3954results about How to "Reduce energy costs" patented technology

A low attenuation surface wave transmission line system for launching surface waves on a bare and unconditioned conductor, such as are found in abundance in the power transmission lines of the existing power grids. The conductors within the power grid typically lack dielectric and special conditioning. Accordingly, the present invention includes a first launcher, preferably including a mode converter and an adapter, for receiving an incident wave of electromagnetic energy and propagating a surface wave longitudinally on the power lines. The system includes at least one other launcher, and more likely a number of other launchers, spaced apart from one another along the constellation of transmission lines. The system and associated electric fields along any given conductor are radially and longitudinally symmetrical.

Exemplary embodiments are directed to timing and control of wireless power transfer. A wireless power charging device includes at least one transmitter and a processor in communication with the at least one transmitter. The transmitter is configured for transmitting wireless power to one or more electronic devices, and the processor is configured to deactivate the transmitter during a pre-determined time interval. The charging device may include charging modes that a user may select between from an interface of the charging device. Charging modes may be related to times of operation such as those based on a user schedule, based on energy rates, or with modes programmed by a user. A charging schedule may be created by a user through the interface of the charging device or from an external device in communication with the charging device.

The present invention provides a system and method relating to the operation of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles powered both by electricity from rechargeable batteries and by consumable fuel powered means, such as an internal combustion engine or a fuel cell. More particularly, the system and method of the claimed invention enable optimization of the energy cost associated with the operation of such plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, especially when the cost of recharging batteries from external electric power sources may be less than the cost of recharging batteries from the onboard consumable fuel powered means. To this end, the invention enables maximization of the use of electricity from external electric power sources and minimization of the use of electricity produced by the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle's onboard consumable fuel powered means, when the cost of recharging batteries from external electric power sources is less than the cost of recharging batteries from the onboard consumable fuel powered means.

An energy management system uses an expert engine and a numerical solver to determine an optimal manner of using and controlling the various energy consumption, producing and storage equipment in a plant / communities in order to for example reduce energy costs within the plant, and is especially applicable to plants that require or that are capable of using and / or producing different types of energy at different times. The energy management system operates the various energy manufacturing and energy usage components of the plant to minimize the cost of energy over time, or at various different times, while still meeting certain constraints or requirements within the operational system, such as producing a certain amount of heat or cooling, a certain power level, a certain level of production, etc. In some cases, the energy management system may cause the operational equipment of the plant to produce unneeded energy that can be stored until a later time and then used, or that can be sold back to a public utility, for example, so as to reduce the overall cost of energy within the plant.

A home refrigerator system (200) includes an enclosure (202) that defines an interior (203) for storing food (223, 224), a machine (209) for cooling the interior (203), a door (205) usable for accessing the interior (203), and a camera (252) for imaging the interior (203) while the door (205) is shut. The camera generates a signal (284) encoding the image of the interior. The signal (284) can be viewed on a screen (286) outside the interior, to assist in decision-making without opening the door (205).

A method of generating energy in a power plant (30) having a gas turbine (29), includes a first step a gas containing air (1) is compressed in a first compressor (2) of the gas turbine (29), a second step the compressed gas (3, 3a, 3b; 5; 7a, 7b) is fed to a combustion process with the addition of fuel (8) in a combustor (23), a third step the hot flue gas (9) from the combustor (23) is expanded in an expander or a turbine (10), driving a generator (18), of the gas turbine (29) while performing work, and a fourth step a partial flow of the expanded flue gas (11) is recirculated to the inlet of the first compressor (2) and admixed with the gas containing air (1). Carbon dioxide (CO2) is separated from the compressed gas (3, 3a, 3b; 5; 7a, 7b) in a CO2 separator (6) before the third step. In such a method, the overall size and energy costs are reduced by virtue of the fact that, to permit increased CO2 concentrations in the CO2 separator (6), not more than about 70% of the carbon dioxide contained in the compressed gas (3, 3a, 3b; 5, 5a, 5b; 7a, 7b) is removed from the compressed gas (3, 3a, 3b; 5, 5a, 5b; 7a, 7b).

