A system for controlling prepaid delivery of utilities includes a utility meter with a cutoff device for enabling or disabling delivery of a utility; and a server connected to the utility meter via a network. The utility meter receives a usage limit from the server, measures usage of the utility by the load, and when the usage limit is exceeded, activates the cutoff device. The utility meter transmits the measured usage to the server at configurable intervals. The server maintains an account balance associated with the load, receives the measured usage from the utility meter, and decrements the account balance based on the measured usage. When the account balance is exhausted, the server sends a command to activate the cutoff device to the utility meter. Otherwise, the server generates a further usage limit based on the account balance, and sends the further usage limit to the utility meter.

A system for controlling prepaid delivery of utilities includes a utility meter with a cutoff device for enabling or disabling delivery of a utility; and a server connected to the utility meter via a network. The utility meter receives a usage limit from the server, measures usage of the utility by the load, and when the usage limit is exceeded, activates the cutoff device. The utility meter transmits the measured usage to the server at configurable intervals. The server maintains an account balance associated with the load, receives the measured usage from the utility meter, and decrements the account balance based on the measured usage. When the account balance is exhausted, the server sends a command to activate the cutoff device to the utility meter. Otherwise, the server generates a further usage limit based on the account balance, and sends the further usage limit to the utility meter.

A distributed energy resource (DER) device is coupled to a utility meter in a “behind-the-meter” configuration. The utility meter analyzes a commitment generated by the DER device to determine a specific operation performed by the DER device at a particular time. The utility meter analyzes metrology data to identify an “event” associated with the particular time and then attempts to map the identified event back to the DER device based on a library of events associated with different DER devices. The utility meter also attempts to map the identified event to the specific operation set forth in the commitment. If the utility meter can successfully map the identified event to both the DER device and to the specific operation set forth in the commitment, then the utility meter generates a validated commitment. The validated commitment can be used to facilitate an energy market settlement process.

Systems, methods, and apparatus are described that enable a serial bus to be operated in one or more modes that employ additional wires for communicating data. A method includes a method includes providing a first interrogating signal configured to cause a controller in a vehicle that is entering the parking facility to monitor status of the vehicle while the vehicle is present within the parking facility, and measure a duration of time in which the vehicle is parked within the parking facility. The method further incudes providing a second interrogating signal when the vehicle is exiting the parking facility, the second interrogating signal being configured to cause the controller to transmit information that includes the duration of time in which the vehicle was parked within the parking facility.

A computing device receives a commitment generated by a distributed resource device, the commitment indicating a type of the distributed resource device and a time interval when the distributed resource device modified usage of a resource at a location; receives an event corresponding to a pattern of usage of the resource at the location during the time interval; identifies an event model that is associated with a pattern of usage of the resource that matches the pattern of usage of the resource at the location during the time interval, the event model being included in a library of event models that associate different patterns of usage of the resource with corresponding types of distributed resource devices; and validates the commitment in response to determining that at least a type of distributed resource device associated with the event model corresponds to the type of distributed resource device indicated by the commitment.

A distributed ledger based utility system architecture may be configured to enable secure payments, data transmission, and meter configuration of smart sensors. The utility system architecture may be a tiered architecture including multiple nodes at different levels of the architecture where each level may contain a different portion of the distributed ledger. As information is added to the distributed ledger, each portion of the distributed ledger may be updated based on whether the information is relevant to that node. The information may include rate contract transactions, meter configuration data transactions, payment transactions, or the like.

The present invention provides a virtual code-based transaction system, method and program, wherein the method includes a virtual code reception step in which a virtual code verification means receives a virtual code, and the virtual code is generated by a virtual code generation function included in a virtual code generation means, searching, by the virtual code verification means, for a storage location of a User Identification (UID) in the virtual code, searching, by the virtual code verification means, for control command information stored by matching the searched UID, and performing a control command based on the extracted control command information, wherein the virtual code verification means stores a plurality of UIDs and changes control command information matched to each of the plurality of UIDs every preset period.

A system for operating an electric-vehicle charging station is proposed. The system is capable of preventing a general vehicle other than an electric vehicle from being parked in a parking station where the charging module for charging the electric vehicle is installed, preventing an electric vehicle from being parked in a charging station at a higher level than necessary, and eliminating the need for the driver of a subsequent vehicle to wait for charging in the charging station when there is a vehicle that is in a charging state in the charging station.

A system for operating an electric-vehicle charging station is proposed. The system is capable of preventing a general vehicle other than an electric vehicle from being parked in a parking station where the charging module for charging the electric vehicle is installed, preventing an electric vehicle from being parked in a charging station at a higher level than necessary, and eliminating the need for the driver of a subsequent vehicle to wait for charging in the charging station when there is a vehicle that is in a charging state in the charging station.

The present disclosure relates to a system and method for integrated management of services related to charging and payment for electric vehicles. An integrated management server receives, from an entranceway LPR, an incoming vehicle number of an incoming vehicle that enters an entranceway of a parking lot including a charging zone for electric vehicle and checks incoming vehicle information corresponding to the incoming vehicle number. If the incoming vehicle is an electric vehicle, the integrated management server determines a charger available for the incoming vehicle among one or more chargers installed in the charging zone based on the incoming vehicle information. If there is a charger available for the incoming vehicle, the integrated management server generates available charger information. The integrated management server generates charging guidance information for guiding the incoming vehicle to a charging parking surface corresponding to the available charger based on the available charger information.