System, method, and apparatus for settlement for participation in an electric power grid

• US 8,595,094 B1
• Filed: 05/07/2013
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Causam Exchange Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Causam Holdings LLC
• Inventors: Forbes, Joseph W. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gart, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hayles, Ashford S
• Application Number:
  US13/888,839
• Time in Patent Office: 203 Days
• Field of Search: 705/34, 340/870.02, 700/295, 700/286
• US Class Current: 705/34
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 17/00 Control of torque; Control of mechanical power
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 3/12 using feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• 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: H02J 13/00 Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 : the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2203/20 : Simulating, e g planning, reliability check, modelling or computer assisted design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/008 : involving trading of energy or energy transmission rights
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 : Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/325 : in the network layer [OSI layer 3], e.g. X.25 H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 : Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 : Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/845 : Inventory and reporting systems for greenhouse gases [GHG]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/126 : the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/128 : involving the use of Internet protocol
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 : Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/12 : Billing, invoicing, buying or selling transactions or other related activities, e.g. cost or usage evaluation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/14 : Marketing, i.e. market research and analysis, surveying, promotions, advertising, buyer profiling, customer management or rewards

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatus embodiments for electric power grid and network registration and management of physical and financial settlement for participation of active grid elements in supply and/or curtailment of power. Settlement is provided for grid elements that participate in the electric power grid following initial registration of each grid element with the system, preferably through network-based communication between the grid elements and a coordinator, either in coordination with or outside of an IP-based communications network router. A multiplicity of active grid elements function in the grid for supply capacity, supply and/or load curtailment as supply or capacity, and are compensated through settlement for their functional participation in the electric power grid. Also, messaging related to settlement is managed through a network by a Coordinator using IP messaging for communication with the grid elements, with the energy management system (EMS), and with the utilities, market participants, and/or grid operators.

Claims

1. A system for market-based financial settlement of transactions within an electric power grid network comprising:

a settlement processor for market-based financial settlements, comprising a server and/or a processor operatively coupled with a memory, and a database constructed and configured for electrical connection and IP-based communication via a network with at least one coordinator, wherein each of the coordinator(s) is constructed and configured for electrical connection and IP-based network communication with at least one active grid element that is registered to participate within the electric power grid;

wherein the settlement processor for market-based financial settlements generates a settlement message, using revenue grade metrology for a market-based financial settlement for each of the grid element(s) that includes at least one kilowatt packet (KWP) unit;

wherein a settlement message is transmitted via IP-based messaging, and wherein the settlement message further includes an IP packet having at least one kilowatt packet (KWP) unit for the market-based financial settlement corresponding to the participation of the grid element(s) within the electric power grid;

wherein each KWP unit comprises measured data transformed into settlement grade data for market financial settlement for load and supply corresponding to each of the active grid element(s) participation in the electric power grid for load or supply, and each KWP unit provides a quantifying market rate for monetization for any unit of kilowatts with respect to time.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the grid element(s) transmits the settlement message.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the coordinator aggregates settlement messages.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the coordinator aggregates KWP units.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the settlement processor provides a financial settlement message based upon a kilowatt packet (KWP) unit, a power supply value (PSV) unit, and/or a power trading block (PTB) unit.

6. The system of claim 1, further including a multiplicity of grid elements that aggregate and/or integrate through a master grid element and/or a virtual grid element that represents the participation of one or the multiplicity of grid elements as operationally equivalent to a single grid element.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein each of the multiplicity of grid elements, upon aggregation or integrations, transform into sub-grid elements, and wherein a unique financial settlement is provided for each sub-grid element that further includes coordination with at least one telemetry and control grid element.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one grid elements is a control device that operates, programs, and/or updates another grid element.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one grid element is selected from the group consisting of:

a sensor, a power-consuming device, an appliance, a meter, a switch, a controller, a control device, a power control subsystem integrated with grid element for supply, a thermostat, a building control system, and/or a security device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the grid elements is under the control of an energy management system (EMS), and/or a SCADA system.

11. The system of claim 1, further including a customer identifier, a billing identifier, a grid element unique identifier, and combinations thereof, that are assigned to each grid element and used for financial settlements, and wherein the grid element unique identifier further includes an IP address, an equipment identifier, a mac address, location-based factors, time-based factors, grid-function-based factors, at least one grid reliability factor, and/or at least one grid stability factor.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the financial settlement of the participation of the at least one grid element is stored in at least one database.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the settlement message is provided to at least one entity that participates in the financial settlement of the grid element(s) participation in the electric power grid.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein each grid element is registered with the system and wherein the registration of grid elements is stored in the database(s) for predetermined periods of time for use with financial settlement(s) associated with the grid elements.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein information relating to grid elements participation is transformed from raw data into settlement data, and wherein the settlement data is stored in a database.

16. The system of claim 1, further including an IP-based interface, wherein the IP-based interface is selected from the group consisting essentially of WiMax, High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Evolution for Data Only (EVDO), Long Term Evolution (LTE), any first or second generation wireless transport method such as EDGE, Code Division Multiple Access, Ethernet, any proprietary Layer 1-4 protocol that contains or is capable of transporting an Internet Protocol message, and/or any standards-based IP-based message transport.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a security interface associated with each of the grid elements.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the settlement message further comprises at least one of:

a geodetic reference, an element identifier, a grid element type, a grid element function, a grid element capacity, a grid element profile, a grid element attachment point reference, a kilowatt packet (KWP) value, a grid element power supply value (PSV), a grid element power trade block (PTB) value, a grid element balancing authority association, a grid element owner identifier, and/or a grid element compatibility identifier.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the financial settlement includes factors for grid stability-based pricing, operating reserves-based pricing, peak and off-peak timing pricing, and estimations, network models, and/or real-time measurement of actual participation by each of the grid elements, and the losses associated with transmission, distribution, and/or resource nodes.

20. The system of claim 1, further including a security interface.

21. The system of claim 1, further including a delivery priority.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the settlement message is encrypted.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the settlement message includes a power supply value (PSV) associated with the grid element(s).

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the IP-based settlement message is transmitted over one or more public or private carrier grade networks, including information required for generating a market-based financial settlement for participation by at least one grid element in an electric power grid.

25. A system for market-based financial settlement of transactions within an electric power grid network comprising:

a settlement processor for market-based financial transactions, and a legacy settlement processor, each comprising a server and/or a processor operatively coupled with a memory, and a database constructed and configured for electrical connection and IP-based communication via a network with at least one coordinator, wherein each of the coordinator(s) is constructed and configured for electrical connection and IP-based network communication with at least one active grid element that is registered to participate within the electric power grid;

wherein the settlement processor generates a settlement message information, using revenue grade metrology, for a market-based financial settlement for each of the grid element(s) that includes at least one kilowatt packet (KWP) unit;

wherein the settlement message is transmitted via IP-based messaging, and wherein the settlement message further includes an IP packet having at least one kilowatt packet (KWP) unit for the market-based financial settlement corresponding to the participation of the grid element(s) within the electric power grid.

26. The system of claim 25, further including network-based communication of the settlement message to at least one financial institution.