557 results about "Electric utility" patented technology

Systems and methods for managing power supplied over an electric power grid by an electric utility and/or other market participants to multiplicity of grid elements and devices for supply and/or load curtailment as supply, each of which having a Power Supply Value (PSV) associated with its energy consumption and/or reduction in consumption and/or supply, and wherein messaging is managed through a network by a Coordinator using IP messaging for communication with the grid elements and devices, with the energy management system (EMS), and with the utilities, market participants, and/or grid operators.

A “Smart Grid Pricer” enables automated balancing of the supply and demand of energy supply and consumption, such as the generation and consumption of electricity between electricity providers and electricity consumers. The Smart Grid Pricer automatically computes and delivers real-time energy pricing information to consumers on behalf of energy retailers (e.g., electricity utilities) to help drive the balance of demand with supply. In various embodiments, real-time pricing is determined by using various probabilistic models to estimate overall consumer demand as a function of factors such as energy price, time of day, region, weather, etc. to compute a price that will result in an energy demand that is closely balanced to the available supply. On the consumer side, various components of the Smart Grid Pricer automatically respond to such pricing information to optimize energy consumption in accordance with a variety of automated and/or user defined rules and preferences.

An automatic recharging docking station for electric vehicles or hybrid electric vehicles in which standardized uniform charging stations are positioned in public parking facilities, private parking facilities, rest stops, or the like, and by means of a retractable vehicle probe, allow the owner/user of the vehicle to attach to the charging station and recharge the batteries or storage cells of the vehicle while the owner/user is at work, shopping, or otherwise not requiring the use of the vehicle. The particular vehicle and vehicle probe would have an encrypted identification means so that its identity would be recorded when it connected to a particular recharging station, regardless of which electrical jurisdiction that charging station was located, such that the respective electric utility companies or other entity would be able to identify and bill the owner/user for the quantity of electricity drawn during a specified time period.

A system manages consumption of power supplied by at least one electric utility to multiple power consuming devices. Power flow to the power consuming devices is enabled and disabled by controllable devices controlled by one or more client devices. According to one embodiment, a group of one or more client devices to which to communicate a power control message is determined. The power control message indicates at least one of an amount of electric power to be reduced and an identification of one or more controllable devices to be instructed to disable a flow of electric power to one or more associated power consuming devices. The power control message is communicated to the determined group of client devices to initiate a power reduction event. Subsequent to initiation of the power reduction event, a determination is made that at least one controllable device has prematurely exited the power reduction event.

There is provided herein methods and apparatus for apparatus for controlling the interconnection of an auxiliary AC generator with an electrical system, such as an electrical distribution system, e.g., a utility grid. A measuring circuit measures the frequency of an auxiliary AC generator and the phase angle between one voltage phase of the generator and the correspondent voltage phase of the electric utility's electricity supply lines, i.e., the grid, each of which are averaged and filtered. The measured frequency of the auxiliary AC generator is matched to the frequency of the electrical system and the measured phase angle of the generator is matched to the electric utility's electricity supply lines. Once matching is achieved to within a defined tolerance, interconnecting contactors are closed.

Systems and methods for managing power supplied over an electric power grid by an electric utility and/or other market participants to multiple power consuming devices, each of which having a Power Supply Value (PSV) associated with its energy consumption and/or reduction in consumption. Power flow to the power consuming devices is selectively enabled and disabled, or power-reduced thereto, by one or more controllable devices controlled by the client device. Power control messages from a controlling server indicate amounts of electric power to be reduced and an identification of at least one controllable device to be instructed to disable or reduce a flow of electric power to one or more associated power consuming devices.

An outage notification system for detecting a power outage at a customer location is provided. The outage notification system comprises a first outage notification device operably coupled to a first circuit at the customer location, a second device operably coupled to a second circuit at the customer location. The first device is operable to determine a status of power supply to the first circuit and communicate the status of power supply to the first circuit to the second device. The second device is operable to determine a status of power supply to the second circuit (or other desired parameter in an alternative embodiment) and notify, via a network, a receiving system associated with the electric utility of a power outage at the customer location based at least in part on the statuses of power supply to the first and/or second circuits.

