A cyber-secure local electrical power market for a power grid with a utility operator transmitting power where a group of participating nodes within the distribution network operate together through respective computers on a blockchain architecture. The participating nodes have controllable resources with controllers in operative communication within the blockchain architecture, such as controllable generators and controllable loads. Decentralized market software operates on computers within the blockchain architecture and shares blockchain datasets that include financial information associated with the controllable resources and operating states of the grid. One or more of the computers in the blockchain architecture calculates Locational Marginal Pricing (LMP) across the participating nodes according to the set of financial information and determines a set of energy service orders corresponding to LMP for the controllable resources to change their operating states. The computers also preferably calculate an energy balance with the transmission system in determining the energy service orders.

A method reduces substation demand fluctuations using decoupled price scheme to mange load flexibility to follow renewable variations in a power distribution system. The price scheme includes base energy price component, up/down reserve usage price component, and up/down reserve usage variation price component. The operator adjusts the corresponding price components to achieve desired aggregated demand profile at a substation. Meanwhile, the operator determines the optimal amount of reduced loads, removed loads and transferred loads to minimize the total cost of substation power purchase, available but unused renewable penalty, and demand responses.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for determining controls to be applied to a population of devices. In one aspect, a method comprises: determining a plurality of simulated load curves, wherein each simulated load curve simulates load generated by a respective device from a population of devices based on application of a respective control from a set of controls; adjusting values of a plurality of weights during a plurality of optimization iterations using an optimization technique to optimize a loss function, wherein each weight corresponds to a respective simulated load curve, wherein the loss function measures: a sparsity of the values of the plurality of weights, and an error between: (i) an aggregate load curve that is defined by combining the simulated load curves in accordance with the values of the plurality of weights, and (ii) a target load curve.

A system for integrating electric loads into the utility electric grid in a cost-effective, emissions-minimizing way. The system generates and implements a computer-readable series of instructions for one or more of starting and stopping electrical device charging or operation powering of an electrical device's duty cycle. The system includes a planning server including an optimization engine, one or more processors, and a memory device storing instructions thereon that when executed by the one or more processors, causes one or more of the one or more processors to: receive a charge request for charging an electrical device or operation powering of the electrical device's duty cycle, wherein the charge request includes time charge block sorting factors, generate a charging and powering schedule that includes multiple sets of disjointed time charge blocks to start and stop drawing power from a power grid to charge the electrical device or power the electrical device's duty cycle, calculate greenhouse gas emissions created during the scheduled time blocks, wherein each time charge block represents a block of time, a charge price, and a charge emissions value; and sort the time charge blocks in the charging and powering schedule using sorting factors that include price, emissions, solar availability, and combinations therein. Applied to a large number of devices, this system enables integration of devices like smart hot water heaters and electric vehicles into a utility's electric grid with reduced capacity need, avoiding capital expenses and lower operating expenses, while also minimizing carbon emissions and other air pollution.

The present invention is directed to a system for generating thermal energy from different energy sources, having a combustion-powered thermal energy source, an electric-powered thermal energy source, a steam distribution system, and a controller. The combustion-powered thermal energy source and the electric-powered each having a plurality of sensors. The controller is configured to actuate either or both of the energy sources based at least in part on information received from one or more of the plurality of sensors.

A method and system for providing energy audits including installation, verification and inspection of energy consuming components and energy producing components. An energy audit is conducted offline on an energy audit application on a network device for energy consuming components (e.g., lighting, heating, ventilation, air condition, etc.) and energy producing components (e.g., solar, wind, water, etc.) and automatically synchronized to a server network device when the network device is able to connect to a communications network and go on-line. Energy audit templates are provided to ensure all energy consuming components and energy producing components are fully defined and consistently identified on an electronic floorplan for a commercial or industrial building.

Architectures, apparatuses, methods, systems, and techniques for controlling electrical power distribution network are disclosed. Embodiment distributed, hierarchical controls including layered locational energy service control variables may be utilized to determine and control the provision of energy services, including real power, reactive power (VAR), and capacity reserves, by DERs in a distribution network. In a first ex-ante iteration a simulation may be performed to calculate a set of subnetwork-specific control variables based on subnetwork locational energy service prices and a plurality of sets of DER-specific control variables based on DER locational energy service prices. A second ex-ante iteration calculates a set of actual subnetwork-specific control variables based on subnetwork locational energy service prices and a plurality of sets of actual DER specific control variables based on DER locational energy service prices. Provision of energy services by DERs in a distribution network occurs in response to the determined control variables.

A method and system for providing energy audits including installation, verification and inspection of energy consuming components and energy producing components. An energy audit is conducted offline on an energy audit application on a network device for energy consuming components (e.g., lighting, heating, ventilation, air condition, etc.) and energy producing components (e.g., solar, wind, water, etc.) and automatically synchronized to a server network device when the network device is able to connect to a communications network and go on-line. Energy audit templates are provided to ensure all energy consuming components and energy producing components are fully defined and consistently identified on an electronic floorplan for a commercial or industrial building.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for determining controls to be applied to a population of devices. In one aspect, a method comprises: determining a plurality of simulated load curves, wherein each simulated load curve simulates load generated by a respective device from a population of devices based on application of a respective control from a set of controls; adjusting values of a plurality of weights during a plurality of optimization iterations using an optimization technique to optimize a loss function, wherein each weight corresponds to a respective simulated load curve, wherein the loss function measures: a sparsity of the values of the plurality of weights, and an error between: (i) an aggregate load curve that is defined by combining the simulated load curves in accordance with the values of the plurality of weights, and (ii) a target load curve.

The disclosure provides a method and a system for dispatching a multi-region power system. The method includes: obtaining, by each regional system operator, basic operating parameters of the regional power system; establishing, by each regional system operator, a dispatching model of the regional power system based on the basic operating parameters; identifying, by each regional system operator, an aggregation model of the regional power system based on the dispatching model of the regional power system; reporting, by each regional system operator, the aggregation model to the cross-region system operator; establishing, by the cross-region system operator, a reduced dispatching model of the multi-region power system based on the aggregation model from each regional system operator; and solving, by the cross-region system operator, the reduced dispatching model to obtain a dispatching result of each regional power system.