Distributed energy storage for reducing power demand
First Claim
1. A system configured for operation at a residential location that has at least one load that exhibits a demand characteristic that changes in excess of a threshold level, at least one load that has a demand characteristic that changes less than the threshold level, and an electrical distribution panel that is configured to receive power at the residential location from a remote power source, to distribute a portion of the received power to the at least one load that has a demand characteristic that changes in excess of the threshold level, and to distribute another portion of the received power to the at least one load that has a demand characteristic that changes less than the threshold level, the system comprising:
- a local power source configured to;
connect to the electrical distribution panel, connect, in series, to the at least one load that has a demand characteristic that changes less than the threshold level, access an indication of a power demand generated by loads at the residential location, determine, based on the accessed indication of power demand generated by loads at the residential location, that a peak power demand is occurring at the residential location, and based on the determination that the peak power demand is occurring at the residential location, provide power to the at least one load that has a demand characteristic that changes less than the threshold level.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Mating an energy storage component and a power conversion and delivery component with computer intelligence and digital data communications hardware helps to effectively and efficiently monitor and react to the power demand profile at a location in an advanced manner without expensive industrial controls or human interaction. A local power source includes an energy storage component and a power conversion and delivery component, and delivers power to a load or a load group. The local power source is controlled by a control component including, for example, digital computer hardware and digital communications hardware. The control component is capable of monitoring power demand, detecting various stimuli, and triggering a reaction by the local power source to reduce peak demand.
208 Citations
38 Claims
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1. A system configured for operation at a residential location that has at least one load that exhibits a demand characteristic that changes in excess of a threshold level, at least one load that has a demand characteristic that changes less than the threshold level, and an electrical distribution panel that is configured to receive power at the residential location from a remote power source, to distribute a portion of the received power to the at least one load that has a demand characteristic that changes in excess of the threshold level, and to distribute another portion of the received power to the at least one load that has a demand characteristic that changes less than the threshold level, the system comprising:
a local power source configured to;
connect to the electrical distribution panel, connect, in series, to the at least one load that has a demand characteristic that changes less than the threshold level, access an indication of a power demand generated by loads at the residential location, determine, based on the accessed indication of power demand generated by loads at the residential location, that a peak power demand is occurring at the residential location, and based on the determination that the peak power demand is occurring at the residential location, provide power to the at least one load that has a demand characteristic that changes less than the threshold level. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method comprising:
providing a tool configured for;
accessing an indication of a power demand generated by loads at a residential location that has at least one load that has a demand characteristic that changes in excess of a threshold level, at least one load that has a demand characteristic that changes less than the threshold level, and an electrical distribution panel configured to receive power at the residential location from a remote source, distribute a portion of the received power to the at least one load that has a demand characteristic that changes in excess of the threshold level, and to distribute a portion of the received power to the at least one load that has a demand characteristic that changes less than the threshold level;
determining, based on the accessed indication of power demand generated by loads at the residential location, that a peak power demand is occurring at the residential location; and
based on the determination that the peak power demand is occurring at the residential location, providing power to the at least one load that has a demand characteristic that changes less than the threshold level. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A system configured for operation at a location that has an electrical distribution panel, one or more loads, and a local power network connected to the electrical distribution panel and the one or more loads, the electrical distribution panel configured to receive power at the location from a remote power source and distribute the received power to the one or more loads over the local power network, the system comprising:
a local power source, at the location, configured to;
connect to the electrical distribution panel in parallel with the remote power source, access an indication of a power demand generated by loads at the location, determine, based on the accessed indication of power demand generated by loads at the location, that a peak power demand is occurring at the location, and based on the determination that the peak power demand is occurring at the location, inject supplemental power through the electrical distribution panel into the local power network, such that the supplemental power and the received power are distributed to the one or more loads concurrently. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A method comprising:
providing a tool configured for accessing an indication of a power demand at a location that has an electrical distribution panel, one or more loads, and a local power network connected to the electrical distribution panel and the one or more loads, the electrical distribution panel configured to receive power at the location from a remote power source and distribute the received power to the one or more loads over the local power network;
determining, based on the accessed indication of power demand at the location, that a peak power demand is occurring at the location; and
based on the determination that the peak power demand is occurring at the location, injecting supplemental power through the electrical distribution panel into the local power network, such that the supplemental power and the received power are distributed to the one or more loads concurrently. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34)
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35. The method of 34 wherein:
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the tool is further configured for accessing one or more operational parameters; and
the determination that the peak power demand is occurring at the location is based on the one or more operational parameters in addition to the indication of the power demand at the location. - View Dependent Claims (36)
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37. A method comprising:
providing a tool for;
accessing an indication of a power demand at a residential location, accessing one or more operational parameters, determining, based on the accessed indication of the power demand at the residential location and the accessed one or more operational parameters, that a peak power demand is occurring at the residential location. - View Dependent Claims (38)
Specification