System and method for managing an electrical power network

A system for managing an electric power grid, said system comprising:

• a non-transitory memory configured to store:
• (i) a first list of first customers and respective energy storage appliances configured to store energy to produce electrical power to be delivered to respective electrical power networks of residences of the first customers when electrically connected thereto, the first customers opting in to authorize an electric power provider to establish an electrical connection of the respective energy storage appliances to the respective electrical power network of the residences of the first customers in response to a command by the electric power provider;
• and
• (ii) a second list of second customers and respective energy storage appliances configured to store energy to produce electrical power to be delivered to respective electrical power networks of residences of the second customers when electrically connected thereto, the second customers not opting into authorizing an electric power provider to establish an electrical connection of the respective energy storage appliances to the respective electrical power networks of the residences of the second customers in response to a command by the electrical power provider for the residences of the second customers, the second list further including network addresses of communications devices of the respective second customers;
• at least one processor in communication with the non-transitory memory, and configured to:
• monitor connection and charge status of energy storage appliances of the first and second customers;
• determine an amount of electrical power to be offloaded from the grid to reduce energy load by a desired amount;
• in response to determining the amount of electrical power to offload from the grid, determine a set of energy storage appliances that are (i) currently connected to the electrical power networks of respective residences of the first customers and (ii) charged sufficiently to offload the respective residences from the grid;
• determine whether the set of energy storage appliances is sufficient to reduce the energy load from the grid by the desired amount;
• in response to determining that the set of energy storage appliances is insufficient to reduce the energy load from the grid by the desired amount, communicate requests to the network addresses of communications devices of the second customers to request authorization to offload the respective residences by using energy storage appliances connected thereto to power the residences;
• and
• in response to receiving authorization from the second customers, command at least a portion of the energy storage appliances of the first and second customers to supply electrical power to the respective residences of the first and second customers, thereby reducing the energy load on the electrical grid by the desired amount.