Method and system for demand response in a distribution network

• US 8,744,638 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2009
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Tyagi, Rajesh, Black, Jason Wayne, Larson, Ronald Ray, Sellhorn, Augusto Ramon, Wang, Xiaofeng
• Primary Examiner(s): Padmanabhan, Kavita
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lin, Jason
• Application Number:
  US12/570,661
• Publication Number:
  US 20110066300A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,707 Days
• Field of Search: 700/286, 700/291, 700295-297, 307/32, 307/34, 307/31, 307 38- 39, 307/41, 702/62
• US Class Current: 700/295
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00006 characterised by information or instructions transport means between the monitoring, controlling or managing units and monitored, controlled or operated power network element or electrical equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/60 Limiting power consumption in the network or in one section of the network, e.g. load shedding or peak shaving
• 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: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/12 characterised by data transport means between the monitoring, controlling or managing units and monitored, controlled or operated electrical equipment
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

A method and system for controlling load in a utility distribution network are provided that initiates a shed event for a node in the distribution network by selecting premisess associated with the node that are participating in a demand response program to reduce the load at the node to desired levels. More specifically, the system and method provide for selecting only enough participating premisess associated with the node that are necessary to reduce the load to desired levels.

Claims

1. A method for controlling load in a distribution network of customers of a utility, wherein each of the customers has corresponding premises, comprising:

receiving information from the utility for a node in the distribution network demanding power above a predetermined threshold, wherein the information comprises node identification information, a shed amount and a shed duration required to reduce the power demand below the predetermined threshold, and information identifying participating customer premises associated with the node and participating in a load shed program from the utility;

estimating a load shed response for the participating customer premises;

estimating an adjusted load shed response based on a network connectivity;

comparing the adjusted load shed response with the shed amount and the shed duration required to reduce the power demand below the predetermined threshold to determine a node response to the adjusted load shed response;

initiating a load shed event when the node response is sufficient to reduce the power demand below the predetermined threshold; and

selecting one or more of the participating customer premises for the load shed event based on the node response.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the estimating the load shed response further comprises:

estimating a rebound affect for the participating customer premises.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein estimating a rebound affect for the participating customer premises comprises comparing participating customer premises load on similar days with the load shed event and without the load shed event.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

informing the one or more participating customer premises of the load shed event;

comparing an actual node response with the node response for the one or more participating customer premises; and

adjusting the one or more participating customer premises selected for the load shed event based on the comparison.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the adjusting comprises:

increasing a number of the participating customer premises when the actual node response is less than the node response; and

decreasing a number of the participating customer premises when the actual node response is more than the node response.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the estimating the load shed response of the participating customer premises comprises obtaining, for each of the participating customer premises, load shed data from one of a device located at the participating customer premises, a load shedding history profile for the participating customer premises, a load shedding history profile for another participating customer premises, or a predefined premises profile.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the obtaining the load shed data from the device located at the participating customer premises comprises obtaining the load shed data from a home energy management system arranged at the participating customer premises.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the obtaining the load shed data from the load shedding history profile for the participating customer premises comprises:

comparing current load shed condition data with historical load shed condition data in the load shedding history profile for the participating customer premises;

identifying a previous load shed event that most closely matches the current load shed condition for the shed event;

retrieving a past load shed response for the previous load shed event; and

applying the past load shed response as the load shed data.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the obtaining load shed data from the load shedding history profile for another participating customer premises comprises:

comparing a participating customer premises profile for the participating customer premises with other participating customer premises profiles;

identifying a different participating customer premises profile that most closely matches the participating customer premises profile;

comparing current load shed condition data for the participating customer premises with historical load shed condition data in a load shedding history profile for the different participating customer premises;

identifying a previous load shed event for the different participating customer premises that most closely matches the current load shed condition data for the shed event;

retrieving a past load shed response for the previous load shed event for the different participating customer premises; and

applying the past load shed response for the different participating customer premises as the load shed.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the obtaining the load shed data from the predefined premises profile comprises:

comparing a participating customer premises profile for the participating customer premises with predefined premises profiles;

identifying the predefined premises profile that most closely matches the participating customer premises profile;

retrieving profile load shed data for the predefined premises profile; and

applying the profile load shed data for the predefined premises profile as the load shed data.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting the one or more of the participating customer premises for the load shed event comprises:

utilizing operations research methods to determine a set of the participating customer premises to select for the load shed event.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the utilizing operations research methods comprises utilizing a knapsack problem formulation.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the selecting the one or more of the participating customer premises for the load shed event comprises:

