Method and device for managing energy consumption of energy generated from a renewable resource

• US 10,243,398 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2013
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fronius International GmbH (G&K Privatstiftung)
• Original Assignee: Fronius International GmbH (G&K Privatstiftung)
• Inventors: Schuster, Florian, Baumgartinger, Ernst-Werner, Brandstoetter, Markus, Stadler, Andreas, Martetschlaeger, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Wai, Eric C
• Application Number:
  US14/407,718
• Publication Number:
  US 20150155745A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,113 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/05 Programmable logic controllers, e.g. simulating logic interconnections of signals according to ladder diagrams or function charts
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/24 of photovoltaic origin
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/30 The power source being a fuel cell
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/18 The network being internal to a power source or plant
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/60 Limiting power consumption in the network or in one section of the network, e.g. load shedding or peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/004 Generation forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future energy generation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances

Abstract

Device for an energy generation unit of a user'"'"'s installation, which is connected to an energy supply network and to at least one energy consumption unit of the user'"'"'s installation and comprises a programmable logic control which controls an internal energy consumption, by the energy consumption units of the user'"'"'s installation, of the energy generated by the energy generation unit.

Claims

1. A device for managing energy generated by an energy generation unit of a user'"'"'s installation, the device being connected to an energy supply network and to a plurality of consumption units of the installation and comprising a programmable logic control which is adapted to control an internal energy consumption, by the energy consumption units of the installation, of the energy generated by the energy generation unit;

wherein the energy generation unit of the installation is adapted to generate energy from renewable resources, in particular from sunlight and/or by means of a fuel cell;

wherein the programmable logic control of the device is adapted to execute a stored energy management program which is programmed in a text-based or graphical programming language via a programming interface of the device; and

wherein the programmable logic control of the device is adapted to control energy generated by the energy generation unit of the installation such that the total of the energy consumed by the plurality of energy consumption units of the installation is as coincident as possible with an energy progression of the energy generated by the energy generation unit, wherein the energy management program executed by the programmable logic control of the device is adapted to temporally control switching devices, which are provided between current supply lines and the energy consumption units such that the total energy consumption of all energy consumption units of the installation is made coincident with the progression of the energy generated by the generation unit, wherein the surface integral of all of the energy consumption units of the installation is brought into coincidence with the surface integral of the energy generated by the generation unit so as to maximize the internal energy consumption of the user.

2. The device according to claim 1,

wherein, of the energy generated by the energy generation unit of the installation itself, the proportion which is not consumed by the energy consumption units of the installation is fed into the energy supply network or buffered in a local energy store of the installation, under the control of the programmable logic control.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the installation has a plurality of energy generation units which supply energy from different renewable resources;

wherein the programmable logic control controls the internal energy consumption of the energy generated by the plurality of energy of energy generation units in such a way that, of the total energy generated by the energy generation units of the installation, a proportion which is consumed by the at least one energy consumption unit of the installation is a maximum.

4. The device according to claim 1,

wherein the stored energy management program executed by the programmable logic control comprises a text-based instruction list or a structured text.

5. The device according to claim 4,

wherein the stored energy management program executed by the programmable logic control comprises graphical functional modules, a contact plan or sequential function charts.

6. The device according to claim 1,

wherein the programming interface of the programmable logic control comprises a local user interface for the user to input the energy management program and/or a remote interface for receiving the energy management program from a programming device.

7. The device according to claim 1,

wherein the programming interface of the programmable logic control comprises a network interface for receiving the energy management program from a remote server.

8. The device according to claim 1,

wherein the energy fed into the energy supply network and/or energy drawn from the energy supply network is detected by at least one first detection unit and reported to the programmable logic control.

9. The device according to claim 1,

wherein the energy generated by the energy generation unit (2) is detected by a second detection unit (10) and reported to the programmable logic control (4).

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the energy consumed by an energy consumption unit is detected by a third detection unit and reported to the programmable logic control.

11. The device according to claim 1,

wherein operating data of the energy consumption units are transmitted to the programmable logic control via a data connection for evaluation by the energy management program.

12. The device according to claim 1,

wherein configuration parameter data of the energy consumption units are inputed via the programming interface of the programmable logic control for evaluation by the energy management program.

13. The device according to claim 1,

wherein a direct current generated by the energy generation unit is converted by a DC/AC converter of the device into single-phase or multi-phase alternating current, which is applied by the device to the energy consumption units of the installation to supply them with energy via the current supply lines.

14. A photovoltaic installation comprising at least one device according to claim 1.

15. The photovoltaic installation according to claim 14,

wherein the device is a system component of the photovoltaic installation, in particular a photovoltaic inverter, comprising an integrated programmable logic control which is connected to a solar module of the photovoltaic installation.

16. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device comprises a network interface which is connected to a data network,

wherein a server is connected to said data network,

wherein the device is adapted to make additional information data available to the server,

said additional information data comprising configuration parameter data of the energy consumption units or configuration parameter data of energy storage units of the installation and/or geographical position data of the installation.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein current levels generated by the energy generation unit are predicted on the basis of the geographical position data of the installation taking into account forecast data to forecast an expected energy progression of the energy generated by the energy generation unit.

18. The device according to claim 16, wherein the configuration parameter data of the energy consumption units are input via the programming interface of the device.

19. The device according to claim 16, wherein the programmable logic control of the device is adapted to download the energy management program from the server.

20. The device according to claim 1, wherein the installation is switched automatically or in response to a user input into an island operation mode in which the installation is separated from the energy supply network.

21. A method for managing energy, the energy management method comprising the steps of:

providing an energy generation unit of a user'"'"'s installation;

generating energy with the energy generation unit;

providing a plurality of energy consumption units of the installation; and

controlling switching devices provided between current supply lines and the energy consumption units such that the total energy consumption of all energy consumption units of the installation is made as coincident with the progression of the energy generated by the energy generation unit, wherein the surface integral of all of the energy consumption units of the installation is brought into coincidence with the surface integral of the energy generation unit so as to maximize the internal energy consumption of the user and to keep the current exchange of the energy generation unit and the energy supply network to a minimum.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the internal energy consumption is set by the energy consumption units of the installation using an energy management program which is executed by a programmable logic control.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the proportion of the energy which is not consumed by the energy consumption units of the installation is fed into the energy supply network and/or buffered in a local energy store of the installation, under the control of the programmable logic control.