Electric utilities provide power using systems such that under normal system conditions there are adequate generating and transmission capacities to meet load requirements. Detection systems are used to account for those generally rare conditions in which the system's capability is exceeded. Such systems monitor a system's loading levels and reduce loading in certain circumstances. Specifically, load shed processes sense overload conditions, and shed enough load to relieve the overloaded system before problems such as equipment damage or shutdown occur.
When a load shed event request is made, there is a window of time in which the utility must comply with and verify the load reduction. Responding quickly, for example within minutes, can reduce or prevent equipment damage, shutdown, and other issues. Reducing load in large service areas can require requesting a large number of energy consumers to cease or reduce consumption and confirming compliance with such requests. The scale of these requests in an exemplary large service area can involve on the order of 200,000 to 2,500,000 or more individual energy consumers. Existing techniques for load shed requesting and confirmation involve acknowledgement of load shed on a per-device basis. Such acknowledgements, in very high volume, can result in reducing the performance of the information network that is used and the device or devices that are used to control the messaging. In some circumstances, such reduced performance may delay receipt of other vital messages, instructions, and alerts.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds