Dynamically Controlled Electric Demand Management System

It is becoming increasingly apparent that we, as a nation, need to quickly develop smarter solutions to control the overall generation and distribution of electrical energy as power demand across the grid expands in response to the increasing population and the growing prospect of energy intensive technologies coming online. Peak demand spikes occurring regularly throughout the power grid have reached unsustainable conditions, and, as a result, more intelligent solutions are needed to: 1) conserve energy by maximizing efficiencies and minimizing energy loss; 2) reduce the burden on the power grid infrastructure during periods of peak demand; 3) reduce the requirement for additional generating capacity; and 4) save the consumer money. The overall goal of the Phase I and Phase II project is to develop an integrated control system software platform in connection with Bristol Tennessee Essential Services (BTES) that measures real-time system demand across a distributed power network and, via closed loop feedback control, responds dynamically by controlling the voltage across the grid on a substation level and the activity of consumer devices (hot water heaters, car chargers, HVAC, etc). Closed-loop control is used to create an optimal solution for: 1) reducing the Power loss associated with long-range distribution, and 2) redistributing the power demand peaks over time to create a flatter power demand curve for both the generators and the distributors. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: Realizing this technology to its fullest potential would result in a fully deployable software control platform that, initially, can be logistically phased into the 32,000 customer base of BTES, and then systematically delivered across the entire Tennessee Valley Authority distribution system which provides power for approximately 9 million customers. Ultimately, in the more distant future, this solution can be deployed across other electrical power distribution networks across the nation.