Supplying grid ancillary services using controllable loads

• US 9,287,710 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2012
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Talkin, David, Brooks, Alec
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUKHARI, AQEEL H
• Application Number:
  US13/466,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20120217803A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,407 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/54 according to a pre-established time schedule
• 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 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: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving

Abstract

A method includes determining a desired power draw for a plurality of loads connected to an electrical grid, each of the plurality of loads connected to the electrical grid through a load supply control and being able to obtain a desired amount of energy from the grid in a desired time period, and transmitting a plurality of instructions through a communication network to a plurality of load supply controls to cause at least some of the loads in the plurality of loads to receive power from the electrical grid at different rates than other loads of the plurality of loads such that the desired power draw is obtained and such that each load of the plurality of loads receives its corresponding desired amount of energy in the desired time period.

Claims

1. A system comprising an aggregator configured to:

communicate with a plurality of modules through a communications network to register the modules with the aggregator, wherein each of the modules is associated with a corresponding load connected to an electrical grid, each load needing a total amount of energy to complete a particular task by a specific time;

determine a total desired power draw for the plurality of loads;

determine instructions for the modules, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the modules to increase or decrease power draws of the loads in response to the instructions such that that the desired power draw is obtained and that each of the loads receives the corresponding total amount of energy to complete the particular task by the specified time; and

,

send the instructions to the modules such that the modules increase or decrease power draws of the loads in accordance with the instructions.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications network is the Internet.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of module inputs configured to receive inputs corresponding to the total amounts of energy from the modules.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of module inputs configured to receive inputs corresponding to the specified times from the modules.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising software configured to convert a plurality of inputs corresponding to the specified times and a plurality of inputs corresponding to the total amounts of energy into the total desired power draw.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions are configured to cause one or more of the modules to turn power on or off to the corresponding loads.

7. A method comprising:

determining, by a load supply control associated with a load connected to an electrical grid, a total amount of energy for the load to complete a particular task by a specified time;

transmitting, by the load supply control to an aggregator through a communication network, information indicating the specified time and the total amount of energy;

receiving, at the load supply control, instructions through the communication network from the aggregator;

in response to receiving the instructions, controlling, by the load supply control, the associated load to cause the load to receive power from the electrical grid at a different rate than other loads connected to the electrical grid such that a total desired power draw of the load and other loads is obtained and such that the load receives the total amount of energy to complete the particular task by the specified time.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the communication network is the Internet.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the load comprises a battery or battery charger, a hot water heater, a refrigeration compressor, a dishwasher, a clothes dryer, an ice makers, or a swimming pool pump.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the battery or battery charger comprises a battery or battery charger for a plug-in vehicle.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the total amount of energy is based upon user input.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the specified time is based upon user input.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the total amount of energy is automatically determined by the module.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the specified time is automatically determined by the module.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of instructions comprises first instructions to turn power to the load on, and second instructions to turn power to the load off.

16. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of instructions comprises first instructions to increase power to the load, and second instructions to decrease power to the load.

17. The method of claim 7, further comprising communicating with the aggregator to register the load supply control for aggregation.

18. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining an urgency value for the load, and transmitting instructions descriptive of the urgency value to the aggregator.

19. The method of claim 7, wherein the urgency value the load is determined based upon a percent of total connect time that the load has been connected, a true duty cycle, and a flexibility of a duty cycle.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the duty cycle is a ratio of a time that energy must be supplied to a total time that the load will be connected to the electrical grid.