Power distribution algorithm

A method of distributing a resource through a network, the resource being electrical power, the network comprising a plurality of nodes, the plurality of nodes comprising a plurality of consumer units and a plurality of provider units, each consumer unit being connected to one or more provider units in the network, each consumer unit being a user of the resource and being associated with a desired resource amount, each provider unit being a provider of the resource and being associated with a resource production capacity, the method comprising:

• for each node in the network, generating one or more vectors and/or matrices indicative of the desired resource amount or the resource production capacity associated with that node, thereby providing a current set of matrices and/or vectors for each node;
• performing one or more times a process, the process being a process of performing steps (a) to (c);
• wherein
• step (a) comprises, for each node, selecting the nodes in the network (1) that are connected to that node;
• step (b) comprises, for each node, updating the current set of matrices and/or vectors for that node using the current set of matrices and/or vectors for each selected node that is connected to that node;
• and
• step (c) comprises, for each node, calculating a vector of flows, each element in the vector of flows representing a flow of an amount of resource between nodes in the network, and the vector of flows being calculated such that the desired resource amounts of the consumer units and the resource production capacities of the provider units are satisfied;
• and
• delivering from a provider unit to a consumer unit connected to that provider unit, an amount of resource dependent on a vector of flows.

A method according to 19, wherein:

• step (c) comprises calculating a value for z0:
• z
• 0
• =
• argmin
• z
• 
• 
• c
• T
• 
• z
• ,
• where:
• c is a vector comprising one or more cost of providing the resource associated with one or more respective provider units;
• and
• the step of delivering from a provider unit to a consumer unit connected to that provider unit, an amount of resource is performed dependent on the vector of flows Z that corresponds to the value for z0.

Apparatus for distributing a resource through a network, the resource being electrical power, the network comprising a plurality of nodes, the plurality of nodes comprising a plurality of consumer units and a plurality of provider units, each consumer unit being connected to one or more provider units in the network, each consumer unit being a user of the resource and being associated with a desired resource amount, each provider unit being a provider of the resource and being associated with a resource production capacity, the apparatus comprising:

• one or more processors arranged to:
• for each node in the network, generate one or more vectors and/or matrices indicative of the desired resource amount or the resource production capacity associated with that node, thereby providing a current set of matrices and/or vectors for each node;
• and
• one or more times, perform the following process:
• for each node, selecting the nodes in the network that are connected to that node;
• for each node, updating the current set of matrices and/or vectors for that node using the current set of matrices and/or vectors for each selected node that is connected to that node;
• and
• for each node, calculating a vector of flows, each element in the vector of flows representing a flow of an amount of resource between nodes in the network, and the vector of flows being calculated such that the desired resource amounts of the consumer units and the resource production capacities of the provider units are satisfied;
• and
• an electrical energy grid for delivering from a provider unit to a consumer unit connected to that provider unit, an amount of resource dependent on a vector of flows.

One or more non-transient machine readable storage mediums encoded with instructions that when executed by one or more processors cause a method to be carried out, the method for distributing a resource through a network, the resource being electrical power, the network comprising a plurality of nodes, the plurality of nodes comprising a plurality of consumer units and a plurality of provider units, each consumer unit being connected to one or more provider units in the network, each consumer unit being a user of the resource and being associated with a desired resource amount, each provider unit being a provider of the resource and being associated with a resource production capacity, the method comprising:

• for each node in the network, generating one or more vectors and/or matrices indicative of the desired resource amount or the resource production capacity associated with that node, thereby providing a current set of matrices and/or vectors for each node;
• performing one or more times, the following:
• for each node, selecting the nodes in the network (1) that are connected to that node;
• for each node, updating the current set of matrices and/or vectors for that node using the current set of matrices and/or vectors for each selected node that is connected to that node;
• and
• for each node, calculating a vector of flows, each element in the vector of flows representing a flow of an amount of resource between nodes in the network, and the vector of flows being calculated such that the desired resource amounts of the consumer units and the resource production capacities of the provider units are satisfied;
• and
• delivering from a provider unit to a consumer unit connected to that provider unit, an amount of resource dependent on a vector of flows.

One or more non-transient machine readable storage mediums according to 33, wherein:

• calculating a vector of flows comprises calculating a value for z0:
• z
• 0
• =
• argmin
• 
• z
• 
• c
• T
• 
• z
• ,
• where:
• c is a vector comprising one or more cost of providing the resource associated with one or more respective provider units;
• and
• delivering an amount of resource from a provider unit to a consumer unit connected to that provider unit is performed dependent on the vector of flows Z that corresponds to the value for z0.