Method and system for reducing feeder circuit loss using demand response

• US 8,655,500 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2012
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Taft, Jeffrey D.
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, RAMESH B
• Application Number:
  US13/416,947
• Publication Number:
  US 20120173030A1
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 700/386, 700291-292, 700/295, 700/297, 702 60- 62, 323/299, 323/304, 323/318, 361 4- 5
• US Class Current: 700/295
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00007 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2203/20 Simulating, e g planning, reliability check, modelling or computer assisted design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/58 The condition being electrical
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/64 The condition being economic, e.g. tariff based load management
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/144 Demand-response operation of the power transmission or distribution network
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

A system and method that analyzes at least one aspect of the power grid for demand response in order to reduce feeder circuit losses is provided. The system and method may use a demand response model to select one or more factors for the demand response, such as selecting a subset of customers for demand response from a larger pool of available demand response customers. The demand response model may include a grid structure component, such as an indication of the particular customer'"'"'s position in the grid, and a dynamic operation component, such as a real-time measurement of current in the feeder circuit. By using the demand response model, feeder circuit losses may thereby reduced.

Claims

1. A method for reducing power loss in at least one feeder circuit in a power grid, the method executable by at least one computer having at least one processor and at least one memory, comprising:

accessing, from the at least one memory, a model that provides as an output an indicator of feeder circuit power loss based on inputs of position in at least a part of the feeder circuit and at least one electrical aspect in the at least a part of the feeder circuit;

receiving, by the at least one processor, a sensed measurement of the at least one electrical aspect in at least a part of the feeder circuit;

accessing, by the at least one processor, respective positions of a plurality of customers in the at least a part of the feeder circuit;

inputting the sensed measurement and the respective positions of the plurality of customers into the model in order to generate a plurality of indicators of feeder circuit power loss for the plurality of customers;

selecting, based on the plurality of indicators, at least one customer from the plurality of customers for demand response in order to reduce the power loss in the feeder circuit; and

sending, by the at least one computer, at least one instruction to the selected at least one customer to execute the demand response in real time, the at least one instruction to control one or more devices of the selected at least one customer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one electrical aspect comprises at least one real-time measurement or estimate of current.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the model uses at least one weight based on the position within the feeder circuit.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one weight comprises a weighting factor based on the electrical distance of customers from the substation.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the model comprises S[1−

e<sup>−

S0/S</sup>] wherein S characterizes resistance as a function of distance for the feeder circuit, and

wherein S₀ comprises the electrical distance from the substation for customers in the feeder circuit.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the model further comprises

S[1−

e<sup>−

S′

/S</sup>]+a_k*S[1−

e<sup>−

(S0−

S′

)/S</sup>]

for a point in the feeder circuit after a first branch point, where a_k represents a split in current and S′

represents a distance from the substation to the branch point.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the model is further based on an indication of the current in the at least a part of the feeder circuit.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the model is based on the current from the substation to the feeder circuit.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one weight for the customers in the feeder circuit is combined with the current from the substation in order to select the at least one customer from the plurality of customers for the demand response.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein the model is dependent on topology for the feeder circuit.

11. The method of claim 3, wherein the feeder circuit changes dynamically based on at least one switch;

and

wherein the model accounts for the dynamic changes in the feeder circuit.

12. In a power grid comprising at least one feeder circuit, a demand response management computer system for reducing power loss in the feeder circuit comprising:

at least one processor operable to;

access a model that provides as an output an indicator of feeder circuit power loss based on inputs of position in at least a part of the feeder circuit and at least one electrical aspect in the at least a part of the feeder circuit;

receive a sensed measurement of at least one electrical aspect in at least a part of the feeder circuit;

access respective positions of a plurality of customers in the at least a part of the feeder circuit;

input the sensed measurement and the respective positions of the plurality of customers into the model in order to generate a plurality of indicators of feeder circuit power loss for the plurality of customers;

select, based on the plurality of indicators, at least one customer from the plurality of customers for demand response in order to reduce the power loss in the feeder circuit; and

send at least one instruction to the selected at least one customer to execute the demand response in real time, the at least one instruction to control one or more devices of the selected at least one customer.

13. The demand response management computer system of claim 12, wherein the at least one electrical aspect comprises at least one real-time measurement or estimate of current.

14. The demand response management computer system of claim 13, wherein the model uses at least one weight based on the position within the feeder circuit.

15. The demand response management computer system of claim 14, wherein the at least one weight comprises a weighting factor based on the electrical distance of customers from the substation.

16. The demand response management computer system of claim 15, wherein the model comprises S[1−

e<sup>−

S0/S</sup>]

wherein S characterizes resistance as a function of distance for the feeder circuit, and

wherein S₀ comprises the electrical distance from the substation for customers in the feeder circuit.

17. The demand response management computer system of claim 16, wherein the model further comprises

S[1−

e<sup>−

S′

/S</sup>]+a_k*S[1−

e<sup>−

(S0−

S′

)/S</sup>]

for a point in the feeder circuit after a first branch point, where a_k represents a split in current and S′

represents a distance from the substation to the branch point.

18. The demand response management computer system of claim 14, wherein the model is further based on an indication of the current in the at least a part of the feeder circuit.

19. The demand response management computer system of claim 18, wherein the model is based on the current from the substation to the feeder circuit.

20. The demand response management computer system of claim 19, wherein the at least one weight for the customers in the feeder circuit is combined with the current from the substation in order to select the at least one customer from the plurality of customers for the demand response.

21. The demand response management computer system of claim 14, wherein the model is dependent on topology for the feeder circuit.

22. The demand response management computer system of claim 14, wherein the feeder circuit changes dynamically based on at least one switch;

and

wherein the model accounts for the dynamic changes in the feeder circuit.

23. A method for reducing power loss in at least one feeder circuit in a power grid, the method executable by at least one computer having at least one processor and at least one memory, comprising:

accessing, from the at least one memory, a model that provides as an output an indicator of feeder circuit power loss based on inputs of position in at least a part of the feeder circuit and at least one electrical aspect in the at least a part of the feeder circuit;

receiving, by the at least one processor, a sensed measurement of the at least one electrical aspect in at least a part of the feeder circuit;

accessing, by the at least one processor, respective positions of a plurality of customers in the at least a part of the feeder circuit;

inputting the sensed measurement and the respective positions of the plurality of customers into the model in order to generate a plurality of indicators of feeder circuit power loss for the plurality of customers; and

selecting, based on the plurality of indicators, a subset of customers from the plurality of customers for demand response;

selecting, based on the plurality of indicators, an amount of demand response from the subset of customers in order to reduce the power loss in the feeder circuit; and

sending, by the at least one computer, at least one instruction to the selected subset of customers to execute the demand response in real time, the at least one instruction to control one or more devices of the selected subset of customers.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

selecting, based on the plurality of indicators, a length of time for the demand response.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the at least one electrical aspect comprises at least one real-time measurement or estimate of current.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the model uses at least one weight based on the position within the feeder circuit, wherein the at least one weight comprises a weighting factor based on the electrical distance of customers from the substation.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the model is further based on an indication of the current from the substation to the feeder circuit.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the model is dependent on topology for the feeder circuit;

wherein the feeder circuit changes dynamically based on at least one switch; and

wherein the model accounts for the dynamic changes in the feeder circuit.

29. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

determining, based on the plurality of indicators, to turn on an electric generator located at one or more of the subset of customers selected for demand response, to supplement power supplied by the power grid.