Method and a system for controlling energy supply to different units

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10199830-B2
Application number	US-201515327038-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2015
Priority date	Mar 6, 2015
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

A method for controlling energy supply to different units includes receiving, by an aggregator, the demand request signal, and performing, by the aggregator, an allocation of the requested demand modification to the units based on a negotiating process with the units for minimizing an impact of the allocation on a future operation of another utility or of other utilities. Each unit is connected to multiple utilities for receiving enemy for operating its energy systems. A demand request signal is provided by at least one operational entity and/or by at least one utility for requesting a demand modification of a utility and/or of one form of energy.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for controlling supply of different utilities to different units, wherein each unit is connected to the different utilities, the method comprising:
receiving, by an aggregator, a demand request signal from at least one operational entity and/or from at least one of the different utilities for requesting a demand modification of a first utility of the different utilities, the different utilities comprising at least an electrical utility for supplying electricity to the different units and at least one of a gas utility for supplying gas to the different units and a water utility for supplying water to the different units;
performing, by the aggregator, an allocation of the requested demand modification to the different units based on a negotiating process with the different units for minimizing an impact of the allocation on a future operation of at least one other utility of the different utilities, the negotiating process including receiving feedback information from at least one unit in the different units, the feedback information comprising an estimation of a maximal possible modification of the first utility over a requested time period and an estimation of how the maximal possible modification of the first utility over the requested time period would affect loads of the at least one other utility connected to the at least one unit, the modification being a reduction or an increase;
determining a probability that the at least one other utility will issue a demand request signal for requesting a demand modification of the at least one other utility in a time period during which the at least one other utility would be affected by the maximal possible modification of the first utility;
providing the allocation of the requested demand modification to the different units based on the feedback information and the probability that the at least one other utility will issue a demand request signal.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the allocation is performed dynamically.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the allocation is performed in real-time.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the probability depends on one or more of weather, time, season, activity and historical data.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the probability depends at least in part on the historical data which comprises prior allocation processes per unit including amount, timeline and/or duration of prior allocated demand modifications.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the estimation of how the maximal possible modification of the first utility over the requested time period would affect loads of the at least one other utility connected to the at least one unit is based on a unit-specific correlation in size, amount and/or response time between the different utilities which has been learned for at least one of the different units.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the negotiating process considers an operation-specific priority level and/or a Key Performance Indicator requirement on a comfort level and/or scheduled operational conditions for activities or events.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the aggregator directly controls the utility distribution systems of the different units according to the allocated demand modification.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the different units is a building and/or wherein the at least one operational entity is an energy planning entity or a unit.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first utility is the electrical utility and the at least one other utility is the gas utility and/or the water utility.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first utility is the water utility and the at least one other utility is the electrical utility.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first utility is the water utility and the at least one other utility is the gas utility.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first utility is the gas utility and the at least one other utility is the electrical utility and/or the water utility.

14. A system for controlling supply of different utilities to different units, wherein each unit is connected to the different utilities and wherein a demand request signal is provided by at least one operational entity and/or by at least one of the different utilities for requesting a demand modification of a first utility of the different utilities, the different utilities comprising at least an electrical utility for supplying electricity to the different units and at least one of a gas utility for supplying gas to the different units and a water utility for supplying water to the different units, the system comprising:
an aggregator for:
receiving the demand request signal,
performing an allocation of the requested demand modification to the different units based on a negotiating process with the different units for minimizing an impact of the allocation on a future operation of at least one other utility of the multiple utilities, wherein the negotiating process includes receiving feedback information from at least one unit in the different units, the feedback information comprising an estimation of a maximal possible modification of the first utility over a requested time period and an estimation of how the maximal possible modification of the first utility over the requested time period would affect loads of the at least one other utility connected to the at least one unit, the modification being a reduction or an increase,
determining a probability that the at least one other utility will issue a demand request signal for requesting a demand modification of the at least one other utility in a time period during which the at least one other utility would be affected by the maximal possible modification of the first utility, and
providing the allocation of the requested demand modification to the different units based on the feedback information and the probability that the at least one other utility will issue a demand request signal.

Assignees

• Nec Europe Ltd
• Nec Corp

Inventors

• Schwarz Maja
• Schuelke Anett
• Schmidt Mischa

Classifications

• H02J3/003

  Load forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future load demand · CPC title

• H02J2103/30

  Simulating, planning, modelling, reliability check or computer assisted design [CAD] of electric power networks · CPC title

• H02J13/14

  the power network being locally controlled, e.g. home energy management systems [HEMS] · CPC title

• H02J13/13

  characterised by the transmission of data to equipment in the power network · CPC title

• Y04S50/16

  Energy services, e.g. dispersed generation or demand or load or energy savings aggregation · CPC title