An Optimum Load Shape is simply a table of values that indicate the preferred load at a given point in time. For example, an energy provider may wish to flatten baseline power generation and encourage consumption when renewable generation is high. An OLS signal to characterize this ideal load is sent to all consumers who may then autonomously do their best to match the curve to lower their electric bill.
An interactive site to demonstrate and allow exploration of OLS signals is available here: http://olsviewerdev.s3-website.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/
An electrical supplier or management system Produces an OLS, and an electrical load generator Consumes the OLS. The OLS is communicated in any of a number of common protocols, such as an HTTP REST API.
One expected usage of OLS is to time-shift Electric Vehicle charging. The table below provides a hypothetical OLS signal and its usage to lower greenhouse gas production and generation costs.
OLS has been standardized within the Society of Cable and Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) to provide an interoperable means for local electricity suppliers to enable any users of electricity to reduce energy costs.
For example, as the large fleets of service vehicles maintained by cable operators transition to Electric Vehicles (EVs), OLS provides a means for batteries to seek the best times to recharge from the grid. OLS may also be used to time-shift other loads such as microgrid installations and even battery-backed RF nodes.
In addition to providing the connectivity services that allow OLS consumers to acquire OLS signals, a Broadband provider may implement OLS agents in managed devices to respond to OLS signals.