Power Demand-Supply Management Server Optimizing Consumer Comfort and Bill Costs

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current power demand/supply management systems face challenges in minimizing comfort impact while achieving electricity savings for individual consumers and ensuring accurate demand suppression plans, particularly due to uncertainties in electricity consumption related to weather conditions and the need for precise forecasting.

Innovation Solution

A power demand/supply management server that simulates cost evaluation values for comfort and electricity bills, calculates control contents for electrical equipment to minimize cost, and distributes these controls to consumers, while ensuring a necessary demand suppression plan level based on daily load curves, thereby optimizing electricity unit meter-charges.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If manual operation for adjusting electrical equipment is used during CPP events, then participants can control their own equipment, but the operation becomes bothersome and the power consumption suppression remains uncertain

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperation convenienceVSAvoidpower consumption suppression reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables automatic self-service control where the control device autonomously adjusts electrical equipment based on received control signals. The microcomputer automatically compares current time with predetermined control periods, determines control states, and executes control operations without requiring manual user intervention, thereby eliminating the bothersome manual operation while ensuring reliable power consumption suppression.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

A control device acts as an intermediary between the utility company's CPP event signals and the electrical equipment. This control device receives control signals from the utility company, processes them through predetermined control logic, and automatically executes control operations on electrical equipment, thereby automating the entire process from signal delivery to equipment control.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of energy

If large level of suppression is performed to ensure electricity bill reduction effect, then the electricity bill reduction is ensured, but the user-friendliness and comfort become poor

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveelectricity bill reductionVSAvoiduser-friendliness and comfort
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies different control states to different electrical equipment based on their individual characteristics and user preferences. The control device stores predetermined control periods and control states for each electrical equipment, allowing selective and differentiated control that minimizes impact on user comfort while achieving electricity bill reduction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The control system dynamically adjusts electrical equipment operation based on real-time conditions. The microcomputer continuously compares current time with predetermined control periods and automatically changes control states accordingly, enabling flexible and adaptive power consumption management that responds to changing conditions while maintaining user comfort.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Extent of automation

If CPP event compatible control logic is set beforehand, then the operation is automated and power consumption suppression is ensured, but it remains uncertain whether the suppression level and electricity bill reduction effect are as expected due to weather conditions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperation automationVSAvoidpower consumption suppression accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Extent of automationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The control device stores predetermined control periods and control states for each electrical equipment in advance. When a CPP event occurs, the microcomputer automatically compares the current time with these predetermined control periods and executes the appropriate control operations without delay, ensuring accurate and timely power consumption suppression that accounts for weather conditions and other variables.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2388883B1Power demand-supply management server and power demand-supply management system
Publication Date: 2018.07.04 HITACHI LTD
  • EP2388883B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2388883B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2388883B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

A power demand/supply management server (10) obtains information defining restraint contents to a comfort and an electricity bill from a consumer power operating device (2). An individual-consumer control optimizing unit of the power demand/supply management server (10) calculates control contents to an electrical equipment having a minimum cost evaluation value based on a simulation result of cost evaluation values which are barometers for evaluating a comfort and an electricity bill excessiveness, and transmits the calculated control contents to the consumer power operating device (2). Also, a whole-consumer optimizing unit of the power demand/supply management server (10) calculates the most appropriate electricity unit meter-charge that ensures a necessary demand suppression plan level throughout the whole power system based on an electricity daily load curve for each consumer.