Adaptive Demand Response Energy Management for Electronic Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing demand/response energy management techniques are inflexible and inconvenient for users, as they primarily involve turning devices off to control energy consumption, which can disrupt services and fail to efficiently align with dynamic energy pricing or local renewable energy sources.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of 'smart bricks' and battery power management, coupled with a group-level demand/response fleet manager, allows for fine-grained energy consumption control with quality of service guarantees, enabling devices to continue providing services by adjusting power usage and charging based on available energy sources, ensuring both user satisfaction and energy efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If traditional demand/response energy management turns devices off to control energy consumption, then energy consumption is reduced, but service availability and user satisfaction deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by charging battery-powered devices during periods of low energy cost or high renewable energy availability. Energy is stored in advance in battery packs, allowing devices to operate independently from the grid during peak pricing periods without turning off, thus maintaining service availability while achieving energy management goals.
Solution Approach 2:
Battery-powered devices act as intermediaries between the energy grid and end-use devices. The battery packs buffer and decouple the connection, allowing devices to operate during peak pricing periods by drawing from stored energy rather than requiring direct grid connection, thereby maintaining service continuity while managing energy consumption strategically.
2Ease of operation
If devices operate continuously to maintain service quality, then user satisfaction is maintained, but energy consumption increases and exceeds energy budget targets
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-charges battery packs during off-peak hours or periods of high renewable energy generation, performing energy accumulation in advance. This allows devices to maintain continuous operation during peak pricing periods using stored energy, achieving service continuity without proportionally increasing total energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements periodic charging cycles for battery-powered devices, alternating between grid connection for charging during low-cost periods and independent operation during high-cost periods. This periodic pattern distributes energy consumption across different time periods, maintaining service continuity while managing overall energy consumption within budget targets.
3Reliability
If battery-powered devices are used to maintain service during peak pricing, then service availability is maintained, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the power supply architecture by separating battery-powered devices from traditional grid-dependent devices. This segmentation allows selective deployment of battery technology only where needed for critical services, maintaining service availability for essential functions while avoiding unnecessary complexity in devices where continuous grid power is sufficient.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery packs are designed as universal, multi-functional components that can serve multiple purposes: extending operational autonomy, providing backup power, and enabling participation in demand response programs. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by delivering multiple benefits from a single added component rather than requiring separate systems for each function.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for adaptive demand/response power management. Power consumption and battery charge level of a platform having a battery with a smart power module are monitored. Information indicating the power consumption and battery charge level for the platform is provided to a remote demand/response management device. The remote demand/response management device and the smart power module receive a command to modify one or more power consumption characteristics of the platform. The one or more power consumption characteristics of the platform are to be changed in response to the command.