Utility portals for managing demand-response events

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Utility companies face challenges in managing peak electricity demand due to limited tools for intuitive and flexible management of demand response events, leading to consumer discomfort and inefficiencies in energy shifting techniques.

Innovation Solution

The development of utility portals that enable utility companies to communicate with energy management systems to implement demand response events through network-connected thermostats, allowing for customizable energy reduction strategies and participant enrollment based on detailed energy consumption data.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If utility companies implement demand response events by directly controlling cooling systems, then peak demand is reduced, but consumer comfort deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepeak demand reductionVSAvoidconsumer discomfort

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs pre-cooling of residences before demand response events by lowering thermostat setpoints in advance. This stores cooling capacity in the building thermal mass, allowing the cooling system to be curtailed during peak demand periods without immediately compromising consumer comfort. The energy management system automatically schedules and executes these pre-cooling actions based on forecasted demand response events.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If utility companies use traditional load shedding techniques, then peak demand is reduced, but energy shifting accuracy deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepeak demand reductionVSAvoidenergy shifting accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The energy management system continuously monitors actual energy consumption, residence temperature, and demand response event outcomes. This feedback is used to refine and optimize pre-cooling strategies, adjusting setpoint schedules and duration based on real-world performance. The system tracks energy shifted during each event and uses this data to improve future energy shifting accuracy and consumer comfort predictions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Measurement precision

If utility companies provide detailed management tools for demand response events, then energy shifting accuracy improves, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenergy shifting accuracyVSAvoidmanagement tool complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The energy management system automatically performs complex tasks including scheduling pre-cooling events, optimizing thermostat setpoints, monitoring energy consumption, and adjusting control strategies without requiring manual intervention. The system self-configures based on enrollment data from consumers and autonomously manages the entire demand response participation process, providing accurate energy shifting while maintaining simple consumer interaction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS9807099B2Utility portals for managing demand-response events

Publication Date: 2017.10.31 GOOGLE LLC

AI summary

Various utility portals that enable utility companies to manage demand-response events are disclosed. The disclosed utility portals include several different options for enabling utility companies to communicate information to and received information from an energy management system. The energy management system can host the portal and can carry out a demand response event via intelligent, network-connected devices based on information provided by the utility company.