Energy Usage Tracking for Automated Peak-Time Load Shifting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Energy usage in offices, homes, and businesses often occurs without consideration for optimal time periods, leading to high energy consumption during peak times, which is overlooked due to lack of awareness and incentives.
Innovation Solution
A system that identifies high energy usage events during peak times and postpones or adjusts them to non-peak times, using a processor to determine energy usage intervals and adjust device cycles accordingly, with incentives for non-peak usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If energy usage events are performed during peak times, then immediate service is provided, but energy consumption and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-heating or pre-cooling thermal storage media during off-peak hours before peak demand periods. This allows energy-intensive operations to be shifted to lower-cost periods while still meeting peak-time service requirements through the stored thermal energy.
Solution Approach 2:
A thermal storage medium acts as an intermediary between energy production and consumption. It stores excess energy during off-peak periods and releases it during peak periods, decoupling the timing of energy generation from energy usage and enabling load shifting.
2Loss of energy
If energy usage events are postponed to non-peak times, then energy costs are reduced, but service timing is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal storage medium serves as a mediator that bridges the time gap between energy production and consumption. It accumulates energy during off-peak periods and delivers it during peak periods, maintaining service timing without incurring peak energy costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system operates in periodic cycles, accumulating energy during off-peak periods and releasing it during peak periods. This rhythmic operation pattern allows the system to consistently meet peak demand while optimizing energy cost timing.
3Loss of energy
If thermal energy storage is implemented, then energy cost optimization is achieved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically monitors energy prices, determines optimal storage and release timing, and controls the thermal storage medium without requiring complex user intervention or manual management, thereby reducing operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal storage system serves multiple functions: it stores thermal energy, regulates temperature, shifts load timing, and provides backup capacity. This multi-functionality consolidates several system roles into a single component, reducing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
One example method of operation may include determining one or more high energy usage events were initiated during a peak energy usage time interval of a period of time, determining whether a non-peak energy usage time interval is within a threshold range of the peak energy usage time interval, when the non-peak energy usage time interval is within the threshold range of the peak energy usage time interval, postponing at least a portion of the one or more high energy usage event during the peak energy usage time interval, and automatically re-initiating the one or more high energy usage events during the non-peak energy usage time interval.