A system for providing electric energy to users includes a server node, a set of supply nodes and a set of mobile terminals. One or more communication networks connect the server node to the supply nodes. Each supply node provides output energy via a remote-controlled outlet. Each mobile terminal communicates with the server node over a wireless interface. The supply nodes repeatedly send respective instruction inquiries to the server node, which also receives activation requests from the mobile terminals specifying a particular outlet and an identity of a mobile-terminal user. In response to an activation request, the server node checks if the user identity is authorized to activate the outlet, and if so; in response to an instruction inquiry from a first supply node associated with the outlet, sends an activation accept to the first supply node enabling output of electric energy from the outlet.

Power converter communications, including power converter communication methods and power converters that can communicate information, are disclosed. A control variable of a power converter is modulated, to modulate an output of the power converter for communicating information. Modulation of voltage or current on a circuit path to which the power converter is coupled could be detected, by another power converter, for example. Such modulation could be detected by sensors that are also used in controlling the power converter. Either or both of transmission and reception could therefore be provided without requiring any additional hardware at a power converter.

Provided is a network system. The network system includes: at least one unit selected from an energy receiving unit receiving energy and an energy management unit managing the energy receiving unit. An energy usage amount or energy usage rate of the energy receiving unit is adjusted; an energy usage amount or usage rate when the unit is controlled based on information relating to at least an energy rate is less than that when the unit is controlled without the base of information relating to at least an energy rate; the energy receiving unit comprises a plurality of components; and an operation of one component among the plurality of components is controlled based on the energy rate related information.

Systems and methods for intelligent transfer and management of power maintain a continuous and cost efficient supply of power to electrical loads in a residential or commercial unit when different energy resources such as utility, backup generators, energy storage systems and distributed energy resources (e.g. solar and wind) are available.

A method is provided for communications in a network interconnecting at least two power generators, each power generator being connected to said network by at least one interfacing device capable of sending and receiving communications frames. The frames have at least one piece of supervision data and at least one piece of information data. The method includes an act of sending during which the same pieces of information data are sent at least twice, wherein two operations of sending frames have identical pieces of information data being separated in time by a predetermined time interval; and an act of receiving, implementing a systematic elimination of one of the frames received when two frames having identical pieces of information data have been received.

In an electrical power outlet device, a processor and a memory are configured to execute an application within the outlet device, which computes a pattern of usage of the outlet device. A set of sensors in the outlet device includes a first sensor that is usable to detect an event in an environment in which the outlet device is supplying power. The environment includes elements that are not participating in an electrical circuit that receives power from the outlet device and the event is usable by the application to alter the pattern of usage. An autonomous modification of an operation of the outlet device is performed in response to the pattern of usage, the event, or both. The operation changes a power supplying state of the outlet device without using an external switching apparatus or an external logic implemented outside the outlet device.

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a utilities management system operable to receive via a guided wave transceiver a plurality of utility status signals from a plurality of utility sensors located at a plurality of supervised sites. Utility control data is generated based on the plurality of utility status signals. At least one control signal is generated for transmission via the guided wave transceiver to at least one of the plurality of supervised sites, and the at least one control signal includes at least one utility deployment instruction based on the utility control data. Other embodiments are disclosed.

A system of electrical distribution within a building, which selectively energizes power sockets only when an appliance is connected to the socket and in need of power.

A method, a system, and computer readable medium for managing thermostatically controlled loads (TLCs). The method includes acquiring data from a plurality of TCLs including at least thermal parameters associated with each TCL of the plurality of TCLs and a regulation signal data and prioritizing the plurality of TCLs. The prioritization is based on a contribution of each TCL to an overall service. The method further includes generating an optimization curve based on the prioritization, determining an optimization attribute associated with each TCL of the plurality of TCLs, and outputting the optimization attribute associated with each TCL for a regulation period to each TCL. The optimization curve has at least reward criteria as an optimization parameter.

A method for monitoring a high-voltage electric-current transmission line includes: determining (100) the ampacity (A) of the high-voltage line from a distribution temperature, conduction parameters and meteorological parameters; measuring (202) the current strength effectively transmitted by the high-voltage line using at least one sensor; and monitoring (204), by a monitoring device connected to the sensor, an excess of ampacity (A) by the current strength measured. The determining (100) of the ampacity (A) includes: selecting (108, 110, 112, 114, 116) a value of this ampacity (A) by optimizing a probability of exceeding the distribution temperature, with this probability defined based on a joint probability model (P) of operating current strength and temperature that depends on meteorological parameters; and recording (118) the selected ampacity value in a storage unit of the monitoring device.