Peak consumption management for resource distribution systems.

Abstract

The computer-implemented method includes a peak management system assigning a peak resource management schedule to a first premise equipment and a second premise equipment in a resource distribution network. The peak resource management schedule includes a first peak consumption period and a first limited resource consumption period for the first premise equipment and a second peak consumption period and a second limited resource consumption period for the second premise equipment. The first peak consumption period and the second peak consumption period are different. The method also includes the peak management system transmitting a peak resource management signal to the first premise equipment and the second premise equipment. The peak resource management signal includes instructions to initiate execution of the peak resource management schedule in the first premise equipment and the second premise equipment.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to consumption management in resource distribution systems. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, the present disclosure relates to managing on-premise consumption of resources during periods of peak consumption. [Background technology]

[0002] In a resource distribution system, such as a power grid that transmits electrical power, extreme weather or periods of critical peak demand can result in consumer demand exceeding resource generation capacity. Because sufficient resources may not be available to meet all resource demand during these periods, the resource distribution system may implement rotating power outages to avoid system-wide blackouts. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] Rotating outages can be difficult to manage and generally unfair across all of the premise equipment served by the resource distribution system. Alternatives to rotating outages to avoid management and unfairness issues can be useful in resource distribution systems for managing utility assets. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] In one embodiment, a system includes a metering device, a processor, and a non-transitory computer-readable memory, the non-transitory computer-readable memory including instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to perform predetermined operations. The operations include accessing a peak resource management schedule. The operations also include receiving a peak resource management signal including instructions to initiate execution of the peak resource management schedule in the premises equipment (this step is an alternative to rolling blackouts). The operations further include controlling the metering device to monitor premises resource consumption in the premises equipment. The operations further include determining that a peak resource consumption portion of the peak resource management schedule is active. The operations further include controlling premises resource consumption in the premises equipment to be lower than a peak resource consumption level of the peak resource management schedule in response to determining that the peak resource consumption portion is active. The operations further include determining that a limited resource consumption portion of the peak resource management schedule is active. The operations also include, in response to determining that the limited resource consumption portion is active, controlling on-premise resource consumption in the on-premise equipment to be below a non-zero limited resource consumption level of the peak resource management schedule.

[0005] In another embodiment, a computer-implemented method includes a peak management system assigning a peak resource management schedule to a first premise equipment and a second premise equipment in a resource distribution network. The peak resource management schedule includes a first peak consumption period and a first limited resource consumption period for the first premise equipment and a second peak consumption period and a second limited resource consumption period for the second premise equipment. The first peak consumption period and the second peak consumption period are different. The method also includes the peak management system transmitting a peak resource management signal to the first premise equipment and the second premise equipment. The peak resource management signal includes instructions to initiate execution of the peak resource management schedule in the first premise equipment and the second premise equipment.

[0006] In another embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform the following operations. The operations include accessing a peak resource management schedule. The operations also include receiving a peak resource management signal including instructions to initiate execution of the peak resource management schedule at the premises equipment. The operations further include controlling a metering device to monitor premises resource consumption at the premises equipment. The operations further include determining that a peak resource consumption portion of the peak resource management schedule is active. The operations further include controlling premises resource consumption at the premises equipment to be below a peak resource consumption level of the peak resource management schedule in response to determining that the peak resource consumption portion is active. The operations further include determining that a limited resource consumption portion of the peak resource management schedule is active. The operations also include controlling premises resource consumption at the premises equipment to be below a non-zero limited resource consumption level of the peak resource management schedule in response to determining that the limited resource consumption portion is active.

[0007] In summary, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the proposed method is an alternative to rolling blackouts. Here, when the power system or portions of the power system enter a "critical peak management period," devices (e.g., power meters) in each premise equipment will control the load (all or enough of it) in each premise equipment to be below a specified level. This follows a schedule (an example shown in FIG. 4) in which the premise equipment is divided into multiple groups (three in this example) with movement limits on their energy usage. Once the "critical peak management period" ends, the premise equipment returns to normal (typically unlimited energy consumption) operation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example resource distribution network in accordance with some embodiments described herein. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a premise equipment that forms part of the resource distribution network of FIG. 1, in accordance with some embodiments described herein. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 illustrates an example microgrid that forms part of the resource distribution network of FIG. 1, according to some embodiments described herein. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an example of a peak resource management schedule assigned to premise equipment of the resource distribution network of FIG. 1, according to some embodiments described herein. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a metering device for controlling premises power consumption, including a smart power panel, according to some embodiments described herein. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an example flowchart of a process for distributing a peak resource management schedule to premise equipment of a resource distribution network, according to some embodiments described herein. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an example flowchart of a process for controlling campus power consumption using a peak resource management schedule, according to some embodiments described herein. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an exemplary computing device for use in peak resource management, according to some embodiments described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will be better understood when the following detailed description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0010] This disclosure describes techniques for peak consumption management in a resource distribution system. In one embodiment, peak consumption management in a resource distribution system may be provided by distributing a peak resource management schedule from the resource distribution system to premise equipment within the resource distribution system. Each premise equipment within the resource distribution system may be assigned alternating time periods for peak resource consumption and limited resource consumption. Upon receiving the resource management schedule and instructions to begin executing the peak resource management schedule at the premise equipment, each premise equipment may control its resource consumption in a manner that does not exceed the consumption levels established by the time periods for peak resource consumption and limited resource consumption. By staggering the occurrence of these time periods across all premise equipment within the resource distribution system, the maximum consumption level of the resource distribution system may be reduced from typical resource consumption periods, and premise equipment may avoid experiencing rolling blackouts during extreme weather or critical peak consumption periods.

