Systems and methods for operating electrical supply

• US 8,521,337 B1
• Filed: 07/20/2011
• Issued: 08/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Andrea Marie Johnson
• Original Assignee: CALM Energy, Inc.
• Inventors: Johnson, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHITTINGTON, ANTHONY T
• Application Number:
  US13/187,335
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 700/297, 702/62, 370/252
• US Class Current: 700/297
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/008 involving trading of energy or energy transmission rights
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

One embodiment of the instant invention is a computer-implemented method that includes steps of: receiving load data for a load, where the load is associated with a smart node that controls a flow of electricity, where the load data includes a service type indication; where the service type indication identifies whether the load receive in a non-firm electricity service, a firm electricity service, or both, where the non-firm electricity service is based on a non-firm service supply arrangement associated with the load and a supplier of electricity, where the non-firm service supply arrangement defines electricity usage based on a reliability level of the electrical supply provided by the supplier of electricity without a guaranteed level of uninterrupted electricity supply, and where the reliability level of the electrical supply is based on an ability to instruct to reduce or shut off the electricity supply.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by a computer system, first load data for at least one first load, wherein the at least one first load is associated with at least one first smart node that controls a flow of electricity from an electrical distribution grid to the at least one first load;

receiving, by a computer system, second load data for at least one second load wherein the at least one second load is associated with at least one second smart node that controls the flow of electricity from the electrical distribution grid to the at least one second load;

wherein the first and the second load data comprising a service type indication;

wherein the service type indication identifies whether the at least one first and second load receive in a non-firm electricity service, a firm electricity service, or both,

wherein the non-firm electricity service is based at least in part on a non-firm service supply arrangement associated with each load and at least one supplier of electricity,

wherein the non-firm service supply arrangement defines electricity usage based at least in part on at least one reliability level of the electrical supply provided by the at least one supplier of electricity without at least one guaranteed level of uninterrupted electricity supply, wherein the at least one reliability level of the electrical supply is based at least in part on an ability to instruct, by the computer system, to reduce or shut off the electricity supply from the electrical distribution grid in accordance with the non-firm service supply arrangement;

wherein the firm electricity service is based at least in part on a firm service supply arrangement associated with each load and the at least one supplier of electricity, and

wherein the firm service supply agreement defines the guaranteed level of uninterrupted electricity supply provided by the at least one supplier of electricity to each associated load;

determining, by the computer system, electricity demand over at least one electric grid; and

optimizing, by the computer system, the electricity demand over at least one electric grid by adjusting the electricity supply to the at least one first load and the at least one second load based at least in part on a plurality of the following;

i) the first load data,

ii) the second load data;

iii) the electricity demand,

iv) the service type indication,

v) the at least one reliability level of the electrical supply defined by the non-firm service supply arrangement,

and

vi) the at least one guaranteed level of uninterrupted electricity supply defined by the firm service supply arrangement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one first smart node and the at least one second smart mode are electrical switches.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-firm service supply arrangement is a contract.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the firm service supply arrangement is a contract.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one first load participates in the non-firm service supply arrangement to receives the non-firm electricity service during at least one first portion of a time period and participates in the firm service supply arrangement to receives the firm electricity service during at least one second portion of the time period.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one second load participates in the non-firm service supply arrangement to receives the non-firm electricity service during the time period.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one reliability level of the non-firm service supply arrangement is calculated, by the computer system, by deterministic or probability calculations based at least in part on one of the following criteria:

i) supplier historical data of the electricity demand of the at least one supplier of electricity;

ii) first load historical data for the at least one first load data; and

iii) second load historical data for the at least one second load.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprising:

receiving, by the computer system, supplier data about at least one supplier cost associated with the electricity supply provided by the at least one supplier of electricity;

receiving, by the computer system, electricity market data about at least one market cost of electricity; and

