Systems and methods for automated availability and/or outage management

• US 8,977,976 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2011
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gridspeak Corporation
• Original Assignee: Gridspeak Corporation
• Inventors: Simmons, Karl A.
• Primary Examiner(s): NABI, REZA U
• Application Number:
  US13/879,014
• Publication Number:
  US 20130263035A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,244 Days
• Field of Search: 715/772
• US Class Current: 715/772
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• 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 40/128 involving the use of Internet protocol

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for instantly and electronically reporting generation outages and/or availability to the grid operator. More specifically, the invention relates to systems for creating outage requests on a mobile device or web interface, accepting outage requests, processing the outage request, submitting the outage request to the grid operator electronically, receiving and communicating acknowledgement of receipt, acceptance or rejection of the outage request and starting the outage when an outage request is approved. In some embodiments, workflow design for processing the outage request may occur on a mobile device or web interface.

Claims

1. An automated availability and/or outage management system comprising:

one or more utility meters;

one or more power generators;

a workflow designer hosted on a device with a display, wherein the workflow designer is configured to accept a user input via a graphical interface shown on the display, wherein the user input includes (1) an outage request comprising location of an outage, magnitude of an outage, time of an outage, duration of an outage, or outage type, and (2) an alteration to one or more workflow rules that process the outage request; and

a workflow engine in communication with the workflow designer over a network, wherein the workflow engine is configured to process the user input that includes the location of an outage, magnitude of an outage, time of an outage, duration of an outage, or outage type, in accordance with the altered one or more workflow rules, and wherein the workflow engine is configured to communicate power availability and/or outage related information with a grid operator,

wherein said system is configured to monitor the one or more utility meters to sense whether the outage has occurred,

wherein the one or more power generators are powered down for an outage when the grid operator receives the power availability and/or outage related information and makes a determination to approve an outage request,

wherein said system displays a connector on the display showing a task corresponding to said availability and/or outage related information, said connector showing an order or a relationship of the task, and

wherein the task corresponding to the user is performed automatically with aid of a processor and without requiring human intervention.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the user input further includes at least one of the following:

criteria for an outage management process, or a checklist for an outage management process.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the workflow designer is pre-configured to follow one or more regulation.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the power availability and/or outage related information includes one or more of the following:

outage request, outage start, or forced outage reports.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the device is a mobile device.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the workflow engine is configured to process outages differently according to outage type.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the outage type has one or more of the following characteristics:

planned outage, unplanned outage, intermittency, location of outage, magnitude of outage, timing of outage, duration of outage, source of outage.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising an outage management reporter configured to display a status of one or more outage requests or information on power availability.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the grid operator provides feedback to the workflow engine, wherein the feedback is whether an outage requested by the workflow engine has occurred.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising an email client configured to generate outage related notification messages based on information received from the workflow engine.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the workflow engine resides on a server in communication with the device over the network, wherein said server comprises a memory and a processor configured to execute one or more steps performed by the workflow engine.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the system monitors the one or more utility meters and provides an indication of generation status, level, or trends.

13. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of power generators managed by the grid operator, said power generators selected from two or more of the following:

generators primarily driven by heat engines fueled by chemical combustion, generators primarily driven by nuclear fission, generators primarily driven by kinetic energy from flower water and wind, generators primarily driven by solar photovoltaics, generators primarily driven by solar thermal power, or generators primarily driven by geothermal power.

14. A method for automated availability and/or outage management, said method comprising:

providing a management system comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the management system is configured to store one or more availability and/or outage task within the memory, and wherein the management system is configured to communicate with one or more utility meters and one or more power generators;

accepting, at the management system, a workflow rules input and outage information, wherein the workflow rules input includes one or more of the following;

adding, removing, or modifying an existing task for processing one or more outage request; and

providing, from the management system, the one or more outage request, wherein said outage request is generated using the processor of the management system based on the accepted workflow rules input and the outage information, wherein the management system is configured to communicate the outage request with a grid operator,

wherein the management system is configured to monitor the one or more utility meters to sense whether the outage has occurred,

wherein the one or more power generators are powered down for an outage when the grid operator receives the outage request and makes a determination to approve the outage request,

wherein said management system displays a connector on a display showing a task corresponding to said outage request, said connector showing an order or a relationship of the task, and

wherein the task corresponding to the user is performed automatically with aid of a processor and without requiring human intervention.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the outage information is provided by one or more of the following sources:

user, grid operator, or utility meter.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining whether one or more conditions for the outage are met, if the grid operator approves the outage request.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the one or more conditions are met when one or more of the following occurs:

a predetermined length of time has elapsed, a predetermined time has been reached, one or more user inputs have been provided, one or more environmental condition has been reached, or one or more power load level has been reached.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the workflow rules input and outage information is provided by a generation operator interacting with a workflow designer hosted on a device with a display, via a graphical interface shown on the display.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising displaying the one or more availability and/or outage task on a display of a device communicating with the memory, wherein the one or more availability and/or outage task is added into a workflow by dragging a visual representation of the task on a screen in the display.