[0011] The illustrative examples are presented to orient the reader to the general subject matter described herein and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosed concepts. The following sections describe various additional features and embodiments with reference to the drawings, in which like numerals indicate like components, and directional descriptions are used to explain the illustrative embodiments, but as such should not be used to limit the disclosure.

[0012] 1 illustrates an example resource distribution network 100 according to some embodiments described herein. The resource distribution network 100 may include a peak management system 102, a resource distribution system 104, and multiple premise facilities 106a, 106b, and 106c. Although the resource distribution network 100 is described herein as part of an electric power distribution environment, other utility systems may incorporate a similar peak management system 102. For example, the peak management system 102 may be used in gas, water, or other utility distribution environments.

[0013] The resource distribution system 104 may supply power to the on-premise equipment 106 for consumption by the on-premise equipment 106. The amount of power that can be distributed to the on-premise equipment 106 may be limited by the generating capacity of the power plant that generates the power for the resource distribution system 104. In some embodiments, extreme weather or critical peak periods may result in consumption demand by the on-premise equipment 106 exceeding the generating capacity of the resource distribution system 104. To avoid rolling blackouts at the on-premise equipment 106 during such periods, the peak management system 102 may implement a peak resource management schedule.

[0014] The peak resource management schedule implemented by the peak management system 102 may include a schedule of resource consumption by the premise equipment 106 during peak demand periods for the resource distribution network 100. In one embodiment, the peak resource management schedule may include at least two consumption levels. For example, each premise equipment 106 may be assigned a peak resource consumption period and a limited resource consumption period.

[0015] In some embodiments, all of the premise equipment 106 in the resource distribution network 100 may be assigned one of two or more different peak resource management schedules. In one such embodiment, peak resource consumption periods may be staggered across the multiple peak resource management schedules so that the multiple peak resource consumption periods of the multiple peak resource management schedules do not overlap. In embodiments including three or more peak resource management schedules, the peak resource consumption periods of the various schedules may not substantially overlap, although limited resource consumption periods may overlap with other limited resource consumption periods. As used herein, the term “substantially” refers to a value that is within 10% of another value. Thus, if a peak resource consumption period has a length of one hour, an active peak resource consumption period may not overlap with other peak resource consumption periods of other peak resource management schedules by more than six minutes within a given time period.

[0016] The peak management system 102 may assign peak resource management schedules to the metering devices 108a, 108b, and 108c of the premises equipment 106a, 106b, and 106c, respectively. In one embodiment, each of the metering devices 108a, 108b, and 108c may receive a different peak resource management schedule such that the peak resource consumption periods of each of the premises equipment 106a, 106b, and 106c are staggered. When the peak management system 102 activates a peak resource management schedule, the metering devices 108 may control various components of the premises equipment 106 to limit resource consumption in the premises equipment 106 to a level that is lower than the peak resource consumption level and the limited resource consumption level, depending on the active period of the peak resource management schedule.

[0017] For example, the metering device 108b may limit the operation of devices that contribute most to resource consumption in the premise equipment when a limited resource consumption period is active. Examples of devices that may be controlled to limited consumption amounts may include an electric vehicle (EV) charger 110, a refrigerator 112, a washer and dryer 114, and an HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system 116. Other devices may also be limited during a limited resource consumption period. For example, any IoT devices communicatively connected to the metering device 108 may also be controlled to limit consumption during a limited resource consumption period. In some embodiments, the metering device 108 may control the device to not consume any power when a limited resource consumption period is active. In additional embodiments, the metering device 108 may control the device to consume less, but still some, power when a resource consumption period is active. Additionally, metering devices 108 may meter energy generating devices such as solar panels 118 and adjust the control of other premises devices based on the net level of consumption by the devices in premises equipment 106 .

[0018] In some examples, an owner, occupant, or user of the indoor facility 106 may select priority levels for various devices associated with the metering devices 108 in the indoor facility 106 to limit resource consumption during the limited resource consumption period. For example, the HVAC system 116 may have a higher priority in areas that experience high heat when the indoor facility 106 is occupied than the washers and dryers 114. Thus, the metering devices 108 may limit resource consumption by the washers and dryers 114 during the limited resource consumption period before controlling the HVAC system 116 to reduce resource consumption to a specified level.

[0019] During peak resource consumption periods, the metering device 108 may reintroduce devices that were limited during the limited resource consumption period based on the priority level of the device. For example, a previously limited device with the highest priority level may be fully reactivated before a device with the next highest priority level. This process may continue until all of the previously limited devices have been reactivated or until peak resource consumption is reached in the premise equipment 106, whichever occurs first. In other words, during peak resource consumption periods, the premise equipment 106 may consume power at or near its typical resource consumption level.

