Patent ID: 8135499

Claim:
A method of load shedding by an electric utility, the electric utility capable of providing electricity to one or more power distribution systems organized into one or more substations, at least one power distribution system in at least one substation comprising a distributed renewable generation (‘DRG’) system, the DRG system capable of providing power to the electric utility, a local load, and one or more batteries for storage, each power distribution system connected for data communications through a data communications network to the electric utility, the method comprising: querying, by the electric utility, a plurality of power distribution systems that include a DRG system for present power consumption of the local load of the power distribution system; averaging, for each of the one or more substations, the present power consumption of the local loads of power distribution systems that include a DRG system in the substation; calculating, for each of the one or more substations having an average present power consumption greater than a predetermined expected power consumption for that substation, a difference between the average present power consumption and the predetermined expected power consumption; selecting, as a substation to receive a reduction in power, a substation among the one or more substations having the greatest difference between the average present power consumption and the predetermined expected power consumption; and reducing power provided to the selected substation.