Infrastructure Energy Demand Management via COP-Based Scheduling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Data centers face increasing power consumption and operational costs due to the inefficiencies in managing energy demand, which existing techniques fail to fully address despite dynamic pricing strategies.

Innovation Solution

An infrastructure managing system that utilizes an energy demand managing apparatus to determine an aggregate coefficient of performance (COP) of the infrastructure over time, reallocating energy demand to maximize usage during high COP periods and minimize usage during low COP periods, considering both COP and energy costs to optimize energy efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If energy demand is temporally redistributed based only on energy cost, then energy costs are reduced, but additional cost savings are limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenergy costVSAvoidenergy management flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system changes the parameter basis for energy demand management from solely energy cost to a composite parameter that includes both energy cost and infrastructure COP. This allows the energy management system to adapt to varying infrastructure efficiency conditions while still achieving cost savings, thereby resolving the contradiction between cost reduction and management flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts energy demand scheduling by continuously monitoring both energy costs and infrastructure COP values. This dynamic approach enables the system to respond to changing conditions in real-time, maximizing cost savings while maintaining the flexibility to adapt to different operational scenarios.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Loss of energy

If energy demand is increased during low COP periods to match high cost periods, then energy cost is reduced, but infrastructure efficiency is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenergy costVSAvoidinfrastructure efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring infrastructure COP values and using this information to adjust energy demand scheduling decisions. This feedback mechanism ensures that energy demand is not shifted to periods when the infrastructure is operating inefficiently, thereby maintaining reliability while still achieving cost savings through strategic demand redistribution.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Loss of energy

If traditional cost-based energy management is used, then energy cost savings are achieved, but operational cost reductions are limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenergy costVSAvoidoperational cost reduction

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system serves multiple functions by simultaneously optimizing for both energy cost and operational efficiency. By integrating COP considerations into energy demand management, the system achieves not only energy cost savings but also broader operational cost reductions, thereby resolving the contradiction between cost savings and productivity improvement.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS8565931B2Managing energy demand in an infrastructure

Publication Date: 2013.10.22 HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE DEV LP

AI summary

In a method for managing energy demand in an infrastructure, a coefficient of performance (COP) of the infrastructure as a function of time is determined. The COP is a measure of efficiency of the infrastructure. In addition, an energy demand on the infrastructure as a function of time is determined and an energy demand schedule for the infrastructure that temporally reallocates the energy demand based upon the determined COP of the infrastructure is determined.