[0020] Although each of the premises equipment 106 in FIG. 1 is described as being registered with a peak resource management schedule, in some embodiments, not all of the premises equipment 106 in resource distribution network 100 may be registered with a peak resource management schedule. For example, some metering devices within resource distribution network 100 may not be compatible with the peak resource management schedule or peak management system 102. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the peak resource management schedules among the premises equipment 106 within a resource distribution group of resource distribution network 100 may be distributed evenly. In other words, by distributing the peak resource management schedule within a distribution group, resource distribution network 100 may ensure that the premises equipment 106 in one resource distribution group are not all on the same peak resource management schedule, even if a similar number of premises equipment 106 in another resource distribution group are on a different peak resource management schedule. This may ensure that various resource distribution groups of resource distribution network 100 are not overloaded during implementation of the peak resource management schedule.

[0021] 2 illustrates an example of an on-premise equipment 106 that forms part of a resource distribution network 100, according to some embodiments described herein. To manage on-premise loads below limits established by a peak resource management schedule for the on-premise equipment 106, a metering device 108 may use various interfaces to control the load in the on-premise equipment 106 to stay below the peak resource consumption limits and restricted resource consumption limits of the peak resource management schedule. For example, the metering device 108 may include a distributed energy resource (DER) port 202, which provides a mechanism for the metering device 108 to meter resource generation by a solar panel 118, meter energy flow to an EV charger 110, or meter other distributed energy resource components. As described above with respect to FIG. 1, the net consumption (e.g., on-premise resource consumption minus on-premise resource generation) detected by the metering device 108 may be used to control consumption by other devices in the on-premise equipment 106.

[0022] EV interface 204 may provide communication from metering device 108 to control EV charger 110. Because charging an electric vehicle can consume a significant amount of power, EV interface 204 may provide a communication interface between metering device 108 and EV charger 110 to control when EV charger 110 is active. For example, metering device 108 may control EV charger 110 to charge electric vehicles only during peak resource consumption periods when a peak resource management schedule is active. In one embodiment, metering device 108 may also control, via EV interface 204, the energy exported from electric vehicles through DER port 202 during limited resource consumption periods. In other words, electric vehicles may charge and store energy during peak resource consumption periods and sell energy to resource distribution system 104 during limited resource consumption periods. In some embodiments, the peak management system 102 may encourage on-premise facilities with distributed generation (e.g., solar panels) or storage (e.g., electric vehicles) to export energy during critical times, such as peak hours, by offering a price premium for the energy exported from the distributed generation and storage.

[0023] In additional embodiments, the IEEE 2030.5 interface 206 or the like may provide an interface for the metering device 108 to control loads in the premises equipment 106. The 2030.5 interface 206 may provide a communication interface for the EV charger 110, the solar panel 118, the refrigerator 112, the washer and dryer 114, and the thermostat 116, as well as other devices in the premises equipment. In additional embodiments, the metering device 108 may use a smart panel 208 to control the refrigerator 112, the washer and dryer 114, and the HVAC system 116, as well as other large loads in the premises equipment 106. For example, the metering device 108 may control switches in the smart panel 208 to prevent operation of various loads in the premises equipment 106, thereby limiting resource consumption in the premises equipment 106 during peak and limited resource consumption periods. In some embodiments, devices in premises equipment 106 may communicate with metering device 108 via an interface using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or other communication protocols. Although EV interface 204, 2030.5 interface 206, and smart panel 208 are described herein as interfaces for controlling the operation of loads to reduce resource consumption, other interfaces may be used to perform similar functions.

[0024] In some examples, the implementation of the peak resource management schedule by the metering device 108 may take into account the expected demand for controlled loads of the premises equipment 106 (e.g., EV chargers 110, refrigerators 112, washers and dryers 114, and HVAC system 116) and uncontrolled loads of the premises equipment 106 (e.g., any other loads not directly controllable by the metering device 108). Additionally, the peak management system 102 may provide incentives to encourage energy exported from solar panels 118 or from on-site energy storage devices, including battery storage devices, electric vehicles, and other energy storage devices, during critical peak periods. For example, the peak management system 102 may offer enhanced rates of energy export during critical peak periods to encourage owners of the premises equipment 106 to sell energy to the resource distribution system 104. Additionally, the peak management system 102 may provide a pricing structure that encourages reducing resource consumption below specified limits by providing rewards for certain actions, such as maintaining resource consumption below a further restricted level from the peak resource management schedule.

[0025] Additionally, in some embodiments, the peak resource management schedule may include limiting certain loads during peak resource consumption periods. For example, the peak resource management schedule may include information indicating that EV chargers 110 will not be powered or will not be fully powered by resource distribution network 104 during peak resource consumption periods. Other devices may also be similarly limited during peak resource consumption periods.

