Urban energy system for controlling an energy plant supplying energy to a community

• US 5,479,358 A
• Filed: 04/25/1994
• Issued: 12/26/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Hiroshi, Miyadera, Hiroshi, Shimoda, Makoto, Sugano, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramirez, Ellis B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEESO, THOMAS R
• Application Number:
  US08/232,318
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• Field of Search: 364/492, 364/401, 364/402, 364/420, 307/19, 307/20, 307/126, 60/204
• US Class Current: 700/291
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1902 characterised by the use of a variable reference value
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/12 The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 20/14 Combined heat and power generation [CHP]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/244 the home appliances being or involving heating ventilating and air conditioning [HVAC] units

Abstract

An energy supply system operates to supply heat energies, such as cooling water, steam, heating water, etc. to a community, and the system has a function for predicting a future energy demand of the community and to correct it. In a system having an energy plant to store energy and an energy supply pipeline network for connecting the energy plant to the community, the system includes an energy demand plan making section for predicting an energy demand of the community on the basis of past cases of energy supply and for formulating an energy demand plan with respect to time, and an energy demand variation detecting section for determining a variation of the energy demand from the energy demand plan by using a personnel flow measured value measured by personnel flow measuring apparatuses provided at paths to or positions of the community as a parameter. The variation of the future energy demand of the community is predicted and energy which accomodates the determined variation can be prepared.

Claims

1. An urban energy system for controlling an energy plant supplying energy to a community and an energy supply network connecting the energy plant to the community, said system comprising:

energy demand plan making means for predicting in advance an energy demand of the community on the basis of the past energy demands of the community and past personnel flow patterns of the community and for making an energy demand plan for the community on the basis of the predicted energy demand;

personnel flow measurement means for measuring flow of personnel into and out of the community and providing a net personnel flow measurement signal indicative of the net personnel flow;

means for receiving a forecast of weather conditions for the community;

energy demand variation predicting means for predicting a variation in the predicted energy demand on a selected day, based on forecasted weather conditions for the community for the selected day and on the net personnel flow measurement signal on the selected day; and

energy plant control means for controlling the energy plant on the basis of the energy demand plan and the predicted variation.

6. An urban energy system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said energy demand plan making means learns the past energy demands by using year month time data, weather data, and person count data as input items.

7. An urban energy system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said energy demand variation predicting means predicts a variation based on a number of personnel for use as a reference when the energy demand plan is made, and predicts a new variation based on the measured flow of personnel when the personnel of the personnel flow reach the community.

2. An urban energy system for controlling an energy plant supplying energy to a community and an energy supply network connecting the energy plant to the community, said system comprising:

energy demand plan making means for predicting in advance an energy demand of the community on the basis of past energy demands of the community and past personnel flow patterns of the community and for making an energy demand plan for the community on the basis of the predicted energy demand;

personnel flow measurement means for measuring flow of personnel into and out of the community and providing a net personnel flow measurement signal indicative of the net personnel flow;

means for receiving a forecast of weather conditions for the community;

energy demand variation predicting means for predicting a variation in the predicted energy demand, when personnel flow reaches the community on a selected day, based on forecasted weather conditions for the community for the selected day and on the net personnel flow measurement signal on the selected day; and

energy plant control means for controlling the energy plane on the basis of the energy demand plan and the predicted variation.

3. An urban energy system for controlling an energy plant supplying energy to a community and an energy supply network connecting the energy plant to the community, said system comprising:

energy demand plan making means for predicting in advance an energy demand of the community on the basis of past energy demands of the community and past personnel flow patterns of the community and for making an energy demand plan for the community on the basis of the predicted energy demand;

personnel flow measurement means for measuring flow of personnel into and out of the community and providing a net personnel flow measurement signal indicative of the net personnel flow;

means for receiving a forecast of weather conditions for the community;

energy demand variation predicting means for predicting a variation in the predicted energy demand, when personnel flow reaches the community on a selected day, based on forecasted weather conditions for the community for the selected day and on the net personnel flow measurement signal on the selected day; and

energy supply network control means for controlling operation of the energy supply network on the basis of the energy demand plan and the predicted variation.

4. An urban energy system for controlling an energy plant supplying energy to a plurality of communities and an energy supply network connecting the energy plant to the plurality of communities, said system comprising:

energy demand plan making means for predicting in advance an energy demand of the plurality of communities on the basis of past energy demands of the plurality of communities and past personnel flow patterns of the plurality of communities, and for making an energy demand plan for the plurality of communities on the basis of the predicted energy demand;

personnel flow measurement means for measuring flow of personnel into and out of the plurality of communities and providing a net personnel flow measurement signal indicative of the net personnel flow;

means for receiving a forecast of weather conditions for the community;

energy demand variation predicting means for predicting a variation in the predicted energy demand, when personnel flow reaches the plurality of communities on a selected day, based on forecasted weather conditions for the plurality of communities for the selected day and on the net personnel flow measurement signal on the selected day; and

energy plant control means for controlling the energy plant on the basis of the energy demand plan and the predicted variation.