calculating, by the computer system, at least one price for the at least one reliability level of the non-firm service supply arrangement based at least in part on the at least one supplier cost in the received supplier data and the at least one market cost in the received market data.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one second load participates in the firm service supply arrangement to receives the firm electricity service during the time period and the at least one first load and the at least one second load participate in an arrangement by which the at least one first load receives the electricity supply intended for the at least one second load during at least one first portion of the time period when the at least one first smart node is instructed to reduce or shut off the electricity supply from the electrical distribution grid of the at least one supplier of electricity to the at least one first load in accordance with the non-firm service supply arrangement.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one first load participates in the non-firm service supply arrangement to receives the non-firm electricity service during at least one first portion of a time period and participates in the firm service supply arrangement to receives the firm electricity service during at least one second portion of the time period.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one second load participates in the non-firm service supply arrangement to receives the non-firm electricity service during the time period.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one second load participates in the firm service supply arrangement to receives the firm electricity service during the time period and the at least one first load and the at least one second load participate in an arrangement by which the at least one first load receives the electricity supply intended for the at least one second load during at least one first portion of the time period when the at least one first smart node is instructed to reduce or shut off the electricity supply from the electrical distribution grid of the at least one supplier of electricity to the at least one first load in accordance with the non-firm service supply arrangement.

10. A computer system, comprising:

a) memory having at least one region for storing computer executable program code; and

b) at least one processor for executing the computer executable program code stored in the memory, wherein the computer executable program code comprising;

code to receive first load data for at least one first load, wherein the at least one first load is associated with at least one first smart node that controls a flow of electricity from an electrical distribution grid to the at least one first load;

code to receive second load data for at least one second load wherein the at least one second load is associated with at least one second smart node that controls the flow of electricity from the electrical distribution grid to the at least one second load;

wherein the first and the second load data comprising a service type indication;

wherein the service type indication identifies whether the at least one first and second load receive in a non-firm electricity service, a firm electricity service, or both,

wherein the non-firm electricity service is based at least in part on a non-firm service supply arrangement associated with each load and at least one supplier of electricity,

wherein the non-firm service supply arrangement defines electricity usage based at least in part on at least one reliability level of the electrical supply provided by the at least one supplier of electricity without at least one guaranteed level of uninterrupted electricity supply, wherein the at least one reliability level of the electrical supply is based at least in part on an ability to instruct, by the computer system, to reduce or shut off the electricity supply from the electrical distribution grid in accordance with the non-firm service supply arrangement;

wherein the firm electricity service is based at least in part on a firm service supply arrangement associated with each load and the at least one supplier of electricity, and

wherein the firm service supply agreement defines the guaranteed level of uninterrupted electricity supply provided by the at least one supplier of electricity to each associated load;

code to determine electricity demand over at least one electric grid; and

code to optimize the electricity demand over at least one electric grid by adjusting the electricity supply to the at least one first load and the at least one second load based at least in part on a plurality of the following;

i) the first load data,

ii) the second load data;

iii) the electricity demand,

iv) the service type indication,

v) the at least one reliability level of the electrical supply defined by the non-firm service supply arrangement,

and

vi) the at least one guaranteed level of uninterrupted electricity supply defined by the firm service supply arrangement.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one first smart node and the at least one second smart mode are electrical switches.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the non-firm service supply arrangement is a contract.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the firm service supply arrangement is a contract.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the system further comprising code to calculate at least one reliability level of the non-firm service supply arrangement by utilizing deterministic or probability calculations based at least in part on one of the following criteria:

i) supplier historical data of the electricity demand of the at least one supplier of electricity;

ii) first load historical data for the at least one first load data; and

iii) second load historical data for the at least one second load.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the system further comprising:

code to receive supplier data about at least one supplier cost associated with the electricity supply provided by the at least one supplier of electricity;

code to receive electricity market data about at least one market cost of electricity; and

code to calculate at least one price for the at least one reliability level of the non-firm service supply arrangement based at least in part on the at least one supplier cost in the received supplier data and the at least one market cost in the received market data.