Load shed notification method, product, and apparatus

• US 7,136,725 B1
• Filed: 04/06/2002
• Issued: 11/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: S Aqua Semiconductor LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Eric Schneider, Ronald R. Paciorek
• Inventors: Schneider, Eric, Paciorek, Ronald R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Von Buhr, Maria N.
• Application Number:
  US10/117,389
• Time in Patent Office: 1,683 Days
• Field of Search: 700/286, 700/291, 700/292, 700295-298, 705/10
• US Class Current: 700/295
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00016 using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00018 using phone lines
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00024 by means of mobile telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• 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 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving

Abstract

At a first time, an authorized directive is received by the utility provider to perform an operative action for shedding load of a power system by a minimum system load value on or before a second time. The utility provider may operate the SCADA/DCS system to assist in selecting a set of circuits wherein the total circuit load value of the selection is greater than or equal to the minimum system load value. In response to circuit selection, the SCADA/DCS system selects the corresponding set of circuit breakers and consults the circuit-subscriber notification database to select a set of subscribers corresponding to the selected set of circuits. A system, product, and/or device adapted for communicating data in response to circuit selection may then be accessed by the SCADA/DCS system to communicate to the selected set of subscribers an intention of performing the operative action on or before the second time. The utility provider may then program and/or operate the SCADA/DCS system to perform the operative action upon the selected set of circuit breakers on or before said second time.

Claims

1. In a power system having a power grid providing electrical power to a plurality of subscribers, the power system configured to provide advance notification to each subscriber whose electrical load is to be entirely shed from the power grid, the power system further including a plurality of providers providing electrical power services to the plurality of subscribers, and a control authority independent of said plurality of providers, said control authority determining when electrical load must be shed from the power grid, a method comprising:

providing a notification database of the selection of which of a plurality of notification methods is desired by each said subscriber to be used for notifying at least one subscriber of the plurality of subscribers of an impending change in the connection of the entire electrical load of said at least one subscriber to the power grid;

the control authority issuing to at least one of the plurality of providers a directive to perform an operative action for shedding electrical load to the power grid wherein a performance of the operative action is only capable of being performed by said at least one provider and incapable of being performed by any said subscriber,

determining which of the plurality of subscribers, is to have electrical load entirely shed from the power grid;

automatically determining from the notification database which of said plurality of notification methods are to be used for notifying said at least one subscriber of the impending change in the connection of the entire electrical load of said at least one subscriber to the power grid in response to said determining which of the plurality of subscribers is to have electrical load entirely shed from the power grid; and

,

notifying said at least one subscriber by the at least one notification method in said notification database prior to performance of the operative action.

2. A method, as set forth in claim 1, the power system further including at least one control system for operating at least a portion of the power grid, the power grid further including a plurality of provider circuits and a plurality of provider circuit breakers, each said circuit having a provider circuit load value and at least one provider circuit breaker only under control of said at least one provider, wherein the control authority issuing to at least one of the plurality of providers a directive includes at least one of the plurality of providers receiving said authorized directive at a first time to perform an operative action for shedding load from the power system by a minimum system load value on or before a second time.

3. A method, as set forth in claim 2, wherein a total provider circuit load value of said selected set of provider circuits is greater than or equal to said minimum system load value, and said determining which of the plurality of subscribers is to have electrical load entirely shed from the power grid includes selecting a set of provider circuits from the plurality of provider circuits, and selecting a set of subscribers from the plurality of subscribers, said set of subscribers corresponding to said selected set of provider circuits.

4. A method, as set forth in claim 3, wherein said determining from the notification database which notification method is to be used for notifying said at least one subscriber of the impending change in the connection of the entire electrical load of said at least one subscriber to the power grid includes accessing a circuit-notification database operatively coupled to said at least one control system, said circuit-notification database having data records corresponding to said plurality of subscribers receiving service from said selected set of provider circuits wherein each said data record includes at least one of a notification method and notification identifier corresponding to each said subscriber.

5. A method, as set forth in claim 4, further including a communication network operatively coupled to said at least one control system and in communication with the plurality of subscribers wherein said notifying said at least one subscriber by the at least one method in said notification database prior to performance of the operative action includes communicating information to said selected set of subscribers in accordance with said at least one notification method, said information including an intention of performing said operative action on or before said second time.

