Power demand adjustment system and power demand adjustment method

• US 9,727,069 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2012
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Watanabe, Tohru, Utsumi, Masato, Yuasa, Naohiro, Tsuyuzaki, Masao, Kobayashi, Nobuhisa, Tada, Masao, Ootake, Yuuichi, Tsuchiya, Chiemi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Adam
• Application Number:
  US14/376,087
• Publication Number:
  US 20140379154A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,014 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• 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 power demand adjustment system and method that controls a plurality of sub-aggregators and electrical devices in a customer'"'"'s facility based on information collected by the power company and the sub-aggregators. The method and system includes a comparison of the power company and sub-aggregator data which enables accurate accounting and control of the customer'"'"'s electrical devices.

Claims

1. A power demand adjustment system comprising:

an aggregator system, wherein the aggregator system includes;

an aggregator memory that stores a meter reading database, a sub-aggregator database and a power database,

an aggregator communication interface that is communicatively coupled to a power company system and a plurality of sub-aggregator systems, and

an aggregator processor that is communicatively coupled to the aggregator memory and the aggregator communication interface; and

wherein the aggregator processor;

receives, using the aggregator communication interface, meter reading data from the power company system, wherein the meter reading data includes an amount of power consumed by electrical equipment as measured by an electric meter, wherein the electrical equipment and the electric meter are included in each of a plurality of customer systems,

acquires, using the aggregator communication interface, aggregated facility information from the plurality of sub-aggregator systems,

calculates a reference power usage of each sub-aggregator system from the plurality of sub-aggregator systems at a reference time based on the aggregated facility information acquired from the plurality of sub-aggregator systems, wherein the reference time is a time at which a peak power usage of the customer systems occurs during a prescribed time period,

calculates a reference dependency which is an amount of reference power usage contracted between each customer and sub-aggregator system,

distributes the reference power usage at the reference time to the respective sub-aggregator systems according to the reference dependency,

calculates an actual power usage of each sub-aggregator system from the plurality of sub-aggregator systems at a verification time based on the meter reading data received from the power company system, wherein the verification time is a time at which the difference between an aggregate power supply and demand of the customer systems is the smallest,

calculates an actual dependency which is an amount of actual power usage contracted between each customer and sub-aggregator system,

distributes the actual power usage at the verification time to the respective sub-aggregator systems according to the actual dependency,

calculates an actual power savings of each sub-aggregator system by subtracting the actual power usage from the reference power usage of each sub-aggregator system, and

controls the amount of power consumed by the electrical equipment included in the customer systems based on the calculated actual power savings of each sub-aggregator system.

2. The power demand adjustment system according to claim 1, wherein the aggregator processor further:

calculates an actual power adjustment amount for each of the plurality of customer systems based on the aggregated facility information and a type of power demand adjustment by each of the customer systems.

3. The power demand adjustment system according to claim 2, wherein the aggregator processor further:

sends incentive information to each customer system, wherein the incentive information indicates an incentive for each type of power demand adjustment.

4. The power demand adjustment system according to claim 3, wherein the aggregated facility information includes information indicating a magnitude of the power demand by the customer systems.

5. The power demand adjustment system according to claim 4, wherein the aggregated facility information includes information indicating one or more of an inside volume of an indoor space of a customer system, a total floor area of the customer system, a quantity and type of electrical equipment included within the customer system, and a performance and efficiency of the electrical equipment.

6. A power demand adjustment method for adjusting power demand, the power demand adjustment method comprising:

receiving, by a plurality of sub-aggregators, aggregated facility information from each of a plurality of customer systems coupled to a particular sub-aggregator, wherein the aggregated facility information identifies a total floor area of the plurality of customer systems communicatively coupled to the particular sub-aggregator;

transmitting, by the plurality of sub-aggregators, the aggregated facility information to an aggregator, wherein the aggregator includes;

an aggregator memory that stores a meter reading database, a sub-aggregator database and a power database,

an aggregator communication interface that is communicatively coupled to a power company system and the plurality of sub-aggregators, and

an aggregator processor that is communicatively coupled to the aggregator memory and the aggregator communication interface;

receiving, by the aggregator, meter reading data from the power company system, wherein the meter reading data includes an amount of power consumed by electrical equipment as measured by an electric meter, wherein the electrical equipment and the electric meter are included in each of the plurality of customer systems;

acquiring, by the aggregator, the aggregated facility information from the plurality of sub-aggregators;

calculating, by the aggregator, a reference power usage of each sub-aggregator from the plurality of sub-aggregators at a reference time based on the aggregated facility information acquired from the plurality of sub-aggregators, wherein the reference time is a time at which a peak power usage of the customer systems occurs during a prescribed time period,

calculating, by the aggregator, a reference dependency which is an amount of reference power usage contracted between each customer and sub-aggregator system,

distributing, by the aggregator, the reference power usage at the reference time to the respective sub-aggregators according to the reference dependency,

calculating, by the aggregator, an actual power usage of each sub-aggregator from the plurality of sub-aggregators at a verification time based on the meter reading data received from the power company system, wherein the verification time is a time at which the difference between an aggregate power supply and demand of the customer systems is the smallest,

calculating, by the aggregator, an actual dependency which is an amount of actual power usage contracted between each customer and sub-aggregator system,

distributing, by the aggregator, the actual power usage at the verification time to the respective sub-aggregators according to the actual dependency,

calculating, by the aggregator, an actual power savings of each sub-aggregator by subtracting the actual power usage from the reference power usage of each sub-aggregator, and

controlling, by the aggregator, the amount of power consumed by the electrical equipment included in the customer systems based on the calculated actual power savings of each sub-aggregator.