Thermal storage system controller and method
First Claim
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1. A controller for controlling a thermal storage system such that energy costs are minimized subject to demand costs, thereby reducing utility costs for a billing period, comprising:
- a first data structure for storing a utility rate structure having an on-peak energy rate and an off-peak energy rate that are designed to discourage high energy consumption during high energy demand periods;
a second data structure for storing a target demand cost that is determined by minimizing the demand costs independent of the energy costs for a sub-period of the billing period;
a memory having comparative rules that utilize a ratio of said on-peak energy rate to said off-peak energy rate and said target demand cost; and
a processor connected to said memory that uses said comparative rules in order to select a control strategy for the thermal storage system, whereby the energy costs are minimized subject to the demand costs and the utility costs for the billing period are reduced.
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Abstract
An thermal storage system controller implements a near optimal control strategy for minimizing energy and demand costs. A system performance variable is determined and evaluated under a given set of environmental conditions for selecting one of a plurality of control strategies.
39 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A controller for controlling a thermal storage system such that energy costs are minimized subject to demand costs, thereby reducing utility costs for a billing period, comprising:
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a first data structure for storing a utility rate structure having an on-peak energy rate and an off-peak energy rate that are designed to discourage high energy consumption during high energy demand periods; a second data structure for storing a target demand cost that is determined by minimizing the demand costs independent of the energy costs for a sub-period of the billing period; a memory having comparative rules that utilize a ratio of said on-peak energy rate to said off-peak energy rate and said target demand cost; and a processor connected to said memory that uses said comparative rules in order to select a control strategy for the thermal storage system, whereby the energy costs are minimized subject to the demand costs and the utility costs for the billing period are reduced. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of controlling a thermal storage system such that energy costs are minimized subject to demand costs, thereby reducing utility costs for a billing period, comprising the steps of:
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receiving a utility rate structure having an on-peak energy rate and an off-peak energy rate that are designed to discourage high energy consumption during high energy demand periods; determining a target demand cost by minimizing the demand costs independent of the energy costs for a sub-period of the billing period; selecting a control strategy for the thermal storage system based at least in part on comparative rules that utilize a ratio of said on-peak energy rate to said off-peak energy rate and said target demand cost, whereby the energy costs are minimized subject to the demand costs and the utility costs for the billing period are reduced. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification