DESCRIPTION Field of the invention

The present invention regards a system and a method for distributing consumable resources.

The invention was developed with particular attention being paid to the theme of managing electric energy consumptions, aimed at guaranteeing maximum balancing between the amount of electric energy generated upstream by the generators (for example remote power plants and/or distributed micro- generation systems) which supply a given electric energy distribution system and the amount of electric energy used downstream by the entirety of all electric units supplied by such given distribution system. The invention is advantageously applied even in case of other types of resources supplied to a plurality of users through a distribution network, such as for example water, gas, district heating systems, telephone band, data transmission band.

Background of the invention

The condition of maximum efficiency of an electric energy distribution system is obtained when the power generated and introduced into the respective distribution network is equivalent to the one actually absorbed by the entirety of the electric units connected to the network in question, i.e. when the overall amount of generated electric power is balanced with respect to the total amount of absorbed power. Inefficiency situations instead arise when there is lack of balance between the generated power and the power actually needed by the entirety of users connected to a given electric energy distribution network.

At a given time, should the power demand be considerably lower with respect to the generated one, energy production should be reduced - in order to avoid wastage - through, for example, the reduction of the supplied power, by operating through the shutting or disabling one or more generators. Vice versa, when - at a given time - the power demand tends to exceed that actually introduced into a given distribution network, then - in order to avoid black-out - it is necessary to activate one or more additional generators or, if they are already active with lower power, the power supplied by them have to be increased, so as to guarantee a condition of substantial rebalance between the generated and absorbed power. Should the demand saturate the maximum potential of the generation system, controlled black-outs are required.

Given that the disabling operations and, above all, the operations for enabling supplementary electric energy generators produce inefficiency and annually lead to rising the running costs and increasing the C0 ₂ released into the atmosphere, it is important to try to promote the development of techniques suitable to minimize the fluctuations of total absorption of electric power by the entirety of users connected to a given electric energy distribution network.

Problems similar to those outlined referring to the production and distribution of electric energy also arise in case of other types of resources administered through a distribution network, such as for example water, gas, district heating services, telephone band, data transmission band. Summary and aim of the invention

An object of the present invention is that of providing a system and a method aimed at the maximum optimisation of the production and use of resources distributed to several users. Such object is attained, according to the present invention, by a system for distributing a consumable resource and by a method for managing one such system having the characteristics indicated in the attached claims, which form an integral part of the technical disclosure provided herein in relation to the invention.

In brief, according to the invention, the optimisation of the use of a resource distributed to several users is attained through a system and a method which allow dynamically varying the amount of such resource assigned to each user.

The resource in question is supplied to the user according to a supply contract, which establishes a maximum limit of the amount of resource supplied instantaneously to the user, herein defined contract limit for the sake of simplicity. Such amount of resource must be assigned by the supplier, hence implying that the supplier must provide a corresponding supply capacity of the resource and hence production and transportation capacity.

The invention is essentially based on the observation of the fact that the demand of a generic resource by a user is not, over time, constantly equivalent to the contract limit and therefore, over even relatively long periods of time, there may be an amount of resource assigned by the supplier but not used by the user in question. Under such basis, according to the invention, the levelling - over time - of the overall amount of required resource is attained considering the aggregation of a plurality of users instead of a single user.

For example, instead of the electric energy supplied to a single house, let us consider the electric energy supplied to a plurality of houses by a secondary power distribution plant. In such case, referring to the aggregated consumption of said plurality of houses, a high levelling effect is possible. As a matter of fact, there are higher degrees of freedom for attaining the object of levelling the aggregated demand, such degrees of freedom being given by the number of energy demand time profiles which must be summed to obtain the total aggregated demand.

Brief description of the drawings

The aims, the characteristics and the advantages of the invention shall be clear from the detailed description that follows, provided with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:

- figure 1 illustrates, through a simplified diagram, a possible architecture of a distribution system according to the invention.

- figures 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 illustrate, through simplified diagrams, possible alternative architectures of a distribution system according to the invention.

Description of preferred embodiments of the invention

The invention shall be described hereinafter with reference to a preferred field of application, which is that of managing the distribution of electric energy.

