This document relates to electricity management using modulated waveforms. One example modulates electricity to obtain modulated electricity having at least two different alternating current frequencies including a first alternating current frequency and a second alternating current frequency. The example delivers the modulated electrical power having the at least two different alternating current frequencies to multiple different electrical devices, including a first electrical device configured to utilize the first alternating current frequency and a second electrical device configured to utilize the second alternating current frequency. The modulated electricity can be delivered at least partly over an electrical line shared by the first electrical device and the second electrical device.

A multiplicity of uninterruptible power supply (UPS) devices may be equipped with a plurality of sensors which report on the state of various operational parameters of the UPS devices to a registry device. Output of the registry device may be displayed on a dedicated GUI and/or written to log files at a monitoring station. In the event that one or more sensors reports a parameter to the registry device which is indicative of a malfunction of one or more of the UPS devices, examination the registry device output may indicate which UPS device or devices is/are malfunctioning. Related embodiments, apparatus, systems, and methods are also discussed.

A system includes an electrical apparatus configured to monitor or control one or more aspects of an electrical power distribution network; and a control system including more than one electronic processor, where the electronic processors are configured to cause the control system to interact with the electrical apparatus, an interaction between the control system and the electrical apparatus including one or more of the control system providing information to the electrical apparatus and the control system receiving information from the electrical apparatus, and if some of the electronic processors are unable to cause the control system to interact with the electrical apparatus, at least one of the other electronic processors is able to cause the control system to interact with the apparatus.

An energy storage system for a building includes a battery and an energy storage controller. The battery is configured to store electrical energy purchased from a utility and to discharge stored electrical energy for use in satisfying a building energy load. The energy storage controller is configured to generate a cost function including a peak load contribution (PLC) term. The PLC term represents a cost based on electrical energy purchased from the utility during coincidental peak hours in an optimization period. The controller is configured to modify the cost function by applying a peak hours mask to the PLC term. The peak hours mask identifies one or more hours in the optimization period as projected peak hours and causes the energy storage controller to disregard the electrical energy purchased from the utility during any hours not identified as projected peak hours when calculating a value for the PLC term.

Various implementations described herein are directed to systems, apparatuses and methods for operating stand-alone power systems. The systems may include power generators (e.g., photovoltaic generators and/or wind turbines), storage devices (e.g., batteries and/or flywheels), power modules (e.g., power converters) and loads. The methods may include various methods for monitoring, determining, controlling and/or predicting system power generation, system power storage and system power consumption.

Methods and systems for control of a power-quality measuring or monitoring device, such as a transfer switch, are provided. An example method includes a transfer-switch controller of a transfer switch receiving an input command from a user. The method further includes, in response to receiving the input command, the transfer-switch controller entering a safe state, wherein in the safe state operational settings of the transfer switch remain unchanged. Still further, the method includes, after entering the safe state, the transfer-switch controller providing, based on operational data specific to the transfer switch, information regarding a feature of the transfer switch.

A distributed control node enables monitoring of complex energy signatures for local loads. The control node can identify energy signatures unique to local loads. The energy signature includes a complex current vector for the load in operation identifying the primary current with a real power component and a reactive power component, and identifying one or more harmonics each with a real power component, a reactive power component, and an angular displacement relative to the primary current. Based on the energy signature, the control node can control a noise contribution of the load due to the harmonics as seen at a point of common coupling to reduce noise introduced onto the grid network from the load.

According to one aspect, embodiments of the invention provide a distributed power system comprising a DC bus, at least one DC UPS configured to provide DC power to the DC bus derived from at least one of input AC power and backup DC power such that a DC voltage on the DC bus is maintained at a nominal level, and at least one power module configured to monitor the DC voltage on the DC bus, to convert DC power from an energy storage device into regulated DC power, and to provide the regulated DC power to the DC bus in response to a determination that the DC voltage on the DC bus is less than a threshold level.

Dispatch engines service endpoints by transmitting dispatch signals to the serviced endpoints that cause the endpoints to adjust their electric power consumption from the electric power grid in accord with a control signal received by the dispatch engine. A market interface dispatch engine receives its control signal from an electric power grid managing entity, and downstream dispatch engines form a hierarchy cascading downstream from the market interface dispatch engine with each downstream dispatch engine being an endpoint serviced by a dispatch engine located upstream in the hierarchy. The control signal received by each downstream dispatch engine comprises dispatch signals transmitted by the upstream dispatch engine. The endpoints further include electric power-consuming loads. A suitable load controller comprises separate power interface and logic elements operatively connected to define the load controller, with the logic element powered by low voltage DC power received from the power interface element.

Lighting units, systems, and methods are described herein for determining whether occupancy detections are legitimate or not. Methods and systems are further described herein for powering down a network of power over ethernet (PoE) components.