A mixing assembly for use in a semi-continuous process for producing liquid personal care compositions, such as shampoos, includes a main feed tube carrying a base of the composition to be produced, a plurality of injection tubes in selective fluid communication with the main feed tube, and an orifice provided in a wall at an end of the main feed tube downstream of the plurality of injection tubes. The wall in which the orifice is provided includes a curved (e.g., semispherical) entry surface on an upstream or inlet side of an orifice, and a curved (e.g., semi-elliptical) exit surface on a downstream or outlet side of the orifice. The orifice may have a rectangular or elliptical shape. By maintaining symmetry of the injection tubes with respect to the orifice, and leveraging delay between introduction of dosed modules and increased viscosity, effective mixing may be achieved with minimal energy.

An energy management system uses an expert engine and a numerical solver to determine an optimal manner of using and controlling the various energy consumption, producing and storage equipment in a plant / communities in order to for example reduce energy costs within the plant, and is especially applicable to plants that require or that are capable of using and / or producing different types of energy at different times. The energy management system operates the various energy manufacturing and energy usage components of the plant to minimize the cost of energy over time, or at various different times, while still meeting certain constraints or requirements within the operational system, such as producing a certain amount of heat or cooling, a certain power level, a certain level of production, etc. In some cases, the energy management system may cause the operational equipment of the plant to produce unneeded energy that can be stored until a later time and then used, or that can be sold back to a public utility, for example, so as to reduce the overall cost of energy within the plant.

A battery charging system for an electric vehicle in which an addressable RFID tag, an RFID receiver, an electrical charger, and a controller operate to charge the battery of an electric vehicle according to a user profile and a charging profile in response to a signal received by the RFID reader from the RFID tag. In an interconnected system, multiple charging stations are connected to the electrical power grid and communicate with a central controller through communications links. A grid converter can be provided to allow for backfilling power from an electric vehicle to the power grid in response to a command from the central controller.

An energy monitoring and analysis system for a building includes a logging unit, a processing unit, temperature sensors that read the temperatures inside and outside the building, electric current sensors that read electric currents in all independent electric connections at the main connection panel of the building, and other types of sensors such as those related to natural gas flow. The logging unit periodically collects the data from all the sensors and transmits the data to the processing unit. The processing unit analyzes the data using highly sophisticated algorithms, extracts various parameters, profiles the electric energy usage, identifies potential problems with energy transfer and use, and lists recommendations for corrective actions. The processing unit analyzes data of the building, an HVAC system associated with the building, and consuming devices associated with the building.

A welding control system to monitor the energy consumption of a plurality of welders. The welding control system controls the operation of one or more welders based upon the energy information received from one or more energy monitoring devices.

A system for managing energy consumption has a data storage module, a calculation module and an operation planning module. The data storage module stores an operational past record of a unit belonging to a facility to be managed by the system. The calculation module calculates wasteful energy consumption for the unit based on the operational past record stored in the data storage module. The operation planning module generates an operational plan for the unit belonging to the facility based on the wasteful energy consumption calculated by the calculation module.

To reduce energy costs in buildings where there is an input of natural light, a method of maintaining an ambient light intensity in a building area at a predetermined level is proposed. It comprises obtaining an ambient light intensity level for the building area; comparing the ambient level to the predetermined level of light intensity; if the ambient level differs from the predetermined level, calculating an artificial lighting input to be generated in the building area to attain the predetermined level. It can further comprise generating the artificial lighting input in the building area and carrying out the steps of obtaining, comparing and calculating a second time to determine a quality of the calculating and modify the generating.

In an aspect, described herein is a dynamically controllable optoelectronic smart window which utilizes a diffraction grating for selective transmission or rejection of a specific region of the electromagnetic spectrum, for example the infrared, near-infrared and / or visible regions. Window embodiments described herein may further utilize a selectively controlled and / or patterned total internal reflection layer to assist with the selective rejection of a specific spectral region while allowing for transmission of another specific spectral region. In another aspect, the present invention provides methods for dynamically controlling the transmission or rejection of solar near-infrared and / or visible radiation.