[0026] 3 illustrates an example of a microgrid 300 forming part of a resource distribution network 100, according to some embodiments described herein. The microgrid 300 may include a peak management system 102, a resource distribution system 104, and a number of on-premise plants 106. The resource distribution system 104 may supply power to the on-premise plants 106 for consumption by the on-premise plants 106. The on-premise plants 106 may include homes, hospitals, retail stores, grocery stores, restaurants, office buildings, schools, municipal buildings (e.g., police stations, fire stations, courthouses, etc.), or any other building comprising the microgrid 300 having a metering device 108. The amount of power that can be distributed from the resource distribution system 104 to the on-premise plants 106 may be limited by the generating capacity of the power plant that generates the power for the resource distribution system 104. In some embodiments, extreme weather or critical peak periods may result in consumption demand by the on-premise plants 106 exceeding the generating capacity of the resource distribution system 104. To avoid rolling outages in the on-premise equipment 106 during such periods, the peak management system 102 may isolate the microgrid 300 and implement a peak resource management schedule. For example, the peak management system 102 may control the grid interconnection 302 between the microgrid 300 and the resource distribution system 104. The grid interconnection 302 allows for isolation between the microgrid 300 and the resource distribution system 104 during critical resource periods. In some embodiments, the microgrid 300 may receive a microgrid resource management schedule from a grid-wide peak management system that assigns consumption limits for the microgrid 300 and other on-premise equipment 106 that are not part of the microgrid 300. In some embodiments, the microgrid resource management schedule received from the grid-wide peak management system may establish a zero consumption level for the microgrid 300 from the resource distribution system 104 for a predetermined period of time. In other words, during the zero consumption level, any power consumed in the microgrid 300 is generated or otherwise accessed from distributed energy resources of the microgrid 300.Additionally, the peak management system 102 of the microgrid 300 may provide a peak resource management schedule to each premise equipment 106 of the microgrid 300 based on the microgrid resource management schedule.

[0027] The microgrid 300 may have sufficient generation 304 and energy storage 306 to maintain the on-premise equipment 106 in the microgrid 300 at a limited overall load. The generation 304 may include any type of distributed energy generation by the microgrid 300, such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric plants, as well as fuel-based generation (e.g., natural gas and diesel generation) and other fuel and renewable generation sources. The energy storage 306 may be any energy storage device associated with the microgrid 300. In some embodiments, the energy storage 306 may include electric vehicles in the on-premise equipment 106 or other battery cells capable of storing energy. In some embodiments, one or more of the on-premise equipment 106 in the microgrid 300 may include generation 304 and energy storage 306. Management of the generation 304 and energy storage 306 in the on-premise equipment 106 may be performed at the level of individual on-premise equipment and as an aggregated resource of the microgrid 300.

[0028] The peak management system 102 may further limit the overall load on the microgrid 300 by implementing a peak resource management schedule for the microgrid 300. Similar to the peak resource management schedule described above with respect to FIG. 1 , the peak resource management schedule implemented by the peak management system 102 may include a schedule of resource consumption by the premise equipment 106 during peak demand periods for the resource distribution network 100. The peak resource management schedule may include at least two consumption levels. For example, each of the premise equipment 106 may be assigned a peak resource consumption period and a limited resource consumption period.

[0029] In some embodiments, all of the premise equipment 106 in the resource distribution network 100 may be assigned one of two or more different peak resource management schedules. In one such embodiment, peak resource consumption periods may be staggered across the multiple peak resource management schedules so that the multiple peak resource consumption periods of the multiple peak resource management schedules do not overlap. In embodiments including three or more peak resource management schedules, the peak resource consumption periods of the various schedules may not substantially overlap, although limited resource consumption periods may overlap with other limited resource consumption periods. As used herein, the term “substantially” refers to a value that is within 10% of another value. Thus, if a peak resource consumption period has a length of one hour, an active peak resource consumption period may not overlap with other peak resource consumption periods of other peak resource management schedules by more than six minutes within a given time period.

[0030] The peak management system 102 may assign peak resource management schedules to the metering devices 108 of the on-premise equipment 106. In one embodiment, each of the metering devices 108 may receive one of several different peak resource management schedules such that peak resource consumption periods are divided among the multiple on-premise equipment 106. When the peak management system 102 activates a peak resource management schedule, the metering devices 108 may control various components of the on-premise equipment 106 to limit resource consumption in the on-premise equipment 106 to a level lower than the peak resource consumption level and the limited resource consumption level, depending on the active period of the peak resource management schedule. As a result, the total consumption of the microgrid 300 may remain lower than a level that can be supported by the generation 304 of the microgrid 300 if the microgrid is islanded from the resource distribution system 104. In some embodiments, the microgrid 300 may export unused power generated by the generation 304 or stored in the energy storage 306 to the resource distribution system 104 during critical resource periods in exchange for a premium price for the energy. In additional examples, the microgrid 300 may be provided with a schedule from a grid-wide peak management system that establishes predetermined periods of time during which the microgrid 300 is expected to export energy back to the grid. The schedule may be established by a compensation payment to the microgrid 300 or by a contract for the microgrid 300 to provide a predetermined amount of energy per unit time.

[0031] The facility-level control of the microgrid 300 may be controlled in a manner similar to the facility-level control of the facility 106 not present in the microgrid, as described above with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2. For example, the metering device 108 may limit the operation of the devices in the facility 106 that contribute most to resource consumption when a limited resource consumption period is active. Examples of devices that may be controlled to limited consumption amounts may include electric vehicle chargers, refrigerators, washers and dryers, and HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems. Other devices may also be limited during limited resource consumption periods. For example, any IoT devices communicatively connected to the metering device 108 may also be controlled to limit consumption during limited resource consumption periods. Additionally, the metering device 108 may meter energy generating devices, such as solar panels, and adjust the control of other facility devices based on the net level of consumption by the devices in the facility 106.

[0032] In some embodiments, an owner, occupant, or user of the indoor facility 106 may select priority levels for various devices associated with the metering devices 108 in the indoor facility 106 to limit resource consumption during the limited resource consumption period. For example, the HVAC system 116 may have a higher priority in areas that experience high heat when the indoor facility 106 is occupied than the washer and dryer 114. Thus, the metering devices 108 may limit resource consumption by the washer and dryer 114 during the limited resource consumption period before controlling the HVAC system 116 to reduce resource consumption to a specified level.

[0033] During peak resource consumption periods, the metering device 108 may reintroduce devices that were limited during the limited resource consumption period based on the priority level of the device. For example, a previously limited device with the highest priority level may be fully reactivated before a device with the next highest priority level. This process may continue until all of the previously limited devices have been reactivated or until peak resource consumption is reached in the premise equipment 106, whichever occurs first. In other words, during peak resource consumption periods, the premise equipment 106 may consume power at or near its typical resource consumption level.

[0034] In some embodiments, some of the premise equipment 106 in the microgrid 300 or in the resource distribution network 100 overall may not be subject to a peak resource management schedule. For example, premise equipment 106d, which may be a commercial building, may not be on a peak resource management schedule or may have a different triggering event for being placed on a peak resource management schedule. Similarly, premise equipment 106e, which may be a school or hospital, may not be on a peak resource management schedule. By avoiding the peak resource management schedule for selected premise equipment 106d and 106e, some premise equipment providing critical infrastructure may continue to operate under normal operating conditions to achieve the premise equipment's critical infrastructure objectives.

[0035] 4 is an example of a peak resource management schedule 400 assigned to an on-premise equipment 106 of a resource distribution network 100, according to some embodiments described herein. As shown, the peak resource management schedule 400 includes three individual schedules 400a, 400b, and 400c. Each of the schedules 400 may be assigned to multiple on-premise equipment 106 within the resource distribution network 100 or the microgrid 300. Although three individual schedules are shown in the peak resource management schedule 400, more or fewer individual schedules may be used for the on-premise equipment 106 of the resource distribution network 100. A schedule similar to schedule 400 may also be applied at the microgrid level. In some embodiments, an amount of allowable energy consumption may be established for the on-premise equipment 106 of the microgrid 300 that is different from the amount of allowable energy consumption for the on-premise equipment 106 of the resource distribution network 100.

[0036] Each of the individual schedules 400a, 400b, and 400c includes a peak resource consumption period 402a, 402b, and 402c, respectively, and a limited resource consumption period 404a, 404b, and 404c, respectively. The peak resource consumption period 402 and the limited resource consumption period 404 may be defined by a kilowatt power limit over a specified time period. As illustrated in the example shown in FIG. 4, the peak resource consumption period 402 has a limit of 4 kilowatts, and the limited resource consumption period 404 has a limit of 1 kilowatt. If the individual schedules 400a, 400b, and 400c are divided evenly across all of the premise equipment 106 in the resource distribution network 100, the average consumption limit per premise equipment 106 in the resource distribution network 100 is 2 kilowatts. This average consumption limit may be increased or decreased by adjusting the limits of the peak resource consumption periods 402 and the limited resource consumption periods 404, the timing of the peak resource consumption periods 402 and the limited resource consumption periods 404, or a combination thereof. While Figure 4 shows schedule 400 with specific limit values ​​and times, the specific values ​​are for illustrative purposes only. Other specific limit values ​​and times may be used within schedule 400 depending on the parameters of resource distribution network 100.

[0037] In one embodiment, each of the premise equipment 106 in the resource distribution network 100 may be assigned one of the individual schedules 400a, 400b, and 400c when a metering device 108 is installed at the premise equipment 106. In additional embodiments, the peak management system 102 may assign the individual schedules 400a, 400b, and 400c to the premise equipment 106 when it initiates the peak resource management schedule 400. In some embodiments, premise equipment 106 with storage capabilities, such as electric vehicles, stationary batteries, and other energy storage devices or systems, may utilize peak resource consumption periods 402 to charge their batteries and discharge their batteries during limited resource consumption periods 404, thereby maintaining a more consistent level of resource consumption throughout the peak resource management schedule 400. In some embodiments, the schedule 400 may be part of an opt-in system where the premise equipment 106 can opt-in to receive one of the individual schedules 400a, 400b, and 400c in exchange for an incentive from the utility.

[0038] In some embodiments, multiple different peak resource management schedules 400 may be assigned to the premise equipment 106. For example, the different schedules 400 may be assigned based on the expected severity of the critical resource periods. For example, the peak resource management system 102 may initiate a particular schedule 400 when extreme heat conditions are expected on a particular day, and the peak resource management system 102 may initiate a different particular schedule 400 when heat conditions are expected to be less than extreme heat conditions on a different particular day. In one such embodiment, the extreme weather schedule 400 may have shorter or lower peak resource consumption periods 402 and longer or lower limited resource consumption periods 404 relative to the peak resource consumption periods 402 and limited resource consumption periods 404 of a schedule 400 initiated on a more moderate weather day. It will be appreciated that this method is an alternative to rolling blackouts when the power system, or portions thereof, transitions into a "mode" of a "critical peak management period" as described above, including, by way of example, the limitations of FIG. 4 .

[0039] 5 is a schematic diagram of a metering device 108 that controls premise power consumption, including a smart power panel 502, according to some embodiments described herein. The metering device 108 may include a peak resource management schedule 400. The metering device 108 may control the smart power panel 502 to enable the supply of power to various components 504 of the premise equipment 106 controlled by the smart power panel 502 to keep the premise equipment 106 within the limits of the peak resource management schedule 400. For example, the components 504 may include individual components of the premise equipment 106, such as an HVAC system, refrigerators, washers and dryers, etc., that may be controllable by individual circuit breakers of the smart power panel 502. In additional embodiments, the components 504 may include rooms or other sized areas of the premise equipment 106 that are controllable by individual circuit breakers of the smart power panel 502.

