Demand Response Coordination via Mobile Intermediary
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing demand response systems face challenges in effectively motivating residential and small to medium business customers to participate in energy curtailment events due to limited communication effectiveness and resource inefficiencies, particularly with SMS and email messages, and the high cost and complexity of controlling appliances.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a DR module on a device associated with customers to receive and acknowledge DR event notifications, display curtailment requests, and allow users to confirm or refuse participation, which communicates participation signals to a DR server, enabling targeted resource curtailment and historical data collection for future event planning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If SMS or e-mail messages are used to communicate DR events to residential/SMB customers, then communication can be established, but the communication effectiveness is insufficient and resource usage is inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mobile device as an intermediary between the utility system and the customer. The mobile device receives DR event notifications, displays curtailment requests, and collects user responses, serving as an efficient communication bridge that overcomes the limitations of SMS and email while minimizing resource consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical communication systems (SMS gateways, email servers) with a software-based mobile application approach. The mobile device's processing capabilities and display interface substitute for complex communication infrastructure, reducing resource requirements while improving information delivery effectiveness.
2Productivity
If appliances are equipped with control capabilities for direct utility or DR aggregator control, then DR event implementation is improved, but the appliances become expensive and complex to set up
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables customers to manually control their appliances based on DR event notifications received on their mobile devices. Instead of requiring automated appliance control, the system empowers customers to make informed decisions about their own energy consumption, eliminating the need for complex appliance modifications while maintaining DR effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile device serves as an intermediary that translates utility DR requests into actionable information for customers, who then manually implement curtailment decisions. This intermediary approach avoids the need for direct appliance control hardware while achieving similar DR outcomes through customer awareness and voluntary participation.
3Productivity
If resources are invested in coordinating participation of residential/SMB customers, then DR event coordination is improved, but the limited curtailment of each customer makes resource investment unjustified
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal mobile device-based platform that can serve multiple functions: receiving DR notifications, displaying curtailment requests, collecting user responses, and providing historical data. This multi-functional approach maximizes the utility of the communication infrastructure, justifying resource investment by enabling a single system to handle all aspects of DR coordination without requiring separate specialized systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of residential or small and medium business (SMB) demand response (DR) coordination may include receiving a DR event notification from a DR server. The DR event notification may include DR event information pertaining to a DR event and curtailment information. The method may also include communicating a notification acknowledgement to the DR server. The notification acknowledgement may indicate reception of the DR event notification. The method may include displaying a curtailment request pertaining to the DR event. The curtailment request may be based on the curtailment information included in the DR event notification and may include some portion of the DR event information. The method may also include receiving a user input including a DR event participation confirmation or a DR event participation refusal. The method may further include communicating a participation signal representative of at least a portion of the user input to the DR server.