Power generation system

• US 10,547,173 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2016
• Issued: 01/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Zhao, Tong, Li, Rong, Fu, Xu
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): Evans, James P
• Application Number:
  US15/161,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20160352102A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,345 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/048 controlling wind farms
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 9/11 storing electrical energy
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/502 electrical means, e.g. relays or switches
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/10 Parallel operation of dc sources
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/28 The renewable source being wind energy
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/32 using batteries with converting means
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/76 Power conversion electric or electronic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 70/30 Systems combining energy storage with energy generation of non-fossil origin

Abstract

A power generation system comprising a plurality of power generation units; a plurality of energy storage units; a plurality of switch units for connecting or disconnecting the power generation units and the energy storage units; and a controller for controlling the switch units to disconnect one or more idle power generation units from their corresponding energy storage units when the idle power generation units stop operating and to connect the disconnected energy storage unit to one operating power generation unit of the plurality of power generation units based on states-of-charge of the energy storage units. The power generation system may make best use of the energy storage units.

Claims

1. A power generation system comprising:

a plurality of power generation units;

a plurality of corresponding energy storage units connected to the power generation units;

a plurality of switch units for connecting or disconnecting the power generation units and the energy storage units; and

a controller for controlling the switch units to disconnect one power generation unit from the corresponding energy storage unit when the one power generation unit stops operating and to connect the disconnected energy storage unit to one operating power generation unit of the plurality of power generation units based on states-of-charge of the corresponding energy storage units,

wherein the controller is used to further connect the disconnected energy storage unit to the one operating power generation unit based on distances from the disconnected energy storage unit to the operating power generation units.

2. The power generation system of claim 1, wherein, when a state-of-charge of the disconnected energy storage unit is less than a lower threshold, the controller is used to control the switch units to connect the disconnected energy storage unit to the one operating power generation unit, whose first indicator is maximum among the operating power generation units, the first indicator having positive correlations with the states-of-charge and negative correlations with the distances.

3. The power generation system of claim 1, wherein, when a state-of-charge of the disconnected energy storage unit is less than a lower threshold, the controller is used to control the switch units to connect the disconnected energy storage unit to the one operating power generation unit, whose first indicator is minimum among the operating power generation units, the first indicator having negative correlations with the states-of-charge and positive correlations with the distances.

4. The power generation system of claim 1, wherein, when a state-of-charge of the disconnected energy storage unit is greater than a higher threshold, the controller is used to control the switch units to connect the disconnected energy storage unit to the one operating power generation unit, whose second indicator is maximum among the operating power generation units, the second indicator having negative correlations with the states-of-charge and negative correlations with the distances.

5. The power generation system of claim 1, wherein, when a state-of-charge of the disconnected energy storage unit is greater than a higher threshold, the controller is used to control the switch units to connect the disconnected energy storage unit to the one operating power generation unit, whose second indicator is minimum among the operating power generation units, the second indicator having positive correlations with the states-of-charge and positive correlations with the distances.

6. The power generation system of claim 1, wherein, when a state-of-charge of the disconnected energy storage unit is between a higher threshold and a lower threshold, the controller is used to control the switch units to connect the disconnected energy storage unit to the one operating power generation unit, whose first indicator or second indictor is maximum among the operating power generation units, the first indicator having positive correlations with the states-of-charge and negative correlations with the distances, the second indicator having negative correlations with the states-of-charge and negative correlations with the distances.

7. The power generation system of claim 1, wherein, when a state-of-charge of the disconnected energy storage unit is between a higher threshold and a lower threshold, the controller is used to control the switch units to connect the disconnected energy storage unit to the one operating power generation unit, whose first indicator or second indicator is minimum among the operating power generation units, the first indicator having a negative correlation with the states-of-charge and positive correlations with the distances, the second indicator having positive correlations with the states-of-charge and positive correlations with the distances.

8. The power generation system of claim 1, wherein the controller is used to further connect the disconnected energy storage unit to the one operating power generation unit based on remaining life cycles of the energy storage units.

9. The power generation system of claim 1, wherein the controller is used to split a total power among the plurality of energy storage units electrically connected to one of the power generation units based on the states-of-charge of the energy storage units.