[0040] The metering device 108 may control the smart power panel 502 to remove application of power from certain components 504 in the premises equipment 106 to maintain the premises equipment 106 below the consumption limits of the peak resource management schedule 400. In some embodiments, the smart power panel 502 may prioritize components 504 and intelligently control the application or removal of power to various components 504 based on the priority of the components 504. In some embodiments, the metering device 108 may control the smart power panel 502 while directly controlling individual components of the premises equipment 106. For example, the metering device 108 may control one or more resource consuming devices to reduce resource consumption to zero or a non-zero level. A non-zero level may include a reduction from the peak consumption level of one or more resource consuming devices.

[0041] 6 is an example flowchart 600 of a process for distributing a peak resource management schedule 400 to premise equipment of a resource distribution network 100, according to some embodiments described herein. At block 602, the process 600 includes assigning the peak resource management schedule 400 to a plurality of premise equipment 106. The plurality of premise equipment 106 may include all or substantially all of the premise equipment 106 in the resource distribution network 100. In one embodiment, each of the premise equipment 106 may be assigned one of a plurality of individual schedules that make up the peak resource management schedule 400. The premise equipment 106 may be divided evenly or substantially evenly across the individual schedules of the peak resource management schedule 400 to maintain fairness across all of the premise equipment 106 in the resource distribution network 100 while keeping the overall consumption of the resource distribution network 100 below the resource generation capacity of the resource distribution network 100.

[0042] At block 604, the process 600 includes initiating the peak resource management schedule 400 at the premise equipment 106 by transmitting a peak resource management signal to the plurality of premise equipment 106 in the resource distribution network 100. For example, the peak resource management system 102 may transmit the peak resource management signal to the metering devices 108 of the premise equipment 106. In some embodiments, the peak resource management system 102 may transmit the signal via a mesh network of metering devices in the resource distribution network 100. In additional embodiments, other communication types may be used to transmit the signal to the metering devices 108, such as a cellular communication network, a wide area network, or a combination of communication networks.

[0043] A peak resource management signal may be transmitted by the peak resource management system 102 when it is determined that a critical resource period has begun or is about to begin. The signal may be information indicating to the metering devices 108 that a peak resource management schedule 400 should begin. In some embodiments, the signal may be a single broadcast command from the peak resource management system 102 to begin the schedule 400 at all metering devices 108 in the resource distribution network 100. In one embodiment, the broadcast time for a mesh network of metering devices 108 may take approximately 10 minutes to reach all endpoints. Each metering device 108 may be assigned a specific peak resource management schedule 400. The schedule 400 may be assigned based on the local area network identification (LAN ID), geographic location, or other parameters of the metering device 108. The broadcast message from the peak resource management system 102 may be a command to begin the pre-assigned schedule 400 at the metering devices 108.

[0044] 7 is an example flowchart 700 of a process for controlling on-premise power consumption using a peak resource management schedule 400, according to some embodiments described herein. At block 702, the process 700 includes receiving one or more peak resource management schedules 400 at the on-premise equipment 106. In one embodiment, the metering devices 108 of the on-premise equipment 106 may be pre-assigned one or more peak resource management schedules 400. In additional embodiments, the metering devices 108 may receive the schedules 400 from the peak management system 102.

[0045] At block 704, process 700 includes receiving incentive information, premium cost information, or both during the peak resource management period. The incentive information may include a premium price for selling energy to resource distribution network 100 during the peak management period, and the premium cost may include a premium cost for exceeding usage limits established by peak resource management schedule 400 during the peak resource management period. In some embodiments, metering device 108 of premise equipment 106 may intelligently control consumption of premise equipment 106 taking into account the premium information and the cost information.

[0046] At block 706, the process 700 includes receiving a peak management period signal at the premises equipment 106. The peak management period signal may be an instruction for the metering devices 108 to initiate a peak resource management schedule 400. In some embodiments, the peak management period signal may include information indicating a specific point in time at which the peak resource management schedule 400 should begin. By identifying a specific point in time for initiating the peak resource management schedule 400, each of the premises equipment 106 may initiate the schedule 400 in a manner that avoids unintended overlap of peak resource consumption periods 402 for premises equipment 106 that include different schedules 400. In an embodiment in which the metering devices 108 include multiple schedules 400, the peak management period signal may identify a specific schedule 400 for the metering devices 108 to begin.

[0047] At block 708, the process 700 includes determining whether the peak resource consumption period 402 of the peak resource management schedule 400 is active in the premise equipment 106. If the peak resource consumption period is active, at block 710, the process 700 includes controlling the consumption of energy in the premise equipment 106 to be below the peak consumption limit established by the peak resource consumption period 402 of the peak resource management schedule 400. In one embodiment, the metering device 108 may take into account the priority designations of various loads in the premise equipment 106 to meet the peak consumption limit. For example, a higher priority load may remain in a consuming state until all lower priority loads have been removed to meet the peak consumption limit.