In figure 1, reference 1 designates as a whole a generic electric energy production plant, of a per se known conception, provided with generator means. Through a power transmission line 2, and possible intermediate reception stations and primary transformer stations, not represented, the plant 1 supplies a plurality of installations or peripheral distribution plants, one of which is indicated with 3. Hereinafter, it should be assumed, strictly by way of example, that the plant 3 is intended to distribute the electric energy to an urban district.

The electric energy is distributed from the plant 3 to a plurality of electric energy users, only a few of which are represented and indicated with 4a-4e; the power is supplied to the users - which may be residential houses, commercial buildings, offices, etcetera - through transformers 3 a and an electric distribution network 5. Each user 4a-4e has its own electric system 6, connected to the distribution network 5 by interposing an energy meter 7. One or more electric loads, not represented for the sake of simplicity, such as for example household appliances, lighting devices, air conditioning devices, personal computers and so on and so forth are connected to the electric system 6 of the various users 4a-4e as usually done.

Just like in the prior art, electric energy is supplied to each user after signing a specific contract, which establishes the supply conditions. As far as concerned herein, these conditions include, alongside the duration of the billing period (for example two months) and the cost of energy, also a threshold value corresponding to a limit of maximum consumption of the amount of energy supplied instantaneously, or a threshold of the supplied power. It should be assumed, still by way of example, that such threshold is equivalent to 4 kilowatts (kW). The meter 7 is provided - for such purpose - for measuring consumptions for billing, or summing the active energy consumed over the billing period, as well as providing a first protection against overloads, due to integrated controllable switch means.

Therefore, the distribution system provides means for assigning to each user 4a-4e the respective resource consumption threshold. In the represented example, these means comprise the meter 7, which is of the electronic control type, in which the value of the abovementioned threshold may be set or programmed by the electric energy supplier depending on the contract conditions. To this purpose, the meter has a rewritable memory, wherein the above said value is stored. The meter 7 is configured, according to a known technique, in such a manner that, upon exceeding the stored threshold value for a predetermined period of time, the control logic of the meter itself controls the switching (opening) of the abovementioned integrated controllable switch means, hence causing the cut-off of the supply of electric energy to the system 6 of the user in question.

Still referring to the example of figure 1, the value of the abovementioned threshold is directly programmable via software through programming and control means 3b arranged in the distribution plant 3 or by a computer system at a central level of the utility or supplier, constituted for example by a processing system. Thus, in practice, depending on the type of contract entered between a user and the energy supplier, the switching threshold of the switch means of the meter 7 may be set from a remote position, from the plant 3, through the control means 3b, and stored in the above said memory of the meter. For such purpose, the meter 7 is connected in signal communication with the control means 3b. In the example, the means for transmitting information between the means 3b and the meter 7 of each user 4a-4e is represented by the same electric network 5, using - for such purpose - the per se well known power line communication transmission technique. Such type of communication is already currently used by electric energy producers/distributors, with the aim of performing the so-called "remote- reading": in these solutions, the meter is prearranged for transmitting the consumption data of the billing period to the respective energy production or distribution plant, or however allow the reading of such data, using the power line as a physical communication means; the same line is also useable to convey information, particularly for programming the meter, from the plant to the meter itself. Thus, in the example considered herein, the meter 7 is an electronic meter programmable by the plant 3, at least with the aim of setting the value of the maximum instantaneous consumption threshold. In other embodiments, the communication between the means 3b and the meter 7 of each user 4a-4e may however be provided by other means, i.e. not through the electric network, for example via radio frequency.

The system according to the invention also comprises measurement means, for allowing to carry out measurements of punctual consumptions of electric energy by each user 4a-4e, i.e. the amount of resource consumed as a whole by the user over a predetermined time interval, different from the contract period; it should be assumed that such a type of punctual measurement may occur at a regular interval, for example each 15 minutes. Given that the meters 7 are of the "intelligent" type and capable of communicating with the external environment, these punctual measurements are carried out directly by the meter, which communicates the values thereof to the programming and control means 3 b present in the plant 3, still using the line 5 for this purpose.

The system according to the invention also comprises means for performing transactions. These means include a communication device for each user, transaction means and a communication network for connecting in data communication the communication devices of the plurality of users with the transaction processing means. The transaction processing means preferably resides in a processor, to which the communication devices of the users 4a-4e and the control means 3b of the plant 3 may access through a telecommunication network or a direct connection. In a preferred embodiment, the software which implements the transaction processing means resides in a website, accessible through the internet, and the communication devices of the users comprise computers (whether of the desktop, laptop or palmtop type) provided with suitable internet connection. For such purpose, in figure 1, the internet is indicated with 8, the abovementioned communication devices, or gateways, of the users 4a-4e - which are assumed to be personal computers in this case - are indicated with 9, and the abovementioned website is indicated with 10.

It should be observed that the communication devices 9 should not necessarily be supplied through the electric system 6, given that they can also be of the type provided with an autonomous source of energy supply, such as for example a palmtop computer.

In the website 10A a management software is implemented, represented by the block 10a, which is accessible by the users and prearranged to allow each user to exchange with the other users shares of consumption of the resource. In particular, such software is prearranged to allow at least one first user of the plurality, for example the user 4a, to offer at least one share of consumption of the resource assigned thereto according to the respective predetermined or contract limit, and at least one second user, for example the user 4e, to accept at least one share of consumption offered by the first user 4a, and thus conclude a transaction.

For example, if the user 4a has a supply contract which provides for an instantaneous consumption of 4 kW and provides for, over a given period of time, using only part of the power assigned thereto, for example only 2 kW, by connecting to the website 10 the user may offer the surplus share of consumption, equivalent to 2 kw, or if desired a fraction thereof, for a given period of time. On the other hand, the user 4e who, over the same period of time, needs to consume an amount of electric energy greater than that assigned thereto through the supply contract, may acquire or request to acquire a share of consumption, in case there are offers available in that sense on the website 10 (such as the offer presented by the user 4a) or a generic user is interested in accepting the acquisition offer of the user 4e.

In a preferred embodiment, the method through which the offers and demands - regarding the share of consumptions - are presented and the respective transactions are concluded is of the auction type. The practical ways of implementation of such method may be obtained through any per se known technique and are not part of the objects of the present invention.

Referring again to the specific example, it should therefore be assumed that the user 4a made available a power of 2 kW on the website 10 and that such offer was accepted by the user 4e; upon acceptance of the offer, carried out through the computers 9 through the internet 8 on the website 10, the transaction is concluded.

The information regarding the concluded transaction is thus made available or communicated by the transaction processing means, or by the website 10, to the control means 3b of the plant 3, directly or indirectly, for example using the same internet 8, like in the example illustrated in figure 1. The control logic of the means 3b is prearranged in such a manner to consequently modify the thresholds of consumption of the resource assigned to the two users involved in the transaction, i.e. users 4a and 4e. Thus, in particular, the control means 3b reduce the power threshold of the user 4a and increase that of the user 4e, respectively by 2 kW each. Such variation is carried out according to the information that was generated by the processing means represented by the website 10, the information in question being representative of the transaction carried out between the two users in question.

The information transmitted from by the website 10 to the means 3 b comprises data for identifying the two users who have carried out the transaction. These identification data may be constituted, for example, by the contract number entered by the single user with the electric energy supplier, or by an identifier of the meter 7 associated to the user. The information transmitted from the website 10 to the plant 3, corresponding to a determined transaction, comprises at least the value of the share of consumption of the energy made available by a user in favour of another user, as well as the period of time over which the right for consuming energy is transferred (for example one day, one week, one morning, from time X to time Y of day Z, etcetera).

In a system of this type, a form of payment in favour of the transferor of the right to consumption is preferably provided for. Also the type and method for calculating and paying the abovementioned amount are not part of the objects of the present invention, and may be carried out in any manner suitable for the purpose. The payment may for example be in form of money, or power consumption credits in favour of the transferor user and charged on the acquiring subject, or even by reducing the hourly cost of energy in favour of the transferor user and charged on the acquirer user.

Once again referring to the mentioned example, according to the transaction information acquired from the website 10, the control and processing means 3b thus set, for the period of time subject of the transaction, the consumption threshold associated to the involved users, or move the consumption threshold of the user 4a to the value of 2 kW and that of the user 4e to the value of

6 kW, with the so modified thresholds which are stored in the memory of the respective meters 7. In an embodiment, the means 3b are prearranged for transmitting to the meters 7 - associated to the users involved in a transaction - the information regarding the share of consumption of exchanged energy (transferred or acquired) and the period of time over which the exchange occurs, and the meters 7 are prearranged to consequently modify the consumption or intervention thresholds thereof.

The consumption measurement for billing, or counting of active energy consumed over the billing period (two months in the considered example), is carried out in the usual manner, through the meter 7 and the utility.

The correct operation of the system obviously requires that frauds be avoided. For such purpose, in the preferred embodiment, the previously mentioned punctual measurements - which are carried out by means of the meters

7 at preferably relatively close time intervals, for example each 10-15 minutes, at least for one user who has "transferred" a share of consumption, i.e. the user 4a in the considered example - are already provided for. As mentioned, such punctual measurements are communicated by the meters 7 to the control and processing means 3b of the plant 3, through the same electric network 5.

Should the instantaneous consumption operated by the user 4a exceed the new lowered threshold assigned thereto, i.e. 2 kW, penalty measures are provided for. In the example considered herein, such measures comprise the intervention of the meter 7, whose control logic, upon exceeding the lowered threshold, over a given period of time (for example a few minutes), shall determine the switching of the integrated switch means thereof, which shall cut-off the supply of energy to the electric system 6. Obviously, instead, in the case of user 4e, he is allowed, over the period subject of transaction, to exceed the contract limit of 4 kW without being subjected to penalties but, evidently not the increased threshold, i.e. 6 kW, unless - even in this case - under penalty measures, such as the switching of the controllable switch means of the respective meter 7.

In the embodiment exemplified in figure 1 the meter 7 is of the electronic and programmable type, and suitable to bi-directionally exchange information or data with the control means 3b, such as the consumption reading information (including the billing period and punctual consumptions) and the information for programming the switch threshold of the meter 7. It should be pointed out that the use of the same electric network 5 as means for transmitting information should be considered optional, though preferred. As a matter of fact, in possible variant embodiments, the communication between the meters 7 and the control means 3b may occur through another type of telecommunication network or a dedicated connection.

In a variant embodiment, illustrated in figure 2, the meters 7 are of the type solely suitable for the transmission of reading information, whether of punctual form or including the whole billing period, but not remote- programmable, like in the previous embodiment. In the embodiment of figure 2 the consumption threshold values assigned to the various users 4a-4e, according to the contract and according to the executed transactions, are memorised directly in the control means 3b, in special registers or memories.

Thus, such embodiment does not require that the meters 7 be provided with controllable switch means serving the previously mentioned functions. In this embodiment, the control means 3b are prearranged to acquire and record the data regarding power consumption, including power consumptions exceeding the memorized threshold, whether it is the contract one or the reduced or increased threshold according to a transaction carried out between two users.

In this case the control means 3b verify whether the user has concluded a transaction or not:

- should the user have concluded an acquisition transaction, i.e. have an increased consumption threshold, the consumption exceeding the contract limit shall not be subjected to penalty in terms of billing or rating over the period subject of the transaction, such user having acquired the right of "increased" consumption; obviously, such penalty shall be executed should the user in question exceed the abovementioned increased threshold;

- should the user have concluded a transfer transaction, or have a reduced consumption threshold, the consumption exceeding the reduced threshold shall be subjected to penalty in terms of billing or rating over the period subject of transaction, such user having given up a part of the share assigned thereto through the contract;

- should the user not have concluded any acquisition transaction, the consumption exceeding the contract limit shall be subjected to penalty at billing or rating level.

An implementation partly similar to the previous one provides for that the meters 7, instead of being suitable to communicate information through the same electric network 5 to the control means 3b, be configured to convey information to the external through an external communication device. Such case is exemplified in figure 3, where the communication devices are indicated with 11. The devices 11 may be devices dedicated to the transmission of information through a communication network different from the electric network 5, such as a telecommunication network, for example a telephone network or internet. Thus, in this implementation, the readings performed by a meter 7 are acquired by the device 11 and communicated by the latter, for example through the internet 8, to the control means 3b of the plant 3. Even in this implementation, the consumption thresholds shall be memorised in the control means 3b, and the system shall operate according to the logic described with reference to the implementation of figure 2. Obviously, the meters 7 could also be of the type suitable to communicate bi-directionally with the plant 3, as exemplified in figure 4, through the communication device 11, in which case a logic of the type described with reference to figure 1 - according to which each meter 7 has its own controllable switch means which are switched depending on the exceeding of the threshold of intervention programmed through the control means 3b - may be implemented.

A possible further embodiment is illustrated in figure 5, according to which the electric system 6 of the users 4a-4e is provided with a system of "smart" current sockets, not represented, i.e. of the type provided with means for measuring energy consumptions performed by electric loads connected thereto, and such sockets are connected in signal communication with a communication device 11. In such implementation, the measurements carried out by the abovementioned sockets are acquired by the device 11, which processes them and conveys the aggregated data to the control means 3b, according to the logic described previously with reference to figure 3 or 4.

As outlined in figure 6, still another option is that of directly using - as a communication device - a computer 9 available at the user's premises, obviously provided with connection to a communication network, such as for example the internet, for unidirectional exchange (transmission of meter readings) or bidirectional exchange (transmission of meter readings and reception of settings of the intervention threshold of the meter) with the control means 3b of the plant 3. Thus, in this case the data related to the consumption values (for the billing period, punctual values and for the period subject of transaction) is generated by the meter, acquired by the computer 9 and conveyed by the latter to the plant 3 through the internet 8. This type of implementation requires that a computer 9 be continuously ON at the user level, such being a very common case among non- private users, such as commercial, industrial and service companies.

In the various embodiments, the computer 9 may be advantageously useable, possibly through the website 10, for signalling to the users the energy consumptions; same case applying for the communication devices 11, when provided with special display means. The meter 7 may also be configured for this purpose.

As evincible from what has been described, the proposed system and method allow levelling energy consumptions on a plurality of users, dynamically varying the amount of such resource assigned to each user, thus making available an amount of resource assigned by contract to a user, but not used by the latter, in favour of another user who might need it.

In the system according to the invention, each user 4a-4e has the possibility of acquiring/transferring the right of consumption of a share part of the amount of resource reserved to the user himself according to the respective supply contract. Such trade is for example regulated by means of an auction system, which may be directly performed among users, according to a peer-to-peer logic and/or through a centralized auction management system, implemented by the website 10. The presence of this kind of market allows a user to use the share of consumption not used by another user, without increasing the instantaneous supply demand from the distributor of the resource.

The plant for producing and/or distributing the resource may be consequently dimensioned, so as to overcome or at least reduce the problems and inefficiencies mentioned in the introduction of the present description. An advantage of the present invention is that of creating a greater awareness as regards with the use of resources, given that the users shall be encouraged to reduce consumptions, so as "to transfer" a share of consumption assigned thereto by contract to third parties.

In a possible implementation, the software implemented on the website 10 is prearranged to allow the possibility of concluding transactions regarding recurrent periods of time: such being the case for example of a user who is away from his house every weekend, or a business activity which is closed on a given day of the week.

The arrangement of the control means 3b and the transaction processing means 10a may obviously be different from that exemplified by way of non- limiting example in the attached figures. For example, the website may be implemented on a processing system provided directly on the plant 3, for example the same that provides the control means 3b.

The communication devices 9 may naturally be implemented through any electronic communication device suitable to dialogue with the transaction processing means 10, including mobile telephones. Obviously the communication devices 9 are not necessarily of the same type, in that some users may use a personal computer, others a palmtop, others a telephone suitable to access internet, and so on and so forth. As already indicated, such devices 9 are not necessarily connected to the electric system 6.

The transaction processing means 10 may naturally be placed in signal communication with the control means 3b through a network or a connection different from the one used for connecting the devices 9 of the users 4a-4e to the transaction processing means 10.

Previously, reference was made to exchanging share of consumptions between only two users, solely by way of example. It is however clear that, in a practical embodiment of the invention, the system is configured in such a manner that the consumption threshold of the resource assigned to a given user may depend on several transactions concluded by the user in question (for example such may be the case of a user 4a who makes available 2 kW, each of which is acquired by a different acquirer user, such as the user 4e and the user 4c, or even the case of a user acquiring an overall 4 kW from two different transferor users, for example 3 kW from the user 4b and 1 kW from the user 4d.