Patent ID: 8635096

Claim:
A method for adapting a production flow schedule for one or more production processes, at least some of the one or more processes including one or more process steps that use energy for their execution, wherein the production flow schedule is initially generated depending on an optimization function that optimizes the production processes in relation to one or more optimization variables, by causing a data processing unit to execute functions of: identifying at least one availability time window in which a predetermined minimum energy availability is present within a predetermined optimization period based on availability information that indicates a forecast energy amount during the optimization period; identifying one or more process steps that are characterized by time flexibility as flexible process steps, wherein the one or more flexible process steps that can be executed in one or more alternative time windows within the optimization period without at least one of the optimization variables deviating by more than an optimization variable tolerance value from a value of the optimization variable that is achieved by the initial production flow schedule; and for each of the flexible process steps, rescheduling the flexible process step into one of the alternative time windows if the rescheduling is within the at least one availability time window and if, in the original time window of the flexible process step, a lower availability of electrical energy is present than in the alternative time window, in order to obtain an adapted production flow schedule.