Self-organizing energy pricing

• US 8,738,546 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2009
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Basak, Jayanta, Seetharamakrish, Devasenapathi P.
• Primary Examiner(s): BORISSOV, IGOR N
• Application Number:
  US12/615,346
• Publication Number:
  US 20110112987A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,659 Days
• Field of Search: 705/400, 705/412, 705/37, 705/1.1, 705/7.11, 705/7.12, 705/7.22, 705/7.23, 705/7.24, 705/7.25, 705/7.29, 705/7.31, 705/7.33, 705/7.34, 705/7.35, 705/26.1, 705/26.2, 705/26.25, 705/26.3, 705/28, 705/29, 705/30, 705/348, 700/286, 700/291, 700/293, 700/295, 700/297, 700/296, 700/299
• US Class Current: 705/412
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply

Abstract

Techniques for real-time pricing of electrical energy are provided. The techniques include receiving electrical energy data, wherein the electrical energy data comprises one or more energy pricing parameters specified by an energy supplier, measuring power grid frequency, wherein the power grid comprises the current frequency of the power grid, measuring current energy consumption, wherein current energy consumption comprises total energy consumption in a sampling period, retrieving consumption history, wherein consumption history comprises energy consumed by a customer over a time period, computing a unit energy rate as a function of customer type, the one or more pricing parameters, frequency and past history of consumption, and using the computed rate to compute a total charge as a product of the unit energy rate and the total energy consumption.

Claims

1. A method for real-time pricing of electrical energy, wherein the method comprises:

receiving electrical energy data, wherein the electrical energy data comprises one or more energy pricing parameters specified by an energy supplier, wherein the one or more energy pricing parameters depend on type of customer and on price sensitivity of a customer, and wherein receiving electrical energy data is carried out via a module executing on a hardware processor;

measuring power grid frequency for a sampling period of a pre-determined duration, wherein the power grid comprises the current frequency of the power grid, and wherein measuring power grid frequency is carried out via a module executing on a hardware processor;

measuring current energy consumption, wherein current energy consumption comprises total energy consumption in a most recent sampling period, and wherein measuring current energy consumption is carried out via a module executing on a hardware processor;

storing the total energy consumption for the most recent sampling period in a database;

retrieving consumption history from the database, wherein consumption history comprises cumulative energy consumption by a customer over a sliding window time period of multiple sampling periods, and wherein retrieving consumption history is carried out via a module executing on a hardware processor;

computing a unit energy rate as a function of customer type, the one or more pricing parameters, the measured power grid frequency and the retrieved consumption history, wherein computing a unit energy rate is carried out via a module executing on a hardware processor; and

using the computed rate to compute a total charge for the most recent sampling period as a product of the unit energy rate and the total energy consumption in the most recent sampling period, wherein using the computed rate to compute a total charge is carried out via a module executing on a hardware processor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters comprise one or more coefficients of one or more terms of a pricing equation specified by a utility server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters are at least one of obtained from the power grid and hard-wired in a meter.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring the frequency comprises measuring electrical grid frequency with a frequency sensing meter (FSM).

5. The method of claim 4, wherein computing a unit energy rate as a function of customer type, the one or more pricing parameters, frequency and past history of consumption comprises using the frequency sensing meter (FSM) to map the power grid frequency to a price on a frequency versus kilowatt hour (KWH)-rate curve sent by a utility server.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising recalibrating a frequency sensing circuit of the frequency sensing meter (FSM) by comparing the frequency measured by the sensing circuit with a frequency measured by a utility server.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising recalibrating a rate computation module of the frequency sensing meter (FSM) by considering at least one of past data, type of customer and price sensitivity of a customer.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising a frequency sensing meter (FSM) storing the electrical energy data locally.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a system, wherein the system comprises one or more distinct software modules, each of the one or more distinct software modules being embodied on a tangible computer-readable recordable storage medium, and wherein the one or more distinct software modules comprise a frequency sensor module, a current sensor module, a frequency sensing meter module, a non-volatile storage module and a network module executing on a hardware processor.

10. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory tangible computer readable recordable storage medium including computer useable program code for real-time pricing of electrical energy, the computer program product including:

computer useable program code for receiving electrical energy data, wherein the electrical energy data comprises one or more energy pricing parameters specified by an energy supplier, and wherein the one or more energy pricing parameters depend on type of customer and on price sensitivity of a customer;

computer useable program code for measuring power grid frequency for a sampling period of a pre-determined duration, wherein the power grid comprises the current frequency of the power grid;

computer useable program code for measuring current energy consumption, wherein current energy consumption comprises total energy consumption in a most recent sampling period;

computer useable program code for storing the total energy consumption for the most recent sampling period in a database;

computer useable program code for retrieving consumption history from the database, wherein consumption history comprises cumulative energy consumption by a customer over a sliding window time period of multiple sampling periods;

computer useable program code for computing a unit energy rate as a function of customer type, the one or more pricing parameters, the measured power grid frequency and the retrieved consumption history; and

computer useable program code for using the computed rate to compute a total charge for the most recent sampling period as a product of the unit energy rate and the total energy consumption in the most recent sampling period.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the one or more parameters comprise one or more coefficients of one or more terms of a pricing equation specified by a utility server.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer useable program code for measuring the frequency comprises computer useable program code for measuring electrical grid frequency with a frequency sensing meter (FSM).

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer useable program code for computing a unit energy rate as a function of customer type, the one or more pricing parameters, frequency and past history of consumption comprises computer useable program code for using the frequency sensing meter (FSM) to map the power grid frequency to a price on a frequency versus kilowatt hour (KWH)-rate curve sent by a utility server.

14. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer useable program code comprises one or more distinct software modules, and wherein the one or more distinct software modules comprise a frequency sensor module, a current sensor module, a frequency sensing meter module, a non-volatile storage module and a network module executing on a hardware processor.

15. A system for real-time pricing of electrical energy, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and operative to;

receive electrical energy data, wherein the electrical energy data comprises one or more energy pricing parameters specified by an energy supplier, and wherein the one or more energy pricing parameters depend on type of customer and on price sensitivity of a customer;

measure power grid frequency for a sampling period of a pre-determined duration, wherein the power grid comprises the current frequency of the power grid;

measure current energy consumption, wherein current energy consumption comprises total energy consumption in a most recent sampling period;

store the total energy consumption for the most recent sampling period in a local database;

retrieve consumption history from the local database, wherein consumption history comprises cumulative energy consumption by a customer over a sliding window time period of multiple sampling periods;

compute a unit energy rate as a function of customer type, the one or more pricing parameters, the measured power grid frequency and the retrieved consumption history; and

use the computed rate to compute a total charge for the most recent sampling period as a product of the unit energy rate and the total energy consumption in the most recent sampling period.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more parameters comprise one or more coefficients of one or more terms of a pricing equation specified by a utility server.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor coupled to the memory is further operative to store the electrical energy data locally.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor coupled to the memory operative to measure the frequency is further operative to measure electrical grid frequency with a frequency sensing meter (FSM).

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one processor coupled to the memory operative to compute a unit energy rate as a function of customer type, the one or more pricing parameters, frequency and past history of consumption is further operative to use the frequency sensing meter (FSM) to map the power grid frequency to a price on a frequency versus kilowatt hour (KWH)-rate curve sent by a utility server.

20. The system of claim 15, further comprising a tangible computer-readable recordable storage medium having one or more distinct software modules embodied thereon, wherein the one or more distinct software modules comprise a frequency sensor module, a current sensor module, a frequency sensing meter module, a non-volatile storage module and a network module executing on a hardware processor.