Smart grid price response service for dynamically balancing energy supply and demand

A system for providing a scalable intermediary service for balancing energy supply and demand between energy providers and energy consumers in real time, comprising:

• a device for periodically modeling consumer energy demand characteristics of a group of energy consumers;
• a device for periodically computing real-time energy pricing as a function of the modeled consumer energy demand characteristics relative to a limited variable energy supply level available for delivery from an energy provider;
• wherein the real-time pricing is set at a level that is designed to closely balance current consumer energy demand relative to the current available energy supply levels;
• a device for periodically reporting the real-time energy pricing to the group of energy consumers;
• a device for distributing portions of the current available energy supply to each of the group of energy consumers based on the energy demand of each individual energy consumer;
• and
• a device for monitoring actual consumer energy usage of each energy consumer relative to the corresponding real-time energy pricing.

A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions stored therein for computing real-time electricity prices for balancing electricity supply and demand between electricity providers and electricity consumers, said instructions comprising:

• periodically modeling consumer electricity demand characteristics based on historical and current consumer electricity usage and a current and forecast available electricity delivery capacity;
• periodically setting a real-time electricity price as a function of the modeled consumer electricity demand characteristics at a level intended to balance current consumer electricity demand relative to the available electricity delivery capacity;
• periodically reporting the real-time electricity price to the electricity consumers via a staggered reporting wherein subgroups of the electricity consumers are notified over a period of time sufficient to partially smooth rapid changes in current consumer electricity usage;
• delivering the available electricity to the electricity consumers;
• and
• monitoring actual electricity usage of each electricity consumer relative to the corresponding real-time electricity price.