IP Library Granted Patent US 10,866,568
Granted Patent B2
US 10,866,568 · App. 15/476,857 · Granted Dec 15, 2020

Orchestrated energy

Inventors: Marissa Hummon (Boulder, CO); Patrick Sullivan (Boulder, CO); Brett Feldman (Boulder, CO)
Assignee: Tendril OE, LLC
G05B15/02G06Q10/04H02J3/003H02J2203/20Y02E60/00Y04S40/20
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,866,568
App. No.
15/476,857
Granted
Dec 15, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

A facility providing systems and methods for managing and optimizing energy consumption and/or production is provided. The facility provides techniques for optimizing energy-consuming and energy-producing systems to meet specified demands or goals in accordance with various constraints. The facility relies on models to generate an optimization for an energy system. In order to use generic models to simulate and optimize energy consumption for an energy system, the generic models are calibrated to properly represent or approximate conditions of the energy system during the optimization period. After the appropriate models have been calibrated for a given situation using one or more modeling parameter sets, the facility can simulate inputs and responses for the corresponding system. The facility uses the generated simulations to generate a plan or control schedule to be implemented by the energy system during the optimization period.

Claims (57)

1. A method, performed by a computing system, for managing energy consumption within an energy-consuming system during a period, the method comprising:

determining, by the computing system, environmental conditions for the energy-consuming system, wherein determining at least one environmental condition for the energy-consuming system comprises invoking a device abstraction layer or service to communicate with a first device;

calibrating, by the computing system, at least one of a plurality of models;

identifying, by the computing system, one or more constraints for the period;

identifying, by the computing system, one or more objectives for the period;

determining, for the energy-consuming system,

susceptibility of the energy-consuming system to change conditions based on at least a first component and a second component within the energy-consuming system that drives conditions within the energy-consuming system, wherein the first component is a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) component and the second component is not an HVAC component,

drive strength of at least the first component and the second component within the energy-consuming system that drives conditions within the energy-consuming system, and

an entropy rate in the absence of at least the first component and the second component within the energy-consuming system that drives conditions within the energy-consuming system;

modeling the susceptibility, drive strength, and entropy rate;

performing a plurality of simulations, wherein each simulation generates a plurality of simulated input values to the calibrated at least one model and a plurality of simulated responses to the simulated input values;

optimizing, by the computing system, the simulated input values generated for a prediction quantity by the performed simulation;

generating, by the computing system, a control schedule for the energy-consuming system during the period based at least in part on the identified one or more constraints for the period, the identified one or more objectives for the period, the susceptibility, the drive strength, and the entropy rate; and

controlling a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system in accordance with the generated control schedule.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

periodically generating a modeling parameter set for the energy-consuming system and storing the generated modeling parameter set.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

providing the generated control schedule to the energy-consuming system.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the models include:

a thermal model, and

an electrical model.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determined environmental conditions comprise:

at least one weather-related value for the energy-consuming system during the period,

at least one occupancy-related value for the energy-consuming system during the period,

at least one size-related value for the energy-consuming system during the period, or

any combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the at least one weather-related value for the energy-consuming system comprises a forecasted outdoor temperature, a forecasted outdoor humidity, or forecasted solar irradiance for the energy-consuming system for the period, wherein the at least one occupancy-related value for the energy-consuming system comprises a day of the week for the period, and wherein the at least one size-related value for the energy-consuming system comprises an area of the energy-consuming system.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the energy-consuming system is one of: a pool pump, an electric vehicle charger, a lighting system, or a water heater.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

obtaining, by the computing system, a plurality of generic models representative of energy consumption; and

identifying, by the computing system, a modeling parameter set for the period,

wherein the calibrating comprises calibrating at least one of the obtained generic models representative of energy consumption based at least in part on the selected modeling parameter set for the period.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the identified objectives is a user-specified objective.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein optimizing the simulated input values generated for the prediction quantity comprises linearly optimizing the simulated input values generated for the prediction quantity by the performed simulation.

