Flexibility-based ranking of utility customers for determining constraints on power demand

A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by one or more processing units, cause the one or more processing units to perform a method comprising:

• determining a ranked order of a plurality of customers of an electric utility, including determining the ranked order based on a set F1 of flexibility metrics which each correspond to a respective customer of the plurality of customers, wherein, for each flexibility metric of the set F1, the flexibility metric indicates a difference between a respective resource utilization by the corresponding customer, and a constraint which is to be imposed on the respective resource utilization during a delivery of power by the electric utility according to a first plan;
• and
• identifying one or more customers selected from the plurality of customers according to the ranked order, including determining that a predicted contribution, to a first change to a resource demand metric, is sufficient to accommodate a second change to a resource supply metric, wherein the second change corresponds to a transition from the first plan to a second plan, wherein the predicted contribution is to be provided by the one or more customers,
• wherein identifying the one or more customers comprises:
• identifying a most flexible customer from among those of the plurality of customers which have yet to be selected as one of the one or more customers;
• selecting the most flexible customer to be one of the one or more customers;
• determining a predicted contribution value which corresponds to the customers which are currently selected to be among the one or more customers;
• and
• determining, based on the predicted contribution value and the second change to the resource supply metric, whether another customer is to be selected as one of the one or more customers.

A system comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• a processor coupled to the memory, the processor comprising:
• first circuitry to determine a ranked order of a plurality of customers of an electric utility, including the first circuitry to determine the ranked order based on a set F1 of flexibility metrics which each correspond to a respective customer of the plurality of customers, wherein, for each flexibility metric of the set F1, the flexibility metric indicates a difference between a respective resource utilization by the corresponding customer, and a constraint which is to be imposed on the respective resource utilization during a delivery of power by the electric utility according to a first plan;
• and
• second circuitry to identify one or more customers selected from the plurality of customers according to the ranked order, including the second circuitry to determine that a predicted contribution, to a first change to a resource demand metric, is sufficient to accommodate a second change to a resource supply metric, wherein the second change corresponds to a transition from the first plan to a second plan, wherein the predicted contribution is to be provided by the one or more customers, wherein the second circuitry to identify the one or more customers comprises the second circuitry to:
• identify a most flexible customer from among those of the plurality of customers which have yet to be selected as one of the one or more customers;
• select the most flexible customer to be one of the one or more customers:
• determine a predicted contribution value which corresponds to the customers which are currently selected to be among the one or more customers;
• and
• determine, based on the predicted contribution value and the second change to the resource supply metric, whether another customer is to be selected as one of the one or more customers.