[0048] At block 712, process 700 includes calculating an incentive for exporting power to resource distribution network 100, a premium cost for exceeding any resource consumption limits established by peak resource management schedule 400, or both. For example, if premise equipment 106 sells power to resource distribution network 100, the incentive may be calculated based on the premium price associated with the peak management period. Similarly, if premise equipment 106 exceeds the consumption limits of schedule 400, the premium cost may be calculated based on the premium associated with exceeding the consumption limit. In some embodiments, this information collected at block 712 may be transmitted along with other metering information to a head-end system for generation of a bill associated with resource consumption in premise equipment 106. In additional embodiments, this information may be used to adjust control of consumption in premise equipment 106 during future peak management periods.

[0049] At block 714, process 700 includes determining whether the peak management period is still active. In some embodiments, the peak management period may continue for a preset period of time. In additional embodiments, the peak management period may stop when the peak management system 102 sends an additional signal to cancel the peak management period (e.g., if the critical resource period is determined to have expired). If the peak management period is still active, process 700 may return to block 708 to determine whether the peak resource consumption period 402 is active. If the peak management period is no longer active, process 700 may return to block 706 to wait for an additional peak management period signal that initiates the peak resource management schedule 400 in the premises equipment 106. If process 700 returns to block 706 to wait for an additional peak management period signal, process 700 may further include controlling the premises equipment 106 to resume normal consumption levels.

[0050] If, at block 708, it is determined that the peak resource consumption period 402 is not active, then, at block 716, the process 700 includes controlling energy consumption in the premises equipment 106 to be less than the restricted consumption level limit established by the restricted resource consumption period 404 of the peak resource management schedule 400. The process 700 may then return to block 712 and calculate incentives and costs associated with resource production or consumption in the premises equipment 106.

[0051] FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary computing device used to manage on-premise consumption of resources during periods of peak consumption, according to some embodiments described herein. Any suitable computing system may be used to perform the operations described herein. The illustrated embodiment of computing device 800 includes a processor 802 communicatively coupled to one or more memory devices 804. The processor 802 executes computer-executable program code 830 stored in the memory devices 804, accesses data 820 stored in the memory devices 808, or both. Examples of processor 802 include a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit ("ASIC"), a field-programmable gate array ("FPGA"), or any other suitable processing device. The processor 802 may include any number of processing devices or cores, including a single processing device. The functionality of the computing device may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0052] The memory device 804 includes any suitable non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing data, program code, or both. The computer-readable medium may include any electronic, optical, magnetic, or other storage device capable of providing computer-readable instructions or other program code to a processor. Non-limiting examples of computer-readable media include flash memory, ROM, RAM, ASIC, or any other medium from which a processing unit can read instructions. These instructions may include, for example, processor-specific instructions generated by a compiler or interpreter from code written in any suitable computer programming language, including C, C++, C#, Visual Basic, Java, or a scripting language.

[0053] Computing device 800 may also include a number of external or internal devices, such as input or output devices. For example, computing device 800 is shown with one or more input / output ("I / O") interfaces 808. I / O interface 808 can receive input from an input device or provide output to an output device. Computing device 800 also includes one or more buses 806. Bus 806 communicatively couples one or more components of each computing device 800.

[0054] The computing device 800 executes program code 830 that configures the processor 802 to perform one or more of the operations described herein. For example, the program code 830 causes the processor to perform the operations described in FIGS.

[0055] Computing device 800 also includes a network interface device 810. Network interface device 810 includes any device or group of devices suitable for establishing a wired or wireless data connection to one or more data networks. Network interface device 810 may be a wireless device and may have an antenna 814. Computing device 800 may use network interface device 810 to communicate with one or more other computing devices implementing computing or other functionality over a data network. In some embodiments, interface device 810 may provide cellular network communication functionality, mesh network communication functionality, or any other communication functionality for computing device 800.

[0056] Computing device 800 may also include a display device 812. Display device 812 may be an LCD, LED, touch screen, or other device operable to display information about computing device 800. For example, the information may include the operating status of the computing device, network status, etc.

[0057] In one embodiment, computing device 800 may form part of a metering device, such as metering device 108. In one such embodiment, data 820 stored in memory device 804 may include metrology data. Further, program code 830 may include program code accessible by processor 802 for performing metrology operations associated with metering device 108.

[0058] While the present subject matter has been described in detail with respect to certain embodiments thereof, it will be recognized that those skilled in the art, upon understanding what has been said above and what will be described below, may readily make alterations, modifications, and equivalents of such embodiments. It should therefore be understood that the present disclosure is presented for purposes of illustration and not limitation, and is not intended to exclude inclusion of such alterations, modifications, and / or additions to the present subject matter as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

Claims

1. 1. A system comprising a metering device, a processor, and a non-transitory computer-readable memory, The non-transitory computer-readable memory includes instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to perform the following operations: The above operation is accessing a peak resource management schedule; receiving a peak resource management signal including instructions to initiate execution of the peak resource management schedule in a premises installation; controlling the metering device to monitor on-premise resource consumption in the on-premise equipment; determining that a peak resource consumption portion of said peak resource management schedule is active; In response to determining that the peak resource consumption portion is active, controlling premises resource consumption in the premises equipment to be below a peak resource consumption level of the peak resource management schedule; determining that a limited resource consumption portion of said peak resource management schedule is active; and and in response to determining that the limited resource consumption portion is active, controlling premises resource consumption in the premises equipment to be below a non-zero limited resource consumption level of the peak resource management schedule. system.

