Forward-looking transactive pricing schemes for use in a market-based resource allocation system

• US 9,342,850 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2013
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
• Original Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
• Inventors: Chassin, David P., Fuller, Jason C., Pratt, Robert G., Kumar, Nirupama Prakash, Fisher, Andrew R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Khattar, Rajesh
• Application Number:
  US13/846,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20130254090A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,156 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

Disclosed herein are representative embodiments of methods, apparatus, and systems for distributing a resource (such as electricity) using a resource allocation system. One of the disclosed embodiments is a method for generating a bid value for purchasing electricity in a market-based resource allocation system. In this embodiment, a desired performance value indicative of a user'"'"'s desired performance level for an electrical device is received. Price information from an electricity futures market is received. A bid value for purchasing electricity from a local resource allocation market sufficient to operate the electrical device at the desired performance level is computed. In this embodiment, the computing is performed based at least in part on the desired performance value and based at least in part on the price information from the electricity futures market.

Claims

1. A method of operating a resource allocation system, comprising:

by computing hardware associated with the resource allocation system, receiving a plurality of requests for electricity from a plurality of device controllers associated with a respective plurality of responsive end-use electrical devices, wherein each of the requests indicates a requested quantity of electricity, a device-requested index value indicative of a maximum price a respective end-use electrical device will pay for the requested quantity of electricity, and an indication of whether the respective end-use electrical device is currently operating and thereby consuming electricity from the resource allocation system;

by the computing hardware, computing a responsive load currently experienced in the resource allocation system by summing the requested quantities of electricity from a plurality of the responsive end-use electrical devices that also are currently operating;

by the computing hardware, computing an unresponsive load in the resource allocation system by computing a difference between the responsive load and a total load currently experienced by the resource allocation system, wherein the unresponsive load is associated with unresponsive end-use electrical devices that are currently operating and thereby consuming electricity from the resource allocation system; and

altering the responsive load in the resource allocation system by transmitting a dispatched index value to the plurality of device controllers and causing the device controllers to adjust the electricity consumption of the associated responsive end-use electrical devices in response to the dispatched index value.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using computing hardware, determining a dispatched index value at which electricity is to be supplied based at least in part on the device-requested index values and the unresponsive load.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the dispatched index value is determined using an auction process, and wherein the method further comprises submitting the unresponsive load as a request for electricity having a requested quantity of electricity and a requested index value, the requested quantity of electricity corresponding to the unresponsive load.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the requested index value for the unresponsive load is higher than all other requests for electricity.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the requested index value for the unresponsive load is at a market price cap.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises receiving a plurality of offers for supplying electricity from a plurality of resource suppliers, each of the offers indicating 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, and wherein the determining the dispatched index value is based at least in part on the device-requested index values, the supplier-requested index values, and the unresponsive load.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the acts of receiving the plurality of requests for electricity, computing the responsive load, and computing the unresponsive load are repeated at periodic intervals.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the dispatched index value to at least one of the end-use electrical devices.

9. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions which when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method of operating a resource allocation system, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of requests for electricity from a plurality of device controllers associated with a plurality of responsive end-use electrical devices, wherein each of the requests indicates a requested quantity of electricity, a device-requested index value indicative of a maximum price a respective end-use electrical device will pay for the requested quantity of electricity, and an indication of whether the respective end-use electrical device is currently operating and thereby consuming electricity from the resource allocation system;

computing a responsive load currently experienced in the resource allocation system by summing the requested quantities of electricity from a plurality of the responsive end-use electrical devices that also are currently operating;

computing an unresponsive load in the resource allocation system by computing a difference between the responsive load and a total load currently experienced by the resource allocation system, wherein the unresponsive load is associated with unresponsive end-use electrical devices that are currently operating and thereby consuming electricity from the resource allocation system; and

altering the responsive load in the resource allocation system by transmitting a dispatched index value to the plurality of device controllers and causing the device controllers to adjust the electricity consumption of the associated responsive end-use electrical devices in response to the dispatched index value.

11. The computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises determining a dispatched index value at which electricity is to be supplied based at least in part on the device-requested index values and the unresponsive load.

12. The computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the dispatched index value is determined using an auction process, and wherein the method further comprises submitting the unresponsive load as a request for electricity having a requested quantity of electricity and a requested index value, the requested quantity of electricity corresponding to the unresponsive load.

13. The computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the requested index value for the unresponsive load is higher than all other requests for electricity.

14. The computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the requested index value for the unresponsive load is at a market price cap.

15. The computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises receiving a plurality of offers for supplying electricity from a plurality of resource suppliers, each of the offers indicating 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, and wherein the determining the dispatched index value is based at least in part on the device-requested index values, the supplier-requested index values, and the unresponsive load.

16. The computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein the acts of receiving the plurality of requests for electricity, computing the responsive load, and computing the unresponsive load are repeated at periodic intervals.

17. The computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises transmitting the dispatched index value to at least one of the end-use electrical devices.

10. A system comprising memory and a processor programmed to perform a method of operating a resource allocation system, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of requests for electricity from a plurality of device controllers associated with a plurality of responsive end-use electrical devices, wherein each of the requests indicates a requested quantity of electricity, a device-requested index value indicative of a maximum price a respective end-use electrical device will pay for the requested quantity of electricity, and an indication of whether the respective end-use electrical device is currently operating and thereby consuming electricity from the resource allocation system;

computing a responsive load currently experienced in the resource allocation system by summing the requested quantities of electricity from a plurality of the electrical devices that also are currently operating;

computing an unresponsive load in the resource allocation system by computing a difference between the responsive load and a total load currently experienced by the resource allocation system, wherein the unresponsive load is associated with unresponsive end-use electrical devices that are currently operating and thereby consuming electricity from the resource allocation system; and

altering the responsive load in the resource allocation system by transmitting a dispatched index value to the plurality of device controllers and causing the device controllers to adjust the electricity consumption of the associated responsive end-use electrical devices in response to the dispatched index value.