A multi-level automation control architecture, methods, and systems are disclosed, which provide enhanced scalability, functionality, and cost effectiveness for energy, access, and control. The systems include various combinations of automation controllers, remote controllers and peripheral devices that are used to provide monitoring and control functionality over the various systems in a structure, such as HVAC, water, lighting, etc. In various embodiments, the automation controller and various peripheral devices are implemented to provide an integrated energy management system for the structure. The system allows the user to manage energy based on the day, time, the presence of people, and the availability of natural lighting and heating, as well as prioritize and participate in demand-response program. The system can be implemented using a remote controller and expanded through the addition of automation controllers, remote controllers, and peripheral devices to enable the system to be tailored to specific user requirements.

A method is provided for nighttime pre-cooling of a building comprising inputting one or more user settings, lowering the indoor temperature reading of the building during nighttime by operating an outside air ventilation system followed, if necessary, by a vapor compression cooling system. The method provides for nighttime pre-cooling of a building that maintains indoor temperatures within a comfort range based on the user input settings, calculated operational settings, and predictions of indoor and outdoor temperature trends for a future period of time such as the next day. The method reduces energy costs and minimizes energy consumption during periods of peak electric demand.

The invention relates to a method for producing a photovoltaic thin film module (1) which is provided with a thin film solar cell system (2) that is mounted on carrier materials (3) and is covered with a compound (4) on at least one side of the surface, whereby said compound consists of an encapsulating material and is provided with a sealing layer (5) on the side of the surface thereof, said side being arranged on the thin film solar cell system (2). According to a covering method, the encapsulating material (4) and the thin film solar cell system (2), together with the carrier (3), are guided along one another and are pressed under pressure and at an increased temperature in such a way that a weather-proof, photovoltaic thin film module in the form of a compound (1) is designed. According to a method that can be carried out easily, a photovoltaic thin film module that is resistant to UV light, water vapour and other effects of the weather is provided. The photovoltaic module can additionally be provided with flexible characteristics by selecting the carrier material in such a way that said material is configured in the form of plastic foils or plastic foil compounds for instance.

In accordance with the present invention, a financial instrument for the energy market is created. The financial instrument comprises a derivative instrument related to accounts receivable or accounts payable or both. In a preferred embodiment, the derivative instrument normally consists of two sets of linked swaps. In the first set, the seller exchanges two things with a third party: (i) the right for payment of accounts receivable within a month from the buyer is exchanged for the right to payment of such accounts receivable within a week from the third party; and (ii) the obligation to deliver energy to the buyer is exchanged for the obligation to deliver to the third party. The buyer exchanges the mirror image of those with a third party, to wit: (i) the obligation to pay within a month to the seller is exchanged for the obligation to pay within a week to the third party, but the buyer receives financing to offset the cash flow ramifications; and (ii) the obligation to take delivery from the seller is exchanged with the obligation to take delivery from the third party. The swap can further be utilized to net payment obligations under multiple cash and forward commodity transactions between the buyer and the seller. Physical collateral is utilized as margin. In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the process takes place on a ‘clearing platform’ for such energy transactions.

A method, as well as a controller, for controlling room temperature with a variable air volume system having a plurality of zones wherein the thermal transfer rate with respect to each of such zones is maintained at a substantially constant value notwithstanding changes in the temperature of the supply air thereby providing improved efficiency and environmental comfort.

