Systems and Methods for Advanced Energy Network

• US 20170083989A1
• Filed: 09/22/2016
• Published: 03/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Causam Enterprises, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Causam Energy, Inc.
• Inventors: Brockman, Nathaniel Taylor, Forbes, Jr., Joseph W.
• Granted Patent: US 10,475,138 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/008 Rewarding for providing delivery of electricity to the network
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/12 Billing, invoicing, buying or selling transactions or other related activities, e.g. cost or usage evaluation

Abstract

A multiplicity of participants comprising utility operators, distributed energy resource (DER) providers, vendors/aggregators, energy customers, and utility financial officers, are communicatively connected to a platform. The platform provides interactive interfaces for each type of participant to access the platform over communication network. Utility operators are enabled to view and control DER in a certain area via an interface for utility operators. DER providers are enabled to interconnect DER packages to a utility grid via an interface for DER providers. Vendors/aggregators are enabled to view and manage their portfolios via an interface for vendors/aggregators. Energy customers are enabled to view energy information, shop for new products or services, and manage rate plans via an interface for marketplace. Utility financial officers are enabled to view revenue streams from the platform to a utility via an interface for financial settlement.

Claims

1. A system of an advanced energy network comprising:

a platform communicatively connected to at least one distributed computing device operable for providing inputs from at least one energy user, wherein the platform is operable to;

create a user profile for the at least one energy user;

collect energy usage data for the at least one energy user;

associate the energy usage data with the user profile corresponding to the at least one energy user;

aggregate the energy usage data;

estimate projected energy usage for the at least one energy user, thereby creating projected energy usage data;

predict energy consumption data based on the energy usage data and the projected energy usage data; and

store the energy usage data, the projected energy usage data, and the predicted energy consumption data in a database.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the platform is operable to collect energy usage data from a utility bill uploaded to the platform.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the platform is operable to automatically recognize the format of the utility bill.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the platform is operable to allow the at least one energy user to select the energy usage data to capture from the utility bill.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the platform automatically populates the database based on the energy usage data in the utility bill.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the platform is further operable to collect at least one of real-time data from grid elements and data from smart meters associated with the at least one energy user.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the user profile further comprises information regarding preferences of the at least one energy user, wherein the user preferences comprise at least one of automatic uploading of utility bills, contact preferences, payment preferences, privacy preferences, renewability of energy sources, grid element preferences, rate plans, consumption, cost, locality, and market supply.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the user profile further includes a plurality of variability factors.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the platform is further operable to obtain information regarding the plurality of variability factors from public sources.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the platform is further operable to display a map, wherein the map further includes the predicted energy consumption data.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the platform is operable to allow information contained in the user profile to be used for sales and marketing efforts by at least one of a vendor, a utility, or a utility partner.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one energy user associates at least one grid element with the user profile.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the platform is operable to perform settlements for electrical power introduced or supplied to an electric power grid at a point of attachment for at least one grid element.