Abstract:
A system, device, and method for managing service level agreements in an optical communication system uses an optical service agent to manage a service level agreement (SLA) for a user. The optical service agent can perform both real-time and off-line analysis for the user, and can interact with various network elements (including the core optical communication network) to handle billing, penalty, and other issues associated with a SLA breach. Among other things, the optical service agent may monitor and analyze a connection in real-time for determining SLA compliance, gather and maintain statistical information relating to a connection, analyze the statistical information off-line for determining SLA compliance, patterns, and trends, interact with a service provider to enforce penalty provisions in the SLA, interact with a service provider to negotiate a credit for services not provided by the service provider in accordance with the SLA, interact with a service provider to negotiate “replacement” services for a breach of the SLA, interact with various network elements to rectify a breach of the SLA, interact with the service provider to dynamically modify the SLA based upon changing user requirements, and interface with a billing/accounting system to provide SLA-related information.
Abstract:
An access network element provides user equipment access to a network comprising a centralised authentication server. The access network element comprises an authentication processor which authenticates the access network element at the centralised authentication server. In addition, the access network element authenticates a first user equipment in response to the authentication of the access network element by the centralised authentication server. A communication processor supports a peer-to-peer first communication session for the first user equipment and a peer-to-peer second communication session with a second access network element which supports a peer-to-peer communication session with a second user equipment. Peer-to-peer communication between the first and second user equipments is supported by exchanging data between the first communication session and the second communication session. The invention may allow benefits of de-centralised peer-to-peer communications to be combined with existing centralised network architectures such as the Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem, IMS.
Abstract:
A communication system comprises a user equipment which may access a network via an access network element. Initially, the user equipment transmits a query message to a default network entry point which then contacts a home registration server for the user equipment. The home registration server determines an access network element determination server associated with a current location of the user equipment. The user equipment is informed of the access network element determination server and contacts this. In response, the access network element determination server determines a list of access network elements for the user equipment and transmits the list to the user equipment. The user equipment then registers for a communication service by accessing the network using a selected access network element selected from the list of access network elements. The invention may be particular suitable for accessing an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) via a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE).
Abstract:
A system for optimal planning of electric power demand is presented. The system includes a node comprising one or more smart charging plug-in electric vehicles (SCPEVs), a processing subsystem, wherein the processing subsystem receives relevant data from one or more sources; and determines an optimized SCPEV load and optimal charging schedule for the node by applying an operations research technique on the relevant data.
Abstract:
A power forecasting module determines a load forecast of a distribution system (DS) and a power generation forecast of distributed energy resources (DERs). A demand response (DR) module estimates an available DR based on the load and the power generation forecast and modifies the load forecast by dispatching an optimal DR. An energy storage commitment module determines a charging/discharging schedule of energy storage devices in the system based on the modified load profile and generates a second load profile by incorporating the charging/discharging schedule of energy storage devices. An unit commitment (UC) module determines a DER schedule of supplying electrical power to the loads in the second load profile based on a first objective function. An economic dispatch (ED) module determines an optimum operating point for each DER and an Integrated Volt-VAR Control (IVVC) module controls distribution assets to maintain a voltage profile in the system.
Abstract:
A system for implementing congestion pricing in a power distribution network includes a monitoring and control engine configured to receive an actual power consumption value for a node in the power distribution network and a congestion engine coupled to the monitoring and control engine configured to determine that a power consumption value exceeds a capacity related set point of the node. The system further includes a pricing calculator that establishes a congestion price for power to be applied while the actual power consumption value exceeds the set point of the node and a credit calculator that provides credits to consumers coupled to the node that consume power at a rate below a threshold while the actual power consumption value exceeds the set point of the node.
Abstract:
A system and method for use in a network of utility customers to estimate demand response for various utility DR programs. The system first aggregates the premises into clusters based upon customer information for each of the premises. A response estimation function is developed for each of the clusters. The demand response event request is then processed according to the clusters and the response estimation functions.
Abstract:
A method of operating a computer system includes storing, in the computer system, a database containing performance measure data regarding performance measures of a plurality of items. The method further includes inputting into the computer system a plurality of performance measure constraints. The method also includes modeling the performance measure constraints with a set of equations. The equations include a plurality of variables. Each of the variables corresponds to a respective one of the items. Each variable is, for example, to be assigned either the value “1” or the value “0”. The value “1” may represent a recommendation to take an action relative to the corresponding item in the portfolio and the value “0” may represent a recommendation to take another action. The computer system is used to solve the set of equations to generate one or more solutions that satisfy the performance measure constraints.
Abstract:
A method and system for assessing and optimizing crude selection are provided. A predictive engine uses data from a database to execute at least one predictive performance model and/or at least one risk assessment model designed to optimize or improve refining operations during a refining process. The predictive engine takes as input key crude information corresponding to a particular crude or crude blend, e.g., at least one crude slate, and refinery operating parameters and/or conditions corresponding to a specific refinery and uses desirability metrics to assess the similarity to data in the database. Based on the resulting output, at least one predictive performance and/or at least one risk assessment model uses the output to predict performance or risk measures of refining the particular crude or crude blend using the specific refinery during the refining process, the probability of problems occurring during the refining process, the distribution of the problems throughout the refining process, etc.
Abstract:
Method and system to provide co-optimized utilization of demand response and energy storage resources in an electrical grid system. The system may include a module to evaluate a marginal savings relative to a dispatch cost, if a demand response event is performed. The system may further include a module to evaluate a marginal savings relative to the dispatch cost, if an energy storage event is performed, and a controller including circuitry may be configured to determine a control strategy to perform a dispatch including a demand response event and/or an energy storage event, based at least in part on the respective marginal savings of the demand response event and/or the energy storage event, which may be selected to co-optimize an integrated utilization of the demand response and energy storage resources to meet a given objective.