Electric power grid control using a market-based resource allocation system
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- receiving at an intermediary computing system a plurality of requests for electricity from a plurality of electricity consumers, wherein each of the plurality of requests indicates a requested quantity of electricity and a consumer-requested index value indicative of a maximum price a respective electricity consumer is willing to pay for the requested quantity of electricity;
receiving at the intermediary computing system a plurality of offers for supplying electricity from a plurality of electricity suppliers, wherein each of the plurality of offers indicates an offered quantity of electricity and a supplier-requested index value indicative of a minimum price for which a respective electricity supplier is willing supply the offered quantity of electricity; and
with the intermediary computing system, determining a dispatched index value indicating a price at which electricity is to be supplied and purchased based at least in part on the consumer-requested index values and the supplier-requested index values.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed herein are representative embodiments of methods, apparatus, and systems for distributing a resource (such as electricity) using a resource allocation system. In one exemplary embodiment, a plurality of requests for electricity are received from a plurality of end-use consumers. The requests indicate a requested quantity of electricity and a consumer-requested index value indicative of a maximum price a respective end-use consumer will pay for the requested quantity of electricity. A plurality of offers for supplying electricity are received from a plurality of resource suppliers. The offers indicate an offered quantity of electricity and a supplier-requested index value indicative of a minimum price for which a respective supplier will produce the offered quantity of electricity. A dispatched index value is computed at which electricity is to be supplied based at least in part on the consumer-requested index values and the supplier-requested index values.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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receiving at an intermediary computing system a plurality of requests for electricity from a plurality of electricity consumers, wherein each of the plurality of requests indicates a requested quantity of electricity and a consumer-requested index value indicative of a maximum price a respective electricity consumer is willing to pay for the requested quantity of electricity; receiving at the intermediary computing system a plurality of offers for supplying electricity from a plurality of electricity suppliers, wherein each of the plurality of offers indicates an offered quantity of electricity and a supplier-requested index value indicative of a minimum price for which a respective electricity supplier is willing supply the offered quantity of electricity; and with the intermediary computing system, determining a dispatched index value indicating a price at which electricity is to be supplied and purchased based at least in part on the consumer-requested index values and the supplier-requested index values. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A system comprising at least two electricity allocation systems, a first of the electricity allocation systems being nested within a second of the electricity allocation systems, the at least two electricity allocation systems being configured to communicate with electricity consumers and electricity suppliers according to a bi-directional communication protocol to dispatch electricity between the electricity consumers and electricity suppliers;
wherein the electricity allocation systems dispatch electricity at least in part by; separating requests and offers for electricity into two groups; sorting items in the two groups according to a quantity level; and determining a dispatched index value for electricity by determining an index value at which approximately the same quantity level for requests and offers occurs. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for generating a generator bid value for bidding to supply electricity in a market-based resource allocation system, comprising:
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using computing hardware, computing a generator bid value indicative of a price at which a generator can deliver electricity into a power grid; transmitting the generator bid value and a value indicative of a magnitude of electrical load the generator can remove from the power grid to a central computer that manages the resource allocation system; receiving a message from the central computer indicating whether the generator should be activated, wherein the message from the central computer includes a current market price value indicative of a current market price for electricity; and activating the generator based on a determination that the generator bid value is less than the current market price value. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A computer-readable storage device storing computer-readable instructions, which when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for generating a generator bid value for bidding to supply electricity in a market-based resource allocation system, the method comprising:
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using computing hardware, computing a generator bid value indicative of a price at which a generator can deliver electricity into a power grid; transmitting the generator bid value and a value indicative of a magnitude of electrical load the generator can remove from the power grid to a central computer that manages the resource allocation system; receiving a message from the central computer indicating whether the generator should be activated, wherein the message from the central computer includes a current market price value indicative of a current market price for electricity; and activating the generator based on a determination that the generator bid value is less than the current market price value.
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19. A system configured to generate a generator bid value for bidding to supply electricity in a market-based resource allocation system, the system comprising:
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computing hardware computing a generator bid value indicative of a price at which a generator can deliver electricity into a power grid; a transmitter transmitting the generator bid value and a value indicative of a magnitude of electrical load the generator can remove from the power grid to a central computer that manages the resource allocation system; a receiver receiving a message from the central computer indicating whether the generator should be activated, wherein the message from the central computer includes a current market price value indicative of a current market price for electricity; and an activator activating the generator based on a determination that the generator bid value is less than the current market price value.
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Specification