5. An urban energy system for controlling an energy plant supplying energy to a plurality of communities and an energy supply network connecting the energy plant to the plurality of communities, said system comprising:

energy demand plan making means for predicting in advance an energy demand of the plurality of communities on the basis of past energy demands of the plurality of community and past personnel flow patterns of the plurality of communities, and for making an energy demand plan for the plurality of communities on the basis of the predicted energy demand;

personnel flow measurement means for measuring flow of personnel into and out of the plurality of communities and providing a net personnel flow measurement signal indicative of the net personnel flow;

means for receiving a forecast of weather conditions for the community;

energy demand variation predicting means for predicting a variation in the predicted energy demand, when personnel flow reaches the plurality of communities on a selected day, based on forecasted weather conditions for the plurality of communities for the selected day and on the net personnel flow measurement signal on the selected day; and

energy supply network control means for controlling operation of the energy supply network on the basis of the energy demand plan and the predicted variation.

8. An urban energy system for controlling an energy plant supplying energy to an urban area, having a newly planned community, and an energy supply network connecting the energy plant to the community, said system comprising:

energy demand plan making means for making a first energy demand prediction for the newly planned community based on past energy demands of existing communities, for making a second energy demand prediction for the newly planned community based on a calculated energy demand plan for the newly planned community when the newly planned community is planned, and for making an energy demand plan for the community based on at least one of the first and second predicted thermal energy demands;

personnel flow measurement means for measuring flow of personnel into and out of the community and providing a net personnel flow measurement signal indicative of the net personnel flow;

energy demand variation predicting means for predicting a variation in the made energy demand plan for the community, based on the net personal flow measurement signal; and

energy plant control means for controlling the energy plant on the basis of the made energy demand plan and the predicted variation.

10. An urban energy system according to claim 8 or 9, wherein said energy demand variation predicting means includes means for determining a variation between the number of personnel who reach the newly planned community, as indicated by the net personnel flow measurement signal, and a number of personnel used as a reference when the energy demand plan of the newly planned community was made, and for determining the variation of the actual energy demand of the newly planned community from the predicted thermal energy demand of the existing community.

9. An urban energy system for controlling an energy plant supplying energy to an urban area, having a newly planned community, and an energy supply network connecting the energy plant and the community, said system comprising:

energy demand plan making means for predicting in advance an energy demand of an existing community based on past energy demands of the existing community, for predicting an energy demand of the newly planned community based on an energy amount plan value for the newly planned community determined when the newly planned community was planned, and for making an energy demand plan for the newly planned community on the basis of at least one of the predicted energy demand of the existing community and the predicted energy demand of the newly planned community;

personnel flow measurement means for measuring flow of personnel into and out of the newly planned community and providing a net personnel flow measurement signal indicative of the net personnel flow;

energy demand variation predicting means for predicting a variation in the predicted energy demand of the newly planned community, based on the net personnel flow measurement signal; and

energy supply network control means for controlling operation of the energy supply network on the basis of the energy demand plan and the predicted variation.

11. An urban energy system for controlling an energy plant supplying energy to a new community and an energy supply network connecting the energy plant and the new community, said system comprising:

energy demand plan making means for predicting an energy demand of the new community on the basis of an energy amount plan value determined when the new community was planned and for making an energy demand plan for the new community on the basis of the predicted energy demand;

personnel flow measurement means for measuring flow of personnel into and out of the new community and providing a net personnel flow measurement signal indicative of the net personnel flow;

means for receiving a forecast of weather conditions for the new community;

energy demand variation predicting means for comparing personnel flow into and out of the new community as indicated by the net personnel flow measurement signal and a personnel flow value used as a reference when the energy demand plan was made to predict a variation in the predicted energy demand;

energy plant control means for controlling the energy plant on the basis of the energy demand plan, forecasted weather conditions for the new community, and the predicted variation.

12. An urban energy system for controlling an energy plant supplying energy to a new community and an energy supply network connecting the energy plant and the new community, said system comprising:

means for receiving a forecast of weather conditions for the new community;

energy demand plan making means for predicting an energy demand of the new community on the basis of an energy amount plan value determined when the new community was planned, and for making an energy demand plan for the new community on the basis of the predicted energy demand;

personnel flow measurement means for measuring flow of personnel into and out of the new community and providing a net personnel flow measurement signal indicative of the net personnel flow;

energy demand variation predicting means for comparing personnel flow into and out of the new community as indicated by the net personnel flow measurement signal and a personnel flow value used as a reference when the energy demand plan was made, to predict a variation in the predicted energy demand; and

energy supply network control means for controlling operation of the energy supply network on the basis of the energy demand plan and the predicted variation.

13. An urban energy system for controlling a plurality of energy plants supplying different types of energy to a community and an energy supply network connecting the plurality of energy plants and the community, said system comprising:

energy demand plan making means for predicting in advance an energy demand of the community for each of the types of energy on the basis of past energy demands of the community and past personnel flow patterns of the community and for making an energy demand plan for the community for each of the types of energy on the basis of the predicted energy demands;

personnel flow measurement means for measuring flow of personnel into and out of the community and providing a net personnel flow measurement signal indicative of the net personnel flow;

means for receiving a forecast of weather conditions for the community;

energy demand variation predicting means for predicting a variation in the predicted energy demand on a selected day, based on forecasted weather conditions for the community for the selected day and on the net personnel flow measurement signal on the selected day; and

energy plant control means for controlling the energy plant on the basis of the energy demand plan and the predicted variation.

14. An urban energy system for controlling a plurality of energy plants supplying different types of energy to a community and an energy supply network connecting the plurality of energy plants and the community, said system comprising:

energy demand plan making means for predicting in advance energy demands of the community for each of the types of energy on the basis of past energy demands of the community and past personnel flow patterns of the community and for making an energy demand plan for the community for each of the types of energy on the basis of the predicted energy demands;

personnel flow measurement means for measuring flow of personnel into and out of the community and providing a net personnel flow measurement signal indicative of the net personnel flow;

means for receiving a forecast of weather conditions for the community;

energy demand variation predicting means for predicting a variation in the predicted energy demand on a selected day, based on forecasted weather conditions for the community for the selected day and on the net personnel flow measurement signal on the selected day; and

energy supply network control means for controlling operation of the energy supply network for each of the types of energy on the basis of the energy demand plan and the predicted variations.

15. An urban energy system for controlling an energy plant supplying energy to a community and an energy supply network connecting the energy plant to the community, said system comprising:

a database of past energy demands of the community for previous years, the patterns of personnel flow into and out of the community in the previous years, and forecasted climatic conditions for the community;

energy demand plan making means for predicting in advance an energy demand of the community for each day on the basis of past energy demands of the community and past personnel flow patterns of the community as contained in said database;

personnel flow measurement means for measuring flow of personnel into and out of the community and providing a net personnel flow measurement signal indicative of the net personnel flow;

means for receiving a forecast of weather conditions for the community;

energy demand variation predicting means for predicting a variation in the predicted energy demand on a selected day, based on the forecasted climatic conditions for the community for the selected day as contained in said database and based on the net personnel flow signal on the selected day; and

energy control means for controlling the energy plant and the energy supply network on the basis of the predicted energy demand and the predicted variation.

16. An urban energy system for controlling a supply of energy to a community by way of an energy supply network connecting a plurality of energy sources to the community, said system comprising:

energy demand plan making means for predicting in advance an energy demand of the community on the basis of the past energy demands of the community and past personnel flow patterns of the community and for making an energy demand plan for the community on the basis of the predicted energy demand;

personnel flow measurement means for measuring flow of personnel into and out of the community and providing a net personnel flow measurement signal indicative of the net personnel flow;

energy demand variation predicting means for predicting a variation in the predicted energy demand based on the net personnel flow measurement signal;

energy source capability predicting means for predicting whether each of the energy sources is capable of supplying energy to the community as required in accordance with the energy demand plan and the predicted variation, and for providing an energy supply margin index for each of the energy sources; and

energy control means for controlling the energy sources and the energy supply network on the basis of the energy supply margin indices.

17. An urban energy system according to claim 16, further comprising output means for outputting an energy supply starting operation amount and an energy supply stopping operation amount for the plurality of energy sources, on the basis of the energy supply margin indices, so as to minimize the cost of operation of energy system.

18. An urban energy system according to claim 16, further comprising vehicular traffic flow detecting means for measuring flow of vehicular traffic into and out of the community and providing a net vehicular traffic flow measurement signal, and wherein said energy demand variation predicting means predicts the variation further based on the net vehicular traffic flow measurement signal.

19. An urban energy system for controlling a supply of energy to a community by way of an energy supply network connecting a plurality of energy sources to the community, said system comprising:

energy demand plan making means for predicting in advance an energy demand of the community on the basis of the past energy demands of the community and past personnel flow patterns of the community and for making an energy demand plan for the community on the basis of the predicted energy demand;

personnel flow measurement means for measuring flow of personnel into and out of the community and providing a net personnel traffic flow measurement signal;

energy demand variation predicting means for predicting a variation in the predicted energy demand based on the net personnel flow measurement signal;

means for receiving an indication of energy demand of the community;

environmental distribution determining means for providing an environmental measured value distribution for the community on the basis of the energy demand plan and the predicted variation;

environmental evaluation determining means for providing an evaluated value distribution for the community on the basis of the indicated energy demand of the community;

means for determining an operation amount for the plurality of energy sources based on the evaluated value distribution and the environmental measured value distribution;

control means for controlling the energy sources and the energy supply network so as to provide energy to the community at the operation amount; and

adjusting means for adjusting the determined operation amount on the basis of changes in the environmental measured value distribution during control of the energy sources at the operation amount.