Facilitating revenue generation from wholesale electricity markets based on a self-tuning energy asset model

• US 9,367,825 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2013
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Viridity Energy Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Viridity Energy Incorporated
• Inventors: Steven, Alain P., Hameyie, Eunice B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bahta, Kidest
• Application Number:
  US13/888,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20130346139A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,135 Days
• Field of Search: 700/276, 700/291, 700/286, 700/292
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06314 Calendaring for a resource
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/84 Greenhouse gas [GHG] management systems

Abstract

The apparatus, systems and methods herein facilitate generation of energy-related revenue for an energy customer of an electricity supplier. The apparatuses and methods herein can be used to generate suggested operating schedules for the energy assets that including a controllable energy asset, using an objective function. The objective function is determined based on a dynamic simulation model of the energy profile of the energy assets. The dynamic simulation model is adaptive to physical changes in the energy assets based on a parametric estimation using at least one model parameter. The model parameter is at least one of an operation characteristic of the controllable energy asset, a thermodynamic property of the energy assets, and a projected environmental condition. Energy-related revenue available to the energy customer is based at least in part on a wholesale electricity market or on a regulation market.

Claims

1. An apparatus for generating operation parameters and/or operating schedules for at least one building asset, the apparatus comprising:

at least one communication interface;

at least one memory to store processor-executable instructions and a day-ahead building asset model; and

at least one processing unit communicatively coupled to the at least one communication interface and the at least one memory, wherein, upon execution of the processor-executable instructions, the at least one processing unit;

A) determines the day-ahead building asset model;

wherein the day-ahead building asset model is a dynamic self-tuning energy asset model that comprises a computation of thermodynamics properties of the at least one building asset;

wherein the dynamic self-tuning energy asset model adapts itself to the conditions, including physical characteristics, of the at least one building asset; and

wherein the dynamic self-tuning energy asset model is predictive of energy consumption of the at least one building asset as a function of time; and

B) computes the operation parameters and/or operating schedules for at least one building asset using the day-ahead building asset model and variations in the forecast wholesale electricity price of electric energy usage in the wholesale market during a defined time period; and

C) controls the at least one communication interface to transmit to the energy customer the determined operation parameters and/or operating schedules;

wherein the day-ahead building asset model is used to generate operation parameters and operating schedules for at least one building asset based at least in part on at least one operation characteristic of the building asset; and

wherein input to the day-ahead building asset model includes at least one operation characteristic of the at least one building asset.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein input to the day-ahead building asset model comprises a time period being modeled and/or weather-related parameters.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the weather-related parameters comprise outside air temperature (OAT), outside air humidity (OAH), solar irradiance (Q_irradiance), and/or cloud cover.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operation parameters and/or operating schedules comprise values for building zone air temperature (including a return-air-temperature (RAT)) and/or a set-point (SPT) for one or more building components.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an output of the day-ahead building asset model is used to determine a projected value of energy usage.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an output of the day-ahead building asset model is used to project a day-ahead expected performance of at least one component and/or system of the building asset when they are later operated according to the operation parameters and/or operating schedules.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operation parameters and/or operating schedules comprise one or more bias signals to control the RAT and/or the SPT for one or more building components.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller to modify, in real-time, the one or more bias signals.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the PID controller modifies the one or more bias signals to change a load and/or a zone temperature of the for one or more building components.

10. A method for generating operation parameters and/or operating schedules for at least one building asset, the method comprising:

A) determining, using at least one processing unit, the day-ahead building asset model;

wherein the day-ahead building asset model is a dynamic self-tuning energy asset model that comprises a computation of thermodynamics properties of the at least one building asset;

wherein the dynamic self-tuning energy asset model adapts itself to the conditions, including physical characteristics, of the at least one building asset; and

wherein the dynamic self-tuning energy asset model is predictive of energy consumption of the at least one building asset as a function of time; and

B) computing, using the at least one processing unit, the operation parameters and/or operating schedules for at least one building asset using the day-ahead building asset model and variations in the forecast wholesale electricity price of electric energy usage in the wholesale market during a defined time period; and

C) controlling at least one communication interface to transmit to the energy customer the determined operation parameters and/or operating schedules;

wherein the day-ahead building asset model is used to generate operation parameters and operating schedules for at least one building asset based at least in part on at least one operation characteristic of the building asset; and

wherein input to the day-ahead building asset model includes at least one operation characteristic of the at least one building asset.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein input to the day-ahead building asset model comprises a time period being modeled and/or weather-related parameters.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the weather-related parameters comprise outside air temperature (OAT), outside air humidity (OAH), solar irradiance (Q_irradiance), and/or cloud cover.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the operation parameters and/or operating schedules comprise values for building zone air temperature (including a return-air-temperature (RAT)) and/or a set-point (SPT) for one or more building components.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein an output of the day-ahead building asset model is used to determine a projected value of energy usage.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein an output of the day-ahead building asset model is used to project a day-ahead expected performance of at least one component and/or system of the building asset when they are later operated according to the operation parameters and/or operating schedules.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the operation parameters and/or operating schedules comprise one or more bias signals to control the RAT and/or the SPT for one or more building components.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising applying a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller to modify, in real-time, the one or more bias signals.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the PID controller modifies the one or more bias signals to change a load and/or a zone temperature of the for one or more building components.

19. A non-transitory machine readable memory medium having at least one program embodied thereon, the at least one program including processor-executable instructions which when executed cause at least one processing unit to execute a method comprising:

A) determining, using at least one processing unit, the day-ahead building asset model;

wherein the day-ahead building asset model is a dynamic self-tuning energy asset model that comprises a computation of thermodynamics properties of the at least one building asset;

wherein the dynamic self-tuning energy asset model adapts itself to the conditions, including physical characteristics, of the at least one building asset; and

wherein the dynamic self-tuning energy asset model is predictive of energy consumption of the at least one building asset as a function of time; and

B) computing, using the at least one processing unit, the operation parameters and/or operating schedules for at least one building asset using the day-ahead building asset model and variations in the forecast wholesale electricity price of electric energy usage in the wholesale market during a defined time period; and

C) controlling at least one communication interface to transmit to the energy customer the determined operation parameters and/or operating schedules;

wherein the day-ahead building asset model is used to generate operation parameters and operating schedules for at least one building asset based at least in part on at least one operation characteristic of the building asset; and

wherein input to the day-ahead building asset model includes at least one operation characteristic of the at least one building asset.