Methods for assisting and enabling a large industrial or business consumer of energy to become a self-serving retail electricity provider in a deregulated energy market. Performed by an energy advisory and transaction management service provider, one method registers the large business energy consumer with the state public utility commission, assists the business to qualify as a scheduling entity with an independent service operator, and establishes the business as a bilateral trading partner of wholesale energy merchants. In another method, the business processing outsourcing service assists the business in energy purchasing and risk management decisions by forecasting zonal load requirements for the business. A price forecasting analysis is compared with supply offers from wholesale energy merchants and bilateral transactions for energy supply are brokered between the business and the wholesale energy merchants. In another method, the business process outsourcing service assists the business to manage electronic transactions with an independent service operator and a transmission and distribution service provider. A daily load forecast for the business is updated and compared with energy purchase commitments to identify imbalances between supply and demand. The outsourcing service submits a daily schedule of forecasted sub-hourly load and purchase and sale commitments to the independent system operator. The outsourcing service receives and processes invoices from market participants and generates financial settlement reports for the business.

A method for logging data from an HVAC system comprises the steps of: collecting, within a thermostat, a plurality of data elements corresponding to a current time, at least one user setting, at least one HVAC system state, and at least one environmental measurement; correlating, within the thermostat, the collected data elements according to the current time; and storing, within the thermostat, the collected data elements. The method may further comprise the steps of: transmitting the stored data elements from the thermostat to an external device; and analyzing, within the external device, the transmitted data to determine energy savings. The data may be transmitted from the thermostat when the thermostat receives a request from the external device. The data may be transmitted from the thermostat to the external device over a communication link comprising one of a hard-wired communication link or a radio frequency communication link.

The invention relates to an energy storing method and apparatus for use by end-users of energy, such as commercial property owners and operators. The system differs from past systems, insofar as it is not intended to be used by and in connection with energy suppliers, such as large utility and power supply plants and grids. The system preferably relates to the manner in which an end-user of energy can implement energy and costs savings, by using energy storage and time-shifting methods, to control and regulate the consumption of energy in a manner that achieves a cost savings over a period of time. One aspect of the method relates to accurately forecasting and predicting the energy demands and peaks that might occur on a daily basis, by recording and analyzing the prior day's history, as well as the overall energy demand histories, using short and long term forecasts, and then setting up a variable energy storage / use plan or schedule that helps to reduce the peak demands by time-shifting the energy that is used, i.e., reducing consumption during high demand / high cost periods, and using the energy stored during low demand / low cost periods during the high demand / high cost periods.

The invention provides a pedestrian inertial positioning system based on indoor magnetic field feature assistance. The system comprises a magnetic field and inertial data obtaining module, a magnetic field positioning module, a pedestrian dead reckoning module, a positioning fusion module and an output module, wherein the magnetic field and inertial data obtaining module is used for acquiring magnetic field, accelerated speed and angular velocity information; the magnetic field positioning module is used for building a magnetic field feature library and carrying out time-frequency analysis on the magnetic field vector sequence in real time to extract the time-frequency feature, and matching with the magnetic field feature library to carry out magnetic field feature positioning; the pedestrian dead reckoning module is used for updating accelerated speed and angular velocity zero offset according to the condition that the step velocity discontinuity is zero during walking, judging the step number and calculating the step length and the direction of each step; the positioning fusion module is used for fusing a magnetic field feature positioning result and a pedestrian dead reckoning inertial positioning result by means of particle filter; and the output module is used for displaying a positioning result on web pages and terminals. The system provided by the invention has the characteristics of being independent from beacon during positioning, low in cost and consumption of positioning terminals, accurate in positioning result and adaptive to environment change.

The present invention relates to photovoltaic power systems., photovoltaic concentrator modules, and related methods. In particular, the present invention features concentrator modules having interior points of attachment for an articulating mechanism and / or an articulating mechanism that has a unique arrangement of chassis members so as to isolate bending, etc. from being transferred among the chassis members. The present invention also features adjustable solar panel mounting features and / or mounting features with two or more degrees of freedom. The present invention also features a mechanical fastener for secondary optics in a concentrator module.

A software module for a building automation system includes a plurality of software modules. A first module is configured to compute energy consumption characteristics of a building. A second module is configured to determine at least one alternate hardware configuration for the building, and to provide an estimated performance level associated with each of the at least one alternate hardware configuration. A third module is configured to recommend one of the at least one hardware configurations based on at least one predetermined financial criteria.