METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING RENEWABLE ENERGY SERVICES FOR FIXED AND MOBILE ASSETS

• US 20120109798A1
• Filed: 10/27/2011
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AES Corporation
• Original Assignee: AES Corporation
• Inventors: Shelton, John Christopher, Zahurancik, John Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,682,922 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/34
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/51 Photovoltaic means
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/53 Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/54 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/62 in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 : Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 : Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 : Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/005 : dispensed for the electrical charging of vehicles electrical charging as such, B60L50/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/008 : Rewarding for providing delivery of electricity to the network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/0005 : the elements or equipment being or involving power plugs or sockets
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/00 : The network for supplying or distributing electric power characterised by its spatial reach or by the load
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/22 : The load being a portable electronic device
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 4/00 : Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as ac or dc
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00032 : characterised by data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 : Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 : with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0014 : Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 : Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/126 : the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/00 : Market activities related to the operation of systems integrating technologies related to power network operation or related to communication or information technologies
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/12 : Billing, invoicing, buying or selling transactions or other related activities, e.g. cost or usage evaluation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/16 : Energy services, e.g. dispersed generation or demand or load or energy savings aggregation

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for managing energy services are disclosed. One method includes determining a quantity of the energy service realized during the connection event; identifying an account associated with the grid connection point; and adjusting the identified account based on the quantity determined. Another method includes receiving an indicator indicating an asset identifier or a grid connection point identifier; determining a location of the asset on the grid based on the indicator; determining operating conditions for realizing the energy service based on the determined location; sending the conditions; identifying an account associated with the point based on the indicator; and adjusting the account based on a quantity of energy services realized by the asset in accordance with the conditions. A computer readable medium includes instructions for determining a quantity of energy services realized during a connection event; identifying an account associated with a connection point; and adjusting the account.

Claims

1. A method of managing energy service for a mobile asset connected to a grid connection point during a connection event, comprising:

determining, by the mobile asset, a quantity of the energy service realized during the connection event;

identifying an account associated with the grid connection point; and

adjusting the identified account based on the quantity determined by the mobile asset.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying of the account that is associated with the grid connection point includes:

positioning an identification module in an operating range of an identification tag associated with the grid connection point that is used by the mobile asset for the energy service during the connection event;

reading, by the identification module from the identification tag, an identifier of the grid connection point; and

referencing the identifier of grid connection point with the account that is associated with the grid connection point.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

registering the mobile asset to a mobile asset account;

determining, by the mobile asset, further quantities of energy services realized during further connection events; and

aggregating the realized energy services for billing of the mobile asset account.

4. A method of managing energy service for an asset connected to a grid connection point of an electric grid, comprising:

receiving, by an energy service controller, an indicator indicating at least one of;

an asset identifier that identifies the asset;

or

an identifier that identifies the grid connection point connected to the asset;

determining, by an energy service controller, a location of the asset on the electric grid based on the received indicator;

determining, by the energy service controller, one or more operating conditions for realizing the energy service based on at least the determined location of the asset on the electric grid;

sending, by the energy service controller to the asset, the determined one or more operating conditions to realize the energy service;

identifying an account that is associated with the grid connection point based the indicator; and

adjusting the identified account based on a quantity of energy services realized by the asset in accordance with the determined one or more operating conditions.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the identified account is a predetermined account when the asset is a fixed asset type and the identified account is an account associated with the grid connection point when the asset is a mobile asset type.

6. A method of managing energy service for a plurality of assets of different types connected to grid connection points, comprising:

determining, by a respective asset of the plurality of assets, a quantity of the energy service realized by the respective asset during a connection event;

responsive to the respective asset being of a first type, detecting a grid connection point identifier that identifies a grid connection point associated with the respective asset of the first type used for the connection event; and

sending, by the respective asset, connection event information, wherein the connection event information includes at least one of;

(1) the determined quantity of the energy service and an asset identifier, responsive to the respective asset not being of the first type;

or (2) the determined quantity of the energy service and the detected grid connection point identifier, responsive to the respective asset being of the first type.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, by the respective asset, a signal indicating one or more energy services are being offered; and

selecting, by the respective asset, one of the offered energy services, as the energy service to be managed.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

setting a quantity to be realized of the selected one of the energy services;

controlling the respective asset to achieve the set quantity of the selected one of the offered energy services.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the selecting of one of the offered energy services includes selecting an energy service to provide:

(1) power from the respective asset to the grid connection point;

(2) a spinning reserve service from the respective asset;

(3) a frequency support service from the respective asset;

(4) a regulation service from the respective asset;

or (5) a VAR support service from the respective asset.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the respective asset of the first type is a mobile asset and the respective asset of a second type is a fixed asset.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

for each respective mobile asset, positioning an identification module in an operