Method for controlling energy resources

• US 8,855,829 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2008
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gridpoint (Twenty First Century Utilities LLC)
• Original Assignee: Gridpoint (Twenty First Century Utilities LLC)
• Inventors: Golden, Brian, McMahan, Courtney, Hakim, David, Shnekendorf, Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): JARRETT, RYAN A
• Application Number:
  US11/968,941
• Publication Number:
  US 20080167756A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,469 Days
• Field of Search: 700/295, 700/291
• US Class Current: 700/291
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/32 using batteries with converting means
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 End-user application control systems

Abstract

A system and method for managing power consumption and storage in a power grid. Measurements are received from a plurality of geographically distributed energy management controllers. Each energy management controllers has energy storage units with stored energy. The measurements comprise the energy production and storage capacity of the energy management controllers and their associated energy storage units. The measurements are processed, e.g., aggregated, and displayed on a graphical user interface. Commands are transmitted to a first subset of the energy management controllers to command the units to discharge their stored energy into a power grid through an inverter. Commands are transmitted to a second subset of the plurality of energy management controllers to store energy in each unit'"'"'s energy storage unit.

Claims

1. A method of controlling energy consumption of a plurality of energy consuming devices at a premises, each of the plurality of energy consuming devices being controlled by a corresponding load controller having integrated measurement capability, each load controller being communicatively coupled to one of a plurality of distributed energy management controllers, the plurality of distributed energy management controllers being communicatively coupled to a computer system of an operations control center, comprising:

measuring the individual energy load of each of the plurality of energy consuming devices, the measurement being performed by the corresponding load controller;

communicating the individual energy load measurements from each load controller to a corresponding one of the plurality of distributed energy management controllers;

communicating the individual energy load measurements of each of the plurality of energy consuming devices from the plurality of distributed energy management controllers to the operations control center;

processing, by the computer system, the individual energy load measurements received from the plurality of distributed energy management controllers;

sending a notification of a demand response request from the operations control center to customers associated with each energy management controller, the notification including a schedule of an associated demand response event;

receiving acknowledgement of the demand response request from one or more of the customers associated with each one of the plurality of energy management controllers;

generating a report that indicates how much load can be expected to be shed from each premises associated with a corresponding energy management controller based upon the acknowledgement from each customer;

generating an aggregated estimate of the size of the expected load reduction from a plurality of premises having an associated energy management controller based at least in part on historical load measurements; and

transmitting a command from the operations control center to at least one of the plurality of distributed energy management controllers based on said processed energy load measurements to curtail or engage one or more of the plurality of energy consuming devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of distributed energy management controllers is controlled by a consumer using a graphical user interface and is also remotely controlled by a utility.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the individual energy load measurement is a demand measurement.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the individual energy load measurement is an energy use measurement.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the individual energy load measurement is an energy consumption measurement.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting energy usage data and conservation data from at least one of the plurality of energy management controllers associated with a consumer to the operations control center; and

displaying the energy usage data and conservation data to the consumer via a website.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling the plurality of energy management controllers by the operations control center; and

monitoring the at least one of the plurality of energy management controllers by a consumer via a website provided by the operations control center.

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

aggregating data from individual energy load measurements of a plurality of the energy consuming devices.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing further comprises:

applying algorithms to individual energy load measurements; and

aggregating the results of the algorithms.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing further comprises:

applying algorithms to the individual energy load measurements; and

associating current and predicted weather data with the individual energy load measurements.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing further comprises:

applying algorithms to individual energy load measurements; and

applying user-defined rules to the individual energy load measurements.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of distributed energy management energy management controllers executes the curtailment commands associated with the demand response request, records the performance of the demand response event triggered by the command from the operations control center, and reports the performance of the demand response event back to the operations control center.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

performing calculations on the real-time measurements of the individual energy loads in iterative predictions of the performance of the demand response event while a demand response event triggered by the command from the operations control center is underway; and

determining, based on revised predictions, if the demand response event is not expected to be achieved, or may be achieved more effectively, and if so, automatically alter the command from the operations control center based upon defined constraints and rules.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

aggregating categories of real-time energy load data associated with one or more of the plurality of energy management controllers;

displaying, on a utility console, the aggregated categories of individual real-time energy load data over a first predetermined time period;

calculating load forecasts for categories of the energy consuming devices using historical measured energy usage, the forecasts representing demand reduction potential available from selected categories of curtailable loads; and

displaying the load forecasts on a time scale representing future demand reduction potential.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the load forecast calculation uses exogenous data.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the exogenous data is predicted weather data.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the command is a demand response command that instructs the one or more of the plurality of energy management controllers to curtail energy use of one or more categories of power consuming devices, further comprising:

controlling the one or more of the plurality of load controllers to reduce energy consumption of one or more categories of energy consuming devices;

receiving a load profile of an individual circuit of a customer;

comparing the load profile of the individual circuit to the actual load during the demand response event; and

compensating the consumer for the actual customer'"'"'s individual load that was reduced.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of load controllers is a thermostat.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of load controllers is in-line with the circuit being controlled.

20. A method of controlling energy consumption of a plurality of energy consuming devices at a premises, each of the plurality of energy consuming devices being controlled by a corresponding load controller, each load controller being communicatively coupled to at least one of a plurality of distributed energy management controllers, the plurality of distributed energy management controllers being communicatively coupled to a computer system of an operations control center, comprising:

measuring the individual energy load of each of the plurality of energy consuming devices;

communicating the individual energy load measurements to a corresponding one of the plurality of distributed energy management controllers;

communicating the individual energy load measurements of each of the plurality of energy consuming devices from the plurality of distributed energy management controllers to the operations control center;

processing, by the computer system, the individual energy load measurements received from the plurality of distributed energy management controllers;

sending a notification of a demand response request from the operations control center to customers associated with each of the plurality of energy management controllers, the notification being based on the processed individual energy load measurements and including a schedule of a demand response event to be triggered by the request;

receiving acknowledgement of the demand response request from one or more of the customers associated with each energy management controller;

generating a report that indicates how much load can be expected to be shed from each site associated with one of the plurality of energy management controllers based upon the acknowledgement from each customer;

generating an aggregated estimate of the size of the expected reduction from multiple premises based on historical load measurements;

executing, by the energy management controllers, commands associated with the demand response request;

recording the performance of the demand response event triggered by the demand response request; and

reporting the performance of the demand response event back to the operations control center.