Dynamically Controlled Electric Demand Management System

The variation between peak and off-peak electricity demand fluctuates up to 70 percent over the course of a 24 hour cycle. This degree of variability is a driver for costly inefficiencies within the power gridto prevent blackouts and meet customer demandas well as power sell offs to consume excess generation available during off-peak hours. Projections estimate the power demand to double by 2050 resulting in an estimated 1.5 trillion dollars in infrastructural updates. Projected growth in the scale of energy consumption mandates a more efficient solution to meet peak demand and consume excess generation capacity during non-peak cycles. The solution incorporates a systematic software system for managing voltage and demand in real-time while adjusting the necessary devices on the network to manage and accommodate the actual current load on the grid. The collective goal of the DCEDMS project is to provide a state- based control system that will monitor and manage devices within the distribution network for optimal efficiency and responsiveness. This solution is the only software that addresses the supply side (generation) as well as demand side (consumption) in a unified decision model. The software was tested with 1,200 water heaters and 73 capacitors in an existing network, and the software demonstrates the capacity to monitor voltage readings throughout the network in real-time while independently monitoring and controlling water heaters and capacitors. Phase I testing was extremely successful, and Bristol Tennessee Essential Services is realizing over $1.75 million in annual savings as the result of the DCEDMS. Energy savings derived from the capacitor control program averages 9.3 MW per day. The Carina water heater component (1,200 water heaters) shifts an average 2.75 MW per day from peak to off-peak times. Phase II objectives focus on developing a solution that is scalable, secure and sustainable. Critical milestones of the Phase II research effort include completing the solution implementation at BTES, packaging the DCEDMS for distribution to a second customer and developing additional device capacity to enhance the scalable impact of the system. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: DCEDMS shifts load to off-peak hours and minimizes loss over transmission thereby reducing the requirements for additional generation capacity. These factors result in reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and increased stability of the current grid infrastructure. DCEDMS is the ideal controller for managing the sustainable smart grid solution.