Energy optimization system

• US 8,359,124 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2009
• Issued: 01/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Zhou, Zhi, de Bedout, Juan Manuel, Kern, John Michael, Biyik, Emrah, Chandra, Ramu Sharat
• Primary Examiner(s): ORTIZ RODRIGUEZ, CARLOS R
• Application Number:
  US12/640,021
• Publication Number:
  US 20110106328A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: 700/9, 700/28, 700/33, 700/276, 700/291, 700/32, 700/171, 705/14.43, 706/19
• US Class Current: 700/291
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/024 in which a parameter or coefficient is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier

Abstract

A system for optimizing customer utility usage in a utility network of customer sites, each having one or more utility devices, where customer site is communicated between each of the customer sites and an optimization server having software for optimizing customer utility usage over one or more networks, including private and public networks. A customer site model for each of the customer sites is generated based upon the customer site information, and the customer utility usage is optimized based upon the customer site information and the customer site model. The optimization server can be hosted by an external source or within the customer site. In addition, the optimization processing can be partitioned between the customer site and an external source.

Claims

1. A utility management system, comprising:

a plurality of customer sites connected to a utility network, wherein each of the customer sites comprises one or more utility devices;

a plurality of utility management user interfaces associated with the customer sites, respectively; and

a controller coupled to the utility management user interfaces via a private network and configured to communicate customer utility optimization information to the utility management user interfaces, wherein the controller comprises;

a first module configured to exchange customer site information comprising measured information, predicted information and customer input information with each of the customer sites, wherein the customer site information is specific to each customer site;

a second module configured to generate an adaptive customer site model capable of adapting to customer site changes including structural changes for each customer site by performing a system identification process based on the customer site information, and wherein the system identification process uses a system identification algorithm which is self-updating or configured to update when changes in the one or more utility devices are detected;

a third module configured to generate the customer utility optimization information for each of the customer sites using model predictive control based on the adaptive customer site model, the customer site information, system constraints and control objectives;

a fourth module configured to output a real-time estimate of utility usage cost savings based on the customer utility optimization information to each of the customer sites.

2. The utility management system of claim 1, wherein the predicted information comprises at least one of weather information, solar insolation forecast information, cost of utility unit, utility program information, and load demand.

3. The utility management system of claim 1, wherein the customer input information comprises at least one of usage preferences, customer site specification information, and customer settings.

4. The utility management system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further coupled to the utility management interfaces via a public network.

5. The utility management system of claim 4, wherein the public network is the Internet.

6. The utility management system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the customer site information is exchanged between the controller and the utility management interfaces via the private network.

7. The utility management system of claim 6, wherein at least a portion of the customer site information is exchanged between the controller and the utility management interfaces via a public network.

8. The utility management system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the customer utility optimization information is communicated to the utility management user interfaces via the private network.

9. The utility management system of claim 8, wherein at least a portion of the customer utility optimization information is communicated to the utility management user interfaces via a public network.

10. The utility management system of claim 1, wherein the utility management user interfaces each comprise:

a data module configured to receive the customer input information and the customer utility optimization information for an associated customer site; and

a control module configured to control the one or more utility devices based on the customer input information and the customer utility optimization information.

11. The utility management system of claim 10, wherein the control module outputs local control commands to the one or more utility devices via a wireless network.

12. The utility management system of claim 10, wherein the control module generates local optimization information based on the customer input information, and controls the one or more utility devices based on the local optimization information.

13. The utility management system of claim 1, wherein the third module generates a customer optimization problem by formulating an optimization problem including an objective function and at least one of an inequality constraint parameter and an equality parameter;

and solving the optimization problem of the objective function with respect to the at least one of the inequality constraint parameter and an equality parameter.

14. The utility management system of claim 1, wherein a part of the third module is located at the customer site and another part of the third module is located at a central location.

15. The utility management system of claim 1, wherein the adaptive customer site model comprises a thermal model represented by:

T(k+1)=AT(k)+B₁T_a(k)+B₂Q_t(k)+B_3hu_h(k)−

B₃u_c(k)

wherein k is an index of a given time step, T is a vector of temperatures, T_a is an ambient temperature, Q_t is the vector of heat gains, u_h is a HVAC heating load, u_c is a HVAC cooling load and A, B₁, B_3h, B₃ are matrices of parameters.

16. A system for optimizing customer utility usage at a customer site connected to a utility network, comprising:

one or more utility devices; and

a controller coupled to the one or more utility devices for optimizing utility usage at the customer site, wherein the controller comprises;

a first module configured to receive customer site information comprising real-time measured information, predicted information and customer input information, wherein the customer site information is specific to the customer site;

a second module configured to generate an adaptive customer site model capable of adapting to customer site changes including structural changes for each of the customer sites by performing a system identification process based on the customer site information, and wherein the system identification process uses a system identification algorithm which is self-updating or configured to update when changes in the one or more utility devices are detected;

a third module configured to generate customer utility optimization information using model predictive control based on the adaptive customer site model, the customer site information, system constraints and control objectives;

a fourth module configured to output a real-time estimate of utility usage cost savings based on the customer utility optimization information.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the predicted information comprises weather information, solar insolation forecast information, cost of utility unit, utility program information, and load demand.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the customer input information comprises at least one of usage preferences, customer site specification information, and customer settings.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the controller outputs commands to the one or more utility devices via a wireless network.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein at least a portion of the customer site information is received from an external source via a public network.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein at least a portion of the customer site information is received from an external source via a private network.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the private network is wireless.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the third module generates the customer utility optimization information by formulating an optimization problem including an objective function and at least one of an inequality constraint parameter and an equality parameter;

and solving the optimization problem of the objective function with respect to the at least one of the inequality constraint parameter and an equality parameter.