Patent ID: 8903560
Filing Date: 2014-12-02
Classification: G05B,G06Q,H02J,Y02B,Y02E,Y04S

Abstract:
1. A method for deferring demand for electrical energy, comprising the computer-implemented steps of: (1) automatically estimating a cost over a forecasting period for electrical energy at a location, wherein the forecasting period is divided into at least three zones, said zones delineating different modes of operation derived either from a change in the relative price of one or more sources of energy or changes in demand relative to capacity of the one or more sources of energy, and wherein the cost of electrical energy is estimated for each of the at least three zones based on a forecast of demand for electrical energy in each of the at least three zones; (2) determining a demand for electrical energy by one or more devices at the location for which energy consumption can be deferred; (3) identifying, for each zone of the at least three zones, an available marginal power supply capacity; (4) identifying, for each zone of the at least three zones, contiguous zones having a total duration exceeding a duration of time during which at least one device of the one or more devices is to be operated; (5) determining that there is insufficient available marginal power supply capacity to provide the electrical load of the at least one device for an amount of time during which the at least one device is to be operated; (6) incrementing demand in each zone by an amount sufficient to provide the electrical load of the at least one device; (7) re-estimating the cost for each zone over the forecasting period for electrical energy based on the incremented demand in each zone; (8) selecting a portion of the forecasting period having the lowest re-estimated cost as the lower-cost time period; and (9) automatically deferring electrical consumption for the at least one device from a higher-cost time period to the lower-cost time period, including the computer-implemented step of issuing a command to cause the deferral to occur.