Method and apparatus for orchestrating utility power supply and demand in real time using a continuous pricing signal sent via a network to home networks and smart appliances

• US 8,195,337 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2009
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert F. Cruickshank III
• Original Assignee: Robert F. Cruickshank III
• Inventors: Cruickshank, Robert F. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHITTINGTON, ANTHONY T
• Application Number:
  US12/385,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20090292402A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: 700/22, 700/286, 700/287, 700/291, 700/296
• US Class Current: 700/286
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

The present invention orchestrates the supply of power and demand for power of power-side of Utility-provided services such as Electricity, Gas and Water. In real-time a variable price for service is sent from Utilities'"'"' SUPPLY-SIDE via a Network such as the Internet to the DEMAND-SIDE, such as to smart appliances in homes, to search for and encourage or discourage use and thus manage demand for Utility services. Demand is managed in the aggregate per type of appliance and across all users, not just at peak times, but rather throughout the day as capacity is needed or otherwise becomes available. With the invention traditional fossil-fuelled electrical capacity can operate less of the time and more efficiently, renewable electrical capacity such as wind and solar power can be more efficiently put to immediate use right when it becomes available, and additional means are available to protect Utilities'"'"' transmission and distribution infrastructure. Another aspect of the invention is that it changes pricing often enough throughout the day so that budget-conscious and less fortunate or budget conscious consumers do not have to wait long for favourable pricing in order to cook a meal or otherwise get things done.

Claims

1. A method for automatically coordinating over a telecommunications network a supply of power from power generator resources that supply power to meet demand of users that consume the power, the method comprising the steps of:

for a number of power generators that produce power, determining a Previously unused output capability of the power generators and estimating a plurality of efficiency characteristics for the power generators;

transmitting as a telecommunications signal over the telecommunications network a pricing signal in real-time to at least one of the users indicating a price for power generated for power offered by one or more of the power generators;

for a number of different types of appliances that consume power, estimating near and long-term expected demand of the users for power for the particular type of appliance based on a duty cycle schedule typical for the particular type of appliance, wherein the duty cycle schedule indicates the power consumed or stored over a period of time including a firing timing, that is those times when the particular type of appliance typically fires or is dormant;

wherein, the period of time is predetermined to encompass a duty cycle schedule that forms a basis of prediction for future cycles of the respective appliance;

wherein the different types of appliances convert electrical energy to another form of energy selected from the group consisting of thermal, electromagnetic, and mechanical energy;

determining at a present time which of the power generators is capable of being put to immediate use to meet power demand needs of the appliances of the users based on the Previously unused output capability of the power generators;

calculating using a computer for the present time an aggregate of demand for a number of appliances of the users based on a firing timing of the duty cycle schedule for those appliances;

determining at the present time whether usage of at least one user of the number of appliances should be encouraged or discouraged based on a comparison of the aggregate of demand with respect to a number appliances of the users and the Previously unused output capabilities of at least one of the power generator;

changing in real-time the pricing signal transmitted over the telecommunications network to the at least one user of the number of appliances to indicate an appropriate price for power with respect to a present pricing scheme sufficient to encourage or discourage use by the at least one user of the number of appliances when usage should be encouraged or discouraged as determined;

wherein changing the price to encourage or discourage use delays the spinning-up and bringing online of power generators; and

changing the pricing signal transmitted over the telecommunications network to encourage or discourage demand of at least one of the users until such a time when the aggregate demand matches substantially an efficiency of use based on the efficiency characteristics;

wherein changing the price delays the spinning-up and bringing online of additional power generators until the such time when an aggregate demand matches substantially the efficiency of use.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of changing the pricing signal to encourage or discourage use of a particular power generator to stabilize and protect transmission and distribution infrastructures coupled to the particular power generator when the infrastructure is threatened with failure.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of changing the pricing signal to encourage or discourage demand until a time when a renewable energy source is available.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of calculating calculates aggregate demand according to the equation:

