An Integrated Architecture for Demand Response Communications and Control

In the competitive electricity structure, demand response programs enable customers to react dynamically to changes in electricity prices. The implementation of such programs may reduce energy costs and increase reliability. To fully harness such benefits, existing load controllers and appliances need around-the-clock price information. Advances in the development and deployment of advanced meter infrastructures (AMIs), building automation systems (BASs), and various dedicated embedded control systems provide the capability to effectively address this requirement. In this paper we introduce a meter gateway architecture (MGA) to serve as a foundation for integrated control of loads by energy aggregators, facility hubs, and intelligent appliances. We discuss the requirements that motivate the architecture, describe its design, and illustrate its application to a small system with an intelligent appliance and a legacy appliance using a prototype implementation of an intelligent hub for the MGA and ZigBee wireless communications.