Micro Demand Response Latency Grouping for Energy Curtailment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current demand response systems face challenges in efficiently managing energy curtailment during peak load periods, as they often require abrupt changes that can disrupt operations and may not effectively utilize the full potential of available curtailment capacities across diverse devices, leading to suboptimal energy savings and customer perception issues.
Innovation Solution
The method involves separating devices into On-to-Off and Off-to-On sets, forming latency groups based on defined curtailment margins, and executing micro DR events to ensure energy curtailment within a defined band, minimizing disruption and optimizing energy savings by dynamically adjusting transition groups based on device capacities and latencies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If abrupt curtailment changes are implemented during peak load periods, then energy demand is reduced quickly, but operational disruptions increase and customer satisfaction deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the curtailment process into multiple micro-demand response events, each involving small transitions of individual devices or groups of devices. Instead of implementing a single abrupt curtailment, the system divides the total curtailment requirement into numerous small steps, where each step transitions a subset of devices from one state to another. This segmentation allows curtailment to be achieved gradually, reducing operational disruptions while maintaining overall energy reduction effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic curtailment by continuously adjusting the state transitions of devices based on real-time system conditions, curtailment margins, and device capacities. The system dynamically selects which devices to transition and in what order, adapting to changing conditions during the demand response event. This dynamic approach allows the system to optimize the balance between energy curtailment effectiveness and operational smoothness, avoiding rigid abrupt changes.
2Ease of manufacture
If uniform curtailment is applied across all devices, then implementation is simple, but device-specific curtailment capacities are not optimized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by treating each device individually according to its specific characteristics, such as curtailment capacity, current state, and operational constraints. Instead of applying a uniform curtailment strategy to all devices, the system evaluates and transitions devices based on their local properties. Each device contributes to the overall curtailment goal according to its specific capacity and state, optimizing the total energy reduction while respecting device-specific limitations.
3Loss of energy
If curtailment transitions exceed defined margins, then energy savings are maximized, but curtailment control precision is lost and reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback control by continuously monitoring the cumulative curtailment achieved through device transitions and comparing it against predefined curtailment margins. The system uses this feedback information to determine whether to proceed with additional transitions or to stop, ensuring that the total curtailment remains within reliable boundaries. This feedback mechanism maintains control precision while still achieving significant energy savings by utilizing the full available curtailment capacity within the defined margins.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes separating a collection of devices configured for participation in a demand response (DR) event into an On-to-Off DR device set (On-to-Off set) and an Off-to-On DR device set (Off-to-On set). The method includes forming latency groups from devices of the Off-to-On set and the On-to-Off set based on a lower curtailment margin and an upper curtailment margin defined for a macro DR event. The method includes portioning one or more transition groups from the devices of the Off-to-On set and the On-to-Off set. The portioning is based on device curtailment capacities of the devices of the Off-to-On set and the On-to-Off set, a dynamic lower curtailment margin, and a dynamic upper curtailment margin. The method includes creating transition group pairs from the transition groups and executing a micro DR event such that an energy curtailment remains within the curtailment band.