Σ

Appliances (type)×

% Duty Cycle×

% Electric Fired×

Wattage=Aggregate Demand.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of selecting the appliances on the basis that the appliance is activity independent.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of selecting the appliances from the group consisting of the type:

hot water boiler, refrigerator and space heater.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of changing the pricing signal changes the pricing signal in the range of 8-10 times a day.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting a pricing signal transmits over the telecommunications network the pricing signal to at least one smart appliance that causes a processor of the smart appliance to switch the smart appliance on or off based on the pricing signal.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing modes of operation for a respective appliance, each mode having upper and lower limits of operation of the respective appliance, for one or more appliances that include an expensive operation that automatically turns on or off the respective appliance when the pricing signal indicates higher pricing and an inexpensive mode of operation that automatically turns the respective appliance on or off when the pricing signal indicates lower pricing.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing thereon a set of computer instructions that practice the method steps of claim 1.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of changing the pricing signal to discourage use of a particular power generator to stabilize and protect transmission and distribution infrastructures coupled to the particular power generator when the infrastructure is threatened with failure.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of changing the pricing signal to encourage or discourage demand until a time when a renewable energy source is available.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of selecting the appliances on the basis that the appliance is activity independent.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting a pricing signal transmits over the telecommunications network the pricing signal to at least one smart appliance that causes a processor of the smart appliance to switch the smart appliance on or off based on the pricing signal.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of calculating calculates the aggregate demand based using a computer using a Markovian model.

11. A method for automatically coordinating over a telecommunications network a supply of power from power generator resources that supply power to meet demand of users that consume the power, the method comprising the steps of:

for a number of power generators that produce power, determining a Previously unused output capability of the power generators;

transmitting as a telecommunications signal over the telecommunications network a pricing signal in real-time to at least one of the users indicating a price for power generated for power offered by one or more of the power generators;

for a number of different types of appliances that consume power, estimating near and long-term expected demand of the users for power for the particular type of appliance based on a duty cycle schedule typical for the particular type of appliance, wherein the duty cycle schedule indicates the power consumed or stored over a period of time including a firing timing, that is those times when the particular type of appliance typically fires or is dormant;

calculating using a computer for the present time an aggregate of demand for a number of appliances of the users based on a firing timing of the duty cycle schedule for those appliances;

wherein the different types of appliances convert electrical energy to another form of energy for use by the user selected from the group consisting of thermal, electromagnetic, and mechanical energy;

determining at the present time whether usage by at least one user of the number of appliances should be encouraged or discouraged based on a comparison of the aggregate of demand with respect to a number of appliances of the users and the Previously unused output capabilities of the power generators; and

changing in real-time the pricing signal transmitted over the telecommunications network to the at least one user of the number of appliances to indicate an appropriate price for power with respect to a present pricing scheme sufficient to encourage or discourage use by the at least one user of the number of appliances when usage should be encouraged or discouraged as determined.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of estimating a plurality of efficiency characteristics for the power generators.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of determining at a present time which of the power generators is capable of being put to immediate use to most efficiently meet power demand needs of the appliances based on the Previously unused output capability of the power generator.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of determining at a present time which of the power generators can be put to immediate use to most efficiently meet power demand needs of the appliances based on the Previously unused output capability of the power generator;

wherein, the period of time is predetermined to encompass a duty cycle schedule that forms a basis of prediction for future cycles of the respective appliance.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of changing the pricing signal transmitted over the telecommunications network to aggregate demand use of power amongst the users to discourage demand until such a time when the aggregate demand matches substantially an efficiency of use based on the efficiency characteristics;

wherein changing the price delays the spinning-up and bringing online of additional power generators until the such time when it is determined that an aggregate demand matches substantially the efficiency of use.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing thereon a set of computer instructions that practice the method steps of claim 11.

22. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of calculating calculates the aggregate demand based using a computer using a Markovian model.