11. A method, performed by a computing system, for managing energy consumption during a period within an energy-consuming system having a Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system with HVAC components, and having a plurality of energy consuming, non-HVAC components, the method comprising:

determining, by the computing system, environmental conditions for the energy-consuming system, wherein determining at least one environmental condition for the energy-consuming system comprises invoking a device abstraction layer or service to communicate with a first device;

calibrating, by the computing system, at least one of a plurality of models;

identifying, by the computing system, a modeling parameter set for the period;

identifying, by the computing system, one or more constraints for the period;

identifying, by the computing system, one or more objectives for the period;

determining, for the energy-consuming system,

susceptibility of the energy-consuming system to change conditions based on at least a first component and a second component within the energy-consuming system that drives conditions within the energy-consuming system, wherein the first component is a HVAC component and the second component is a non-HVAC component,

drive strength of at least the first component and the second component within the energy-consuming system that drives conditions within the energy-consuming system, and

an entropy rate in the absence of at least the first component and the second component within the energy-consuming system that drives conditions within the energy-consuming system;

performing a plurality of simulations, wherein each simulation generates a plurality of simulated input values to the calibrated at least one model and a plurality of simulated responses to the simulated input values;

optimizing, by the computing system, the simulated input values generated for a prediction quantity by the performed simulation;

generating, by the computing system, a control schedule for the energy-consuming system during the period based at least in part on the identified one or more constraints for the period, the identified one or more objectives for the period, the susceptibility, drive strength, and entropy rate; and

controlling the HVAC system in accordance with the generated control schedule.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

periodically generating a modeling parameter set for the energy-consuming system and storing the generated modeling parameter set.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the determined environmental conditions comprise:

a weather-related value for the energy-consuming system during the period,

an occupancy-related value for the energy-consuming system during the period,

a size-related value for the energy-consuming system during the period, or

any combination thereof.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the weather-related value for the energy-consuming system comprises a forecasted outdoor temperature, a forecasted outdoor humidity, or forecasted solar irradiance for the energy-consuming system for the period, wherein the occupancy-related value for the energy-consuming system comprises a day of the week for the period, and wherein the at least one size-related value for the energy-consuming system comprises an area of the energy-consuming system.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the non-HVAC component is one of: a pool pump, an electric vehicle charger, a lighting system, or a water heater.

Assignments (10)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 31, 2024
From: TENDRIL OE, LLC
To: UPLIGHT, INC.
Reel/Frame 069710/0614 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Aug 5, 2024
From: UPLIGHT, INC.; TENDRIL INTERMEDIATE HOLDINGS, LLC; TENDRIL MIDCO, LLC; TENDRIL EA, LLC; TENDRIL OE, LLC; ENERGYSAVVY INC.; FIRSTFUEL SOFTWARE, INC.; SIMPLE ENERGY, INC.; AGENTIS, INC.; TRAFALGAR HOLDCO LLC; AUTOGRID SYSTEMS, INC.; ENERGY AI SYSTEMS INC.
To: MIDCAP FUNDING IV TRUST
Reel/Frame 068183/0935 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 2, 2024
From: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
To: TENDRIL EA, LLC; TENDRIL OE, LLC; ENERGYSAVVY INC.
Reel/Frame 067894/0622 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Aug 20, 2019
From: TENDRIL NETWORKS, INC.
To: UPLIGHT, INC.
Reel/Frame 050110/0584 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 11, 2019
From: TENDRIL EA, LLC; TENDRIL OE, LLC; ENERGYSAVVY INC.
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 049436/0401 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 4, 2018
From: EICF AGENT LLC
To: TENDRIL NETWORKS, INC.
Reel/Frame 047666/0510 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 30, 2018
From: EICF AGENT LLC
To: TENDRIL NETWORKS, INC.
Reel/Frame 047645/0764 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 5, 2018
From: TENDRIL NETWORKS, INC.
To: TENDRIL OE, LLC
Reel/Frame 047414/0864 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Feb 9, 2018
From: TENDRIL NETWORKS, INC.
To: EICF AGENT LLC
Reel/Frame 045297/0761 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 29, 2018
From: HUMMON, MARISSA; BLACK, CHRIS; MEIER, JAKE; SULLIVAN, PATRICK; FELDMAN, BRETT
To: TENDRIL NETWORKS, INC.
Reel/Frame 044752/0547 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62317426 · Apr 1, 2016
Related Publication 20170288401A1 · Oct 5, 2017