Remote energy management using persistent smart grid network context

• US 9,568,973 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2012
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Raman, Madhusudan, Dubois, Jean Francois, Chipalkatti, Renu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Booker, Kelvin
• Application Number:
  US13/710,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20130103221A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,526 Days
• Field of Search: 700/295, 700/291, 705/37, 713/193, 715/738
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5094 where the allocation takes into account power or heat criteria power management in computers in general G06F1/3203; thermal management in computers in general G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A device may include a memory to store control policies set for a network of smart grid devices connected to a power grid, the control policies including an energy consumption threshold associated with the network of smart grid devices; and a processor configured to obtain network content including energy consumption data associated with the network of smart grid devices, compare the energy consumption data to the energy consumption threshold associated with the network of smart grid devices, generate a first instruction with respect to energy consumption associated with network of smart grid devices, and generate a second instruction with respect to replenishment of unforced capacity associated with the network of smart grid devices.

Claims

1. A method performed by a network controller device, the method comprising:

setting, at the network controller device, control policies including an energy consumption threshold associated with one or more smart grid devices of a smart grid network connected to a power grid associated with an external power source;

receiving, at the network controller device, network content including energy consumption data associated with the one or more smart grid devices;

comparing, responsive to receiving the network content, the energy consumption data to the energy consumption threshold associated with the one or more smart grid devices;

triggering, responsive to results of the comparing indicating that the energy consumption threshold is exceeded, a first operation to switch from using the power grid to using power capacity available from the one or more smart grid devices with respect to energy consumption associated with the smart grid network; and

triggering, responsive to results of the comparing indicating that the energy consumption threshold is not exceeded, a second operation with respect to replenishment of the power capacity associated with the smart grid network,

wherein the replenishment of the power capacity comprises using power from the power grid for recharging, based on a charge threshold identified in the control policies, the one or more smart grid devices to a charge level at or below the charge threshold, and

wherein when the charge level is at or above the charge threshold, the replenishment of the power capacity comprises energy generation by the one or more smart grid devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first operation further comprises curtailment of a consumption of energy, by the smart grid network, received via the power grid.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first operation further comprises use of the power capacity associated with the one or more smart grid devices.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the use of the power capacity comprises using energy stored by the one or more smart grid devices.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the use of the power capacity comprises using energy generated by the one or more smart grid devices.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first operation further comprises:

curtailment of a consumption of energy, by the smart grid network, received via the power grid, and

use of the power capacity associated with the one or more smart grid devices.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

triggering, based on an agreement with respect to the connection between the smart grid network and the power grid, transmission of the generated energy to the power grid.

8. A network device comprising:

a memory to store control policies set for a network of smart grid devices connected to a power grid, the control policies including an energy consumption threshold associated with the network of smart grid devices; and

a processor configured to;

obtain energy consumption data associated with the network of smart grid devices,

compare the energy consumption data to the energy consumption threshold associated with the network of smart grid devices,

generate, responsive to results of the comparing indicating that the energy consumption threshold is exceeded, a first instruction to switch from using the power grid to using power capacity available from the one or more smart grid devices with respect to energy consumption associated with the network of smart grid devices, and

generate, responsive to results of the comparing indicating that the energy consumption threshold is not exceeded, a second instruction with respect to replenishment of the power capacity associated with the network of smart grid devices,

wherein the second instruction corresponds to using power from the power grid for recharging, based on a charge threshold identified in the control policies, one or more of the smart grid devices to a charge level at or below the charge threshold, and

wherein when the charge level is at or above the charge threshold, the second instruction corresponds to generating energy by the one or more of the smart grid devices.

9. The network device of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

generate another instruction for transmission of the generated energy to the power grid.

10. The network device of claim 8, wherein the first instruction further corresponds to curtailment of a consumption of energy, by the network of smart grid devices, received via the power grid.

11. The network device of claim 8, wherein the first instruction further corresponds to use of the power capacity associated with one or more of the smart grid devices.

12. The network device of claim 11, wherein the use of the power capacity comprises using energy stored by the one or more smart grid devices.

13. The network device of claim 11, wherein the use of the power capacity comprises using energy generated by the one or more smart grid devices.

14. The network device of claim 8, wherein the first instruction further corresponds to:

curtailment of a consumption of energy, by the network of smart grid devices, received via the power grid, and

use of the power capacity associated with one or more of the smart grid devices.

15. A system comprising:

a storage device to store control policies, associated with a network of smart grid devices that connect to a power grid, including a curtailment threshold corresponding to curtailing an amount of power, received via the power grid, related to a curtailment operation; and

a first device configured to;

receive, from a second device associated with the power grid, a curtailment request with respect to a portion of the amount of power received via the power grid,

obtain, from a third device, a value representing an amount of power capacity associated with the network of smart grid devices,

determine a curtailment capacity based on a comparison of the curtailment threshold to the value representing an amount of power capacity,

perform a comparison of the curtailment capacity to the curtailment request,

generate, based on first results of the comparison, a first notification to not perform the curtailment operation responsive to an amount of power indicated in the curtailment request exceeding the curtailment capacity,

generate, in response to generation of the first notification, a second notification to perform a replenishment of the power capacity, including;

using the power grid for recharging, based on a charge threshold identified in the control policies, one or more of the smart grid devices to a charge level at or below the charge threshold, and

when the charge level is at or above the charge threshold, generating energy by the one or more smart grid devices, and

generate, based on second results of the comparison, a third notification to perform the curtailment operation responsive to an amount of power indicated in the curtailment request not exceeding the curtailment capacity, wherein the curtailment operation includes switching from the power grid to using the power capacity available from the one or more smart grid devices.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein, when obtaining the value representing the amount of power capacity, the first device is further configured to determine:

an amount of stored energy available from one of more of the smart grid devices, and

an energy generation capacity for one or more of the smart grid devices.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein performing a replenishment of the power capacity further comprises transmitting the energy generated by the one or more smart grid devices to the power grid.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein, when obtaining the value representing an amount of power capacity, the first device is further configured to determine an amount of stored energy available from one of more of the smart grid devices.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein, when obtaining the value representing an amount of power capacity, the first device is further configured to determine an energy generation capacity for one of more of the smart grid devices.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein performing a replenishment of the power capacity further includes transmitting the energy stored by the one or more smart grid devices to the power grid.