Peakpower energy management and control system method and apparatus

• US 8,396,678 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2009
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: EnSite Power, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Edward L. Davis
• Inventors: Davis, Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Phuong
• Application Number:
  US12/538,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20100033277A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,310 Days
• Field of Search: 702/61, 702/62, 702/179, 702/182, 702/185
• US Class Current: 702/61
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/19 characterised by the use of electric means G05D23/1393 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 11/00 Circuit arrangements for providing service supply to auxiliaries of stations in which electric power is generated, distributed or converted
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00024 by means of mobile telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/12 The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/60 Limiting power consumption in the network or in one section of the network, e.g. load shedding or peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/003 Load forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future load demand
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 30/60 Planning or developing urban green infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/00 Management or operation of end-user stationary applications or the last stages of power distribution; Controlling, monitoring or operating thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 : Home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/244 : the home appliances being or involving heating ventilating and air conditioning [HVAC] units
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 : using wireless data transmission

Abstract

An integrated Energy Management and/or Control System method and apparatus that continually monitors power consumption on each piece of equipment 24/7 and performs detailed analyses of energy consumption curves including derivatives and compares data to historical data on the same equipment as well as going online and acquiring manufacturers specs and comparing to that as well as the same model number equipment in the same or other locations, in order to detect anomalies, abnormal energy consumption or provide early warning of equipment failures.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first sensor for detecting three phase energy usage data of first commercial or industrial equipment at a first location, wherein the first commercial or industrial equipment at the first location utilizes three phase power;

a second sensor for detecting three phase energy usage data of second commercial or industrial equipment at a second location wherein the second commercial or industrial equipment at the second location utilizes three phase power;

a means for collecting the three phase energy usage data of the second commercial or industrial equipment detected by the second sensor;

a means for determining that the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment is outside a specified range of values or predicting the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment will go outside the specified range of values based at least upon a signature of the first commercial or industrial equipment, the signature characterized by at least a sinus rhythm for the first commercial or industrial equipment, and wherein the specified range of values is determined based on the collected three phase energy usage data of the second commercial or industrial equipment at the second location; and

a means for setting an alert responsive to determining the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment is outside the specified range of values or predicting the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment will go outside the specified range of values.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a means to remotely update firmware in the first sensor and the second sensor via the Internet directly or through a local gateway device.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an additional sensor for detecting operating characteristic data of the first commercial or industrial equipment at the first location, the operating characteristic selected from one of;

temperature, humidity, pressure, gas flow, or liquid flow;

an additional sensor for detecting operating characteristic data of the second commercial or industrial equipment at the second location;

a means for collecting the operating characteristic data detected by the additional sensor for the second commercial or industrial equipment;

a means for determining the operating characteristic data of the first commercial or industrial equipment is outside a second specified range of values or predicting the operating characteristic data of the first commercial or industrial equipment will go outside the second specified range of values, wherein the second specified range of values is determined based on the operating characteristic data collected for the second commercial or industrial equipment; and

a means for setting an alert responsive to determining the operating characteristic data of the first commercial or industrial equipment is outside the second specified range of values or predicting the operating characteristic data of the first commercial or industrial equipment will go outside the second specified range of values.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a server for;

collecting the three phase energy usage data of the second commercial or industrial equipment detected by the second sensor;

determining the specified range of values based on the collected three phase energy usage data of the second commercial or industrial equipment;

determining the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment is outside the specified range of values or predicting the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment will go outside the specified range of values; and

setting the alert responsive to determining the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment is outside the specified range of values or predicting the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment will go outside the specified range of values.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a first local gateway device for collecting the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment;

a second local gateway device for collecting the three phase energy usage data of the second commercial or industrial equipment; and

a server for receiving the collected three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment from the first local gateway device and the collected three phase energy usage data of the second commercial or industrial equipment from the second local gateway device, and for determining the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment is outside the specified range of values or predicting the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment will go outside the specified range of values.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein predicting the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment will go outside the specified range of values comprises:

determining a first derivative and a second derivative of the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment to determine a rate at which power consumption of the first commercial or industrial equipment is changing; and

determining the rate at which the power consumption of the first commercial or industrial equipment is changing exceeds a threshold value.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the specified range of values is determined based further on historical three phase energy usage data of the second commercial or industrial equipment.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the specified range of values is determined based further on historical three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the specified range of values is determined based further on an expected range of operation from a specification for the first commercial or industrial equipment and the second commercial or industrial equipment.

10. A method comprising:

detecting, by a first sensor, three phase energy usage data of first commercial or industrial equipment at a first location, wherein the first commercial or industrial equipment at the first location utilizes three phase power;

detecting, by a second sensor, three phase energy usage data of second commercial or industrial equipment at a second location wherein the second commercial or industrial equipment at the second location utilizes three phase power;

collecting the three phase energy usage data of the second commercial or industrial equipment detected by the second sensor;

determining the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment is outside a specified range of values or predicting the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment will go outside the specified range of values based at least upon a signature of the first commercial or industrial equipment, the signature characterized by at least a sinus rhythm for the first commercial or industrial equipment, and wherein the specified range of values is determined based on the collected three phase energy usage data of the second commercial or industrial equipment at the second location; and

setting an alert responsive to determining the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment is outside the specified range of values or predicting the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment will go outside the specified range of values.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

collecting, by a first local gateway device, the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment;

collecting, by a second local gateway device, the three phase energy usage data of the second commercial or industrial equipment;

receiving, by a server, the collected three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment from the first local gateway device and the collected three phase energy usage data of the second commercial or industrial equipment from the second local gateway device; and

determining, by the server, the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment is outside the specified range of values or predicting the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment will go outside the specified range of values.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein predicting the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment will go outside the specified range of values comprises:

determining a first derivative and a second derivative of the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment to determine a rate at which power consumption of the first commercial or industrial equipment is changing; and

determining that the rate at which power consumption of the first commercial or industrial equipment is changing exceeds a threshold value.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the specified range of values is determined based further on historical three phase energy usage data of the second commercial or industrial equipment.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the specified range of values is determined based further on historical three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the specified range of values is determined based further on an expected range of operation from a specification for the first commercial or industrial equipment and the second commercial or industrial equipment.

16. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor on a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

detecting three phase energy usage data of first commercial or industrial equipment at a first location, wherein the first commercial or industrial equipment at the first location utilizes three phase power;

detecting three phase energy usage data of second commercial or industrial equipment at a second location wherein the second commercial or industrial equipment at the second location utilizes three phase power;

collecting the three phase energy usage data of the second commercial or industrial equipment detected by the second sensor;

determining the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment is outside a specified range of values or predicting the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment will go outside the specified range of values based at least upon a signature of the first commercial or industrial equipment, the signature characterized by at least a sinus rhythm for the first commercial or industrial equipment, and wherein the specified range of values is determined based on the collected three phase energy usage data of the second commercial or industrial equipment at the second location; and

setting an alert responsive to determining the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment is outside the specified range of values or predicting the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment will go outside the specified range of values.

17. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein predicting the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment will go outside the specified range of values comprises:

determining a first derivative and a second derivative of the three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment to determine a rate at which power consumption of the first commercial or industrial equipment is changing; and

determining that the rate at which the power consumption of the first commercial or industrial equipment is changing exceeds a threshold value.

18. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the specified range of values is determined based further on historical three phase energy usage data of the second commercial or industrial equipment.

19. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the specified range of values is determined based further on historical three phase energy usage data of the first commercial or industrial equipment.

20. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the specified range of values is determined based further on an expected range of operation from a specification for the first commercial or industrial equipment and the second commercial or industrial equipment.