6. A method, as set forth in claim 5, wherein said selecting said set of provider circuits includes the selecting said set of provider circuits from the plurality of provider circuits in response to receiving said authorized directive.

7. A method, as set forth in claim 5, wherein said selecting said set of subscribers includes the selecting said set of subscribers from the plurality of subscribers in response to selecting said set of provider circuits.

8. A method, as set forth in claim 5, further including the selecting a set of provider circuit breakers from the plurality of provider circuit breakers, said set of provider circuit breakers corresponding to said selected set of provider circuits.

9. A method, as set forth in claim 8, wherein said selecting said set of provider circuit breakers includes the selecting said set of provider circuit breakers from the plurality of provider circuit breakers in response to selecting said set of provider circuits.

10. A method, as set forth in claim 8, further including the performing said operative action upon said selected set of provider circuit breakers on or before said second time.

11. A method, as set forth in claim 5, wherein said directive is one of a warning, alert, and emergency notice and said receiving said directive includes the utility provider receiving said directive from said control authority.

12. A method, as set forth in claim 11, wherein said utility provider is one of a power transmission owner and utility distribution company and said control authority is one of a governing authority, independent system operator, and authorized sole-source provider.

13. A method, as set forth in claim 5, wherein said selecting said set of provider circuits includes the calculating said total provider circuit load value from the provider circuit load value of each said selected provider circuit.

14. A method, as set forth in claim 5, wherein said selecting said set of subscribers includes the determining which subscribers from the plurality of subscribers subscription can be affected upon performing said operative action.

15. A method, as set forth in claim 14, wherein said determining which subscribers from the plurality of subscribers includes the retrieving data from a circuit-subscriber notification database.

16. A method, as set forth in claim 15, wherein said data includes at least one of a notification method and notification identifier, said notification identifier having at least one of a group, block, circuit, IP address, GPS coordinates, e-mail address, instant message address, cable ID address, username, login ID, phone number, mobile phone number, fax number, pager number, and ENUM.

17. A method, as set forth in claim 5, wherein said information includes encoded data.

18. A method, as set forth in claim 17, wherein said encoded data includes at least one of a header, public key, digital ID, query, encoded bit mask, content, time-to-live value, hash value, error correction, headline news, stock quotes, sports scores, and advertising.

19. A method, as set forth in claim 18, wherein said encoded bit mask represents a subset of subscribers from the plurality of subscribers.

20. A method, as set forth in claim 5, wherein said communication network is one of a public switched telephone network (PSTN), packet switched network, satellite communication network, cable network, pager network, and cellular network.

21. A method, as set forth in claim 5, wherein said set of provider circuits and said set of subscribers are selected from the control system.

22. A method, as set forth in claim 5, wherein said communicating said information includes the communicating said information from the control system in response to selecting said set of provider circuits.

23. A method, as set forth in claim 5, wherein a provider transceiver adapted for communicating data signals over a plurality of communication systems is in operative association with the control system and said communicating said information from the control system includes the steps of selecting a communication system from said plurality of communication systems to communicate said information by transmitting said information via said provider transceiver over said selected communication system.

24. A method, as set forth in claim 5, wherein the control system is at least one of a SCADA system and distributed control system.

25. A method, as set forth in claim 10, wherein, said operative action is a provider operative action and said performing said provider operative action includes the switching off power to said selected set of said provider circuit breakers from the control system.

26. A method, as set forth in claim 5, wherein each said provider circuit includes at least one subscriber subcircuit and at least one provider circuit communication interface, each said subscriber subcircuit having a subscriber subcircuit load, at least one subscriber subcircuit communication interface, and at least one subscriber circuit breaker.

27. A method, as set forth in claim 26, wherein said provider circuit communication interface and said subscriber subcircuit communication interface is one of a power line carrier communications interface, telephone line power communications interface, hardwired interface, RF interface, broadband modem, RS-232 interface, CEBus interface, X.10 interface, and building automation interface.

28. A method, as set forth in claim 26, wherein at least one remote terminal unit is in operative association with said provider circuit communication interface and at least one automated meter reader is in operative association with said subscriber subcircuit communication interface.

29. A method, as set forth in claim 26, wherein the power grid includes a data communication system for contemporaneously broadcasting data signals over the power grid to the plurality of provider circuits and subscriber subcircuits.

30. A method, as set forth in claim 29, wherein said data communication system broadcasts said data signals via at least one of a provider circuit communication interface and subscriber subcircuit communication interface.