utilizing one of mathematical programming, dynamic programming, or greedy algorithms; and

solving the knapsack problem formulation.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable instructions of a computer program that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for controlling load in a distribution network of customers of a utility, wherein each of the customers has corresponding premises, the method comprising:

receiving information from the utility for a node in the distribution network demanding power above a predetermined threshold, wherein the information comprises node identification information, a shed amount and a shed duration required to reduce the power demand below the predetermined threshold, and information identifying participating customer premises associated with the node and participating in a load shed program from the utility;

estimating a load shed response for the participating customer premises;

estimating an adjusted load shed response based on a network connectivity;

comparing the estimated adjusted load shed response with the shed amount and the shed duration required to reduce the power demand below the predetermined threshold to determine a node response to the estimated adjusted load shed response;

initiating a load shed event when the node response is sufficient to reduce the power demand below the predetermined threshold; and

selecting one or more of the participating customer premises for the load shed event based on the node response.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein estimating the load shed response of the participating customer premises comprises obtaining, for each of the participating customer premises, load shed data from one of a device located at the participating customer premises, a load shedding history profile for the participating customer premises, a load shedding history profile for another participating customer premises, or a predefined premises profile.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the selecting the one or more of the participating customer premises for the load shed event comprises:

utilizing operations research methods to determine a set of the participating customer premises to select for the load shed event.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the utilizing operations research methods comprises utilizing a knapsack problem formulation.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the selecting the one or more of the participating customer premises for the load shed event comprises:

utilizing one of mathematical programming, dynamic programming, or greedy algorithms; and

solving the knapsack problem formulation.

19. A system for controlling load in a distribution network of customers of a utility, wherein each of the customers has corresponding premises, the system comprising:

a first module configured to receive information identifying a node in the distribution network demanding power above a predetermined threshold, wherein the information comprises a shed amount and a shed duration required to reduce the power demand below the predetermined threshold;

a second module configured to identify participating customer premises associated with the node and participating in a load shed program from the utility;

a third module configured to;

estimate a load shed response of the participating customer premises;

estimate an adjusted load shed response based on a network connectivity;

compare the adjusted load shed response with the shed amount and the shed duration required to reduce the power demand below the predetermined threshold to determine a node response to the adjusted load shed response;

initiate a load shed event when the node response is sufficient to reduce the power demand below the predetermined threshold; and

a fourth module configured to transmit control signals to the selected participating customer premises to reduce a load for the load shed event.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the third module is further configured to:

inform the one or more participating customer premises of the load shed event;

compare an actual node response with the node response for the one or more participating customer premises; and

adjust the one or more participating customer premises selected for the load shed event based on the comparison.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the third module adjusts the one or more participating customer premises selected for the load shed event by increasing a number of the participating customer premises when the actual node response is less than the node response, and decreasing a number of the participating customer premises when the actual node response is more than the node response.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the third module estimates the load shed response of the participating customer premises by obtaining, for each of the participating customer premises, load shed data from one of a device located at the participating customer premises, a load shedding history profile for the participating customer premises, a load shedding history profile for another participating customer premises, or a predefined premises profile.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the third module obtains the load shed data from a home energy management system arranged at the participating customer premises.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the third module obtains the load shed data from the load shedding history profile for the participating customer premises by:

comparing current load shed condition data with historical load shed condition data in the load shedding history profile for the participating customer premises;

identifying a previous load shed event that most closely matches the current load shed condition for the shed event;

retrieving a past load shed response for the previous load shed event; and

applying the past load shed response as the load shed data.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the third module obtains the load shed data from the load shedding history profile for another participating customer premises by:

comparing a participating customer premises profile for the participating customer premises with other participating customer premises profiles;

identifying a different participating customer premises profile that most closely matches the participating customer premises profile;

comparing current load shed condition data for the participating customer premises with historical load shed condition data in a load shedding history profile for the different participating customer premises;

identifying a previous load shed event for the different participating customer premises that most closely matches the current load shed condition data for the shed even;

retrieving a past load shed response for the previous load shed event for the different participating customer premises; and

applying the past load shed response for the different participating customer premises as the load shed.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the third module obtains the load shed data from the predefined premises profile by:

comparing a participating customer premises profile for the participating customer premises with predefined premises profiles;

identifying the predefined premises profile that most closely matches the participating customer premises profile;

retrieving profile load shed data for the predefined premises profile; and

applying the profile load shed data for the predefined profile as the load shed data.