by submitting bids to a coordinator includes determining an energy response relating price data for one or more energy prices to quantity data for power to be consumed by the load, sending a bid for power for a finite time period based on the energy response to the coordinator, and receiving a clearing price based on: the bid, on bids received from a plurality of additional loads, and a feeder power constraint. In some examples, the energy response is based at least in part on an equivalent thermal parameter model and a control policy indicating one or more power states for the load.

Claims

1. A method of providing power to a load via a power grid by submitting bids to a coordinator, the method comprising:

determining an energy response relating price data for one or more energy prices to quantity data for power to be consumed by the load, the load being coupled to receive power from the power grid; and

sending a bid for power for a finite time period based on the energy response to the coordinator.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a clearing price from the coordinator responsive to the sending the bid, the clearing price being based at least in part on the bid and on bids received from a plurality of additional loads.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the sending the bid to the load, sending power received from the power grid.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy response is a function based on at least one or more of the following:

a consumption state of the load, an air temperature, and/or an inner mass temperature.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy response is a function of a user response parameter, the user response parameter relating energy price, and a selected user comfort level.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy response is based at least in part on an equivalent thermal parameter model and a control policy indicating one or more power states for the load.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the bid includes one price and one corresponding quantity.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the bid includes two or more prices and two or more respectively corresponding quantities.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the bid is based on a point between two vectors relating a state of the load, a model parameter, and a user input parameter.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the bid is based at least in part on an equivalent thermal parameter model.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the finite time period is less than one hour.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising using means for determining the energy response.

13. One or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions that when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of claim 1.

14. A controller for operating a thermostatically-controlled load, the controller comprising:

one or more sensors configured to generate temperature data used to determine the energy response;

a network adapter configured to transmit the bid to the coordinator;

one or more processors;

one or more actuators configured to activate and/or deactivate the thermostatically-controlled load responsive to one or more signals received from the processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions that when executed by the processors, cause the controller to perform the method of claim 1.

15. A method of allocating power to a plurality of loads coupled to a power grid, the method comprising:

receiving one respective bid for each of the loads, each of the plurality of received bids being generated based on an energy response relating a price and a quantity of power bid for a bidding time period for the respective load;

determining a clearing price for the plurality of received bids; and

transmitting the clearing price to each of the loads.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising sending power to a selected one or more of the loads, the loads being selected based on the received bids and the clearing price.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the determining the clearing price comprises producing a demand curve by ordering the received bids according to their respective prices.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising comparing a total quantity of power bid for the plurality of loads to a feeder power constraint representing the maximum power to be generated during the bidding time period;

and

based on the comparing;

if the total quantity of power bid is less than the feeder power constraint, then selecting the clearing price based on a wholesale market price, and

if the total quantity of power bid is greater than the feeder power constraint, then selecting the clearing price such that the power consumed by bids exceeding the clearing price does not exceed the feeder power constraint.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of bids includes an energy to price function according to a parameter vector, and wherein the parameter vector is substantially identical for each of the respective loads.

20. A power grid, comprising:

an electric power distribution system configured to transmit electric power from one or more power sources to a plurality of thermostatically controlled loads; and

a market coordinator configured to perform the method of claim 15.

21. A market-based control system configured to coordinate a group of thermostatically controlled loads to achieve system-level objectives with pricing incentives, the system comprising:

a market coordinator configured to generate clearing price data based on a plurality of bids specifying a quantity and a price for consuming power;

a plurality of thermostatically controlled loads (TCLs), each of the TCLs being configured to transmit bid data for their respective bids to the market coordinator specifying a bid quantity and a bid price for power received via a power grid for a predetermined time period, each of the TCLs being further configured to consume or not consume power from the power grid based at least in part on the clearing price data and the TCLs'"'"' respective bid for the predetermined time period; and

a computer network configured to transmit the bid data and the clearing price data between the market coordinator and each of the TCLs.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising the power grid, the power grid being configured to distribute power to the TCLs based at least in part on a market cleared by the market coordinator.

23. The system of claim 21, further comprising a power generation market administrator configured to send wholesale energy price data to the market coordinator, the wholesale energy price data being used at least in part to determine the clearing price data.

24. The system of claim 21, further comprising means for specifying the bid quantity and the bid price.