2. the peak resource management schedule includes a first peak consumption period and a first limited resource consumption period for a first premises equipment associated with the metering device; a second peak consumption period and a second limited resource consumption period for a second premises equipment associated with a second metering device that are different from the first peak consumption period and the first limited resource consumption period; The system of claim 1 .

3. the first peak consumption period and the second peak consumption period do not substantially overlap; The system of claim 2.

4. The instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the processor to perform the following actions: The above operation is receiving incentive information associated with controlling the on-premise resource consumption below a specified level; receiving premium cost information associated with controlling the on-premise resource consumption above the specified level; using the incentive information and the premium cost information to control the on-premise resource consumption. The system of claim 1 .

5. the peak resource consumption portion allows the on-premise resource consumption to be at least twice as large as the on-premise resource consumption during the limited resource consumption portion; The system of claim 1 .

6. The system further comprises a smart panel configured to control the application of power to the plurality of devices; controlling the on-premise resource consumption in the on-premise equipment includes controlling application of power to the plurality of devices by the smart panel; The system of claim 1 .

7. Controlling the on-premise resource consumption to be below a non-zero limited resource consumption level of the peak resource management schedule includes: assigning priority levels to a plurality of resource consumers; instructing a subset of the plurality of resource consuming devices having a lowest priority level to reduce resource consumption; The system of claim 1 .

8. The on-site facility comprises a part of a microgrid system, a first controller of the microgrid system receiving a microgrid resource management schedule from a second controller of a resource distribution network; a first controller of the microgrid system configured to provide the peak resource management schedule to each premises equipment of the microgrid system based on the microgrid resource management schedule; The system of claim 1 .

9. 1. A computer-implemented method comprising: The method includes a peak management system assigning a peak resource management schedule to a first premise equipment and a second premise equipment in a resource distribution network; The above peak resource management schedule is a first peak consumption period and a first limited resource consumption period for the first premises equipment; a second peak consumption period and a second limited resource consumption period for the second premises equipment; the first peak consumption period and the second peak consumption period are different; The method includes the peak management system transmitting a peak resource management signal to the first premises equipment and the second premises equipment; the peak resource management signal includes instructions to initiate execution of the peak resource management schedule in the first premises equipment and the second premises equipment; Computer-implemented methods.

10. The method further includes the peak management system assigning the peak resource management schedule to a third premises equipment; the third premise equipment is in a common resource distribution group with the first premise equipment and the second premise equipment; the peak resource management schedule includes a third peak consumption period and a third limited resource consumption period for the third premises equipment; the first peak consumption period, the second peak consumption period, and the third peak consumption period are different; The method further includes the peak management system transmitting the peak resource management signal to the third premises equipment; the peak resource management signal includes instructions to initiate execution of the peak resource management schedule in the first premise equipment, the second premise equipment, and the third premise equipment; 10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9.

11. At least one of the first premises equipment and the second premises equipment comprises a microgrid.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9.

12. the peak resource management schedule further includes a first peak consumption limit associated with the first peak consumption period and a first non-zero limited consumption limit associated with the first limited resource consumption period; the first peak consumption limit is greater than the first non-zero restricted consumption limit; 10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9.

13. the peak management system classifying the additional premises equipment as a critical infrastructure component; the peak management system sending instructions to the additional premises equipment to maintain resource consumption at typical operating levels.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9.

14. The peak management system further includes allocating incentive information, premium cost information, or both to the first premise equipment and the second premise equipment.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9.

15. 1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform the following operations: The above operation is accessing a peak resource management schedule; receiving a peak resource management signal including instructions to initiate execution of the peak resource management schedule at a premises equipment; controlling a metering device to monitor on-premise resource consumption in said on-premise equipment; determining that a peak resource consumption portion of said peak resource management schedule is active; In response to determining that the peak resource consumption portion is active, controlling premises resource consumption in the premises equipment to be below a peak resource consumption level of the peak resource management schedule; determining that a limited resource consumption portion of said peak resource management schedule is active; and and in response to determining that the limited resource consumption portion is active, controlling premises resource consumption in the premises equipment to be below a non-zero limited resource consumption level of the peak resource management schedule. Non-transitory computer-readable medium.

16. the peak resource management schedule includes a first peak consumption period and a first limited resource consumption period for a first premises equipment associated with the metering device; a second peak consumption period and a second limited resource consumption period for a second premises equipment associated with a second metering device that are different from the first peak consumption period and the first limited resource consumption period; 16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15.

17. the first peak consumption period and the second peak consumption period do not substantially overlap; 17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16.

18. The above operation is receiving a second peak resource management signal at the premises equipment, the second peak resource management signal including instructions to cancel the peak resource management schedule; and controlling the premises equipment to return to standard resource consumption levels in response to receiving the second peak resource management signal.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15.

19. the operation of controlling the on-premise resource consumption to be below a non-zero restricted resource consumption level of the peak resource management schedule includes instructing one or more resource consuming devices to reduce resource consumption to a zero or non-zero level; the non-zero level comprises a reduction from a peak consumption level of the one or more resource consumption devices; 16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15.

20. the instructions to initiate execution of the peak resource management schedule at the premises equipment further include a specific time at which each premises equipment assigned the peak resource management schedule should begin executing the peak resource management schedule; 16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15.

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