31. A method, as set forth in claim 5, wherein said communication network is a telecommunication network, said telecommunication network including a data communication system for broadcasting data signals over said telecommunication network.

32. A method, as set forth in claim 31, wherein said telecommunication network includes at least one local exchange carrier connecting a plurality of telecommunication subscribers with said local exchange carrier via at least one communication link, each said telecommunication subscriber having at least one customer premise equipment and said communicating said information includes the contemporaneously broadcasting said information from said local exchange carrier to each said customer premise equipment via each said communication link.

33. A method, as set forth in claim 32, wherein said communication link is at least one of a wireless link, local loop, twisted pair, coaxial, fiber, hybrid fiber coaxial, broadband, RF, telephony, hybrid RF/telephony, and satellite.

34. A method, as set forth in claim 5, wherein a subscriber transceiver adapted for receiving data signals from a plurality of communication systems is in operative association with said communication network.

35. A method, as set forth in claim 34, wherein said subscriber transceiver includes at least one of a self contained power source, network interface, telecommunication interface, clock, visual indicator, audio indicator, encoder, decoder, public key, digital ID, and modifiable configuration settings.

36. A method, as set forth in claim 35, further including the modifying said modifiable configuration settings by at least one of a provider and subscriber.

37. A method, as set forth in claim 36, wherein said modifiable configuration settings include one of a broadcast filter identifier, notification method, notification identifier, proximity filter, and subscriber operative action settings.

38. A method, as set forth in claim 37, wherein said broadcast filter identifier is one of a phone number, customer number, circuit number, block number, and group number.

39. A method, as set forth in claim 34, wherein said information is encoded data and further including the said subscriber transceiver receiving said encoded data from the communication network.

40. A method, as set forth in claim 39, further including the decoding said encoded data in response to receiving said encoded data from the communication network.

41. A method, as set forth in claim 40, further including the determining whether to process said decoded data.

42. A method, as set forth in claim 41, wherein said decoded data includes a bit mask and said determining whether to process said decoded data includes the steps of retrieving a broadcast filter identifier from said modifiable configuration settings and comparing said broadcast filter identifier to said bit mask.

43. A method, as set forth in claim 41, further including the performing a first subscriber operative action to update or cancel a previous notification in response to processing said decoded data.

44. A method, as set forth in claim 34, further including the determining whether said received information requires an action to be performed.

45. A method, as set forth in claim 44, further including the communicating a non-action notice to said subscriber in response to determining that said received information does not require said action to be performed and determining whether to perform said second subscriber operative action in response to determining that said received information does require said action to be performed.

46. A method, as set forth in claim 45, further including the performing said second subscriber operative action in response to determining that said second subscriber operative action is to be performed and communicating an action notice to said subscriber in response determining that said second subscriber operative action is not to be performed.

47. A method, as set forth in claim 46, wherein said performing said second subscriber operative action includes the automatically performing emergency procedures upon at least one device, said device including elevators, gas and fuel line switches, HVAC systems, computer systems, traffic and transportation control systems, municipal electrical and emergency systems, and lighting and audible warning systems.

48. In a power system having a power grid providing electrical power to a plurality of subscribers, the power system configured to provide advance notification to each subscriber whose electrical load is to be entirely shed from the power grid, the power system further including a plurality of providers providing electrical power services to the plurality of subscribers, and a control authority independent of said plurality of providers, said control authority determining when electrical load must be shed from the power grid, an apparatus comprising:

a notification database of the selection of which of a plurality of notification methods is desired by each said subscriber to be used for notifying at least one subscriber of the plurality of subscribers of an impending change in the connection of the entire electrical load of said at least one subscriber to the power grid;

means for the control authority issuing to at least one of the plurality of providers a directive to perform an operative action for shedding electrical load to the power grid wherein a performance of the operative action is only capable of being performed by said at least one provider and incapable of being performed by any said subscriber;

means for determining which of the plurality of subscribers is to have electrical load entirely shed from the power grid;

means for determining from the notification database which of said plurality of notification methods are to be used for notifying said at least one subscriber of the impending change in the connection of the entire electrical load of said at least one subscriber to the power grid in response to said determining which of the plurality of subscribers is to have electrical load entirely shed from the power grid; and

,

means for notifying said at least one subscriber by the at least one notification method in said notification database prior to performance of the operative action.