A method of managing an electric utility grid includes geographically grouping a set of customer electric usage meters to create a set of fine sensors on a power grid. Each usage meter in the grouped set is capable of being remotely monitored, and each usage meter is at a different location along the power line. If a power anomaly is detected at the subset of meters, then power to the electric utility grid is adjusted to correct the anomaly.

Electric utility storm outage management is performed by determining an interconnection model of an electric utility power circuit, the power circuit comprising power circuit components, determining information indicative of weather susceptibility of the power circuit components, determining a weather prediction, and determining a predicted maintenance parameter based on the interconnection model, the weather susceptibility information, and the weather prediction.

An electric power load management system and method that uses a multiplicity of remote power supplies in a controlled manner such that the aggregate system has the capacity to offset critical power company peak electric demand periods thereby preventing severe and detrimental power shortages and interruptions.

net-metering in a power distribution system that includes a DRG system that is capable of providing power to a local load, an electric utility, and one or more batteries for storage, where net-metering is carried out iteratively during operation of the power distribution system and includes: creating, by a decision control engine, a local load and generation profile for a predefined period of time; deciding, by the decision control engine in accordance with revenue optimizing decision criteria and in dependence upon the local load and generation profile, present and projected utility power purchase prices, and a present state of charge of the batteries, whether to sell or store locally generated power; providing locally generated power to the electric utility if the decision control engine decides to sell locally generated power; and charging batteries with locally generated power if the decision control engine decides to store locally generated power.

The invention relates to a method of controlling a wind turbine connected to an electric utility grid during malfunction in said electric utility grid, said method comprising the steps of detecting a malfunction in said electric utility grid and monitoring at least one physical work property of at least one component of said wind turbine. Further, the method controls the pitch of one or more win turbine blades of said wind turbine in order too keep said least one physical work property below at least one predefined limit in a time period of said malfunction. The invention also relates to a control system for a wind turbine connected and supplying electric power to a utility grid as well as a wind turbine and park hereof.

Method and apparatus for mounting and locating untethered embedded antenna elements in the dielectric cover of electric utility meters configured for but not limited to wireless remote one way or two way radio communications for automated metering applications such as remote meter reading, remote connect/disconnect, home area networking, meter equipment firmware downloads, load management or locations based services. A multiplicity of untethered integral antenna elements and topologies may be located within a replacement dielectric cover for a direct-connect cable free or cable connection to a radio or microwave modem. Also described is a method and apparatus for retro-fitting the antenna elements on the inner face of an existing utility meter dielectric cover.

The invention relates to a method of controlling a wind turbine connected to an electric utility grid during malfunction in said electric utility grid (9). The method comprises the steps of detecting a malfunction in said electric utility grid and operating at least two control units of said power converter (12) in relation to at least one power converter limit value. The invention also relates to a control system for a wind turbine connected to a utility grid and a wind turbine.

An energy management system which will allow the owner to set a minimum energy reserve or charge for an energy storage device (ESD), such ESD being coupled to an asset that is further connected to the electric utility grid. A plurality of sensors may be utilized to provide data, including ESD health and ambient conditions, so that, along with other owner data inputs and profile information, an appropriate amount of energy may be charged to and maintained in the ESD to enable the associated asset to perform anticipated tasks. The energy management system may be either directly or remotely programmed via secure communications, and will further provide the owner with the ability to discharge energy back to the grid during demand events, or to discharge to other owner specified assets, at the owner's discretion.

An electrical DC-to-AC power conversion apparatus is disclosed that is primarily intended for use with solar photovoltaic sources in electric utility grid-interactive applications. The invention improves the conversion efficiency and lowers the cost of DC-to-AC inverters. The enabling technology is a novel inverter circuit topology, where the bulk of the throughput power, from DC source to AC utility, is processed only once. The inverter does not require an isolation transformer and can be connected directly to a 480/277 Vac utility grid. The invention also allows the power converter to start into photovoltaic array having higher open circuit voltages. The invention also uses active ripple current cancellation to substantially reduce the cost, size and weight of the main filter inductors.

A multifunction data port is located in or attached to the utility meter or the meter box. The installation or removal of the data port requires opening the meter seal. The data port interface can provide broad band access to a digital network and the Internet. It can provide the utility customer with a secure computer terminal for commerce and telecommunications. It can provide the electric utility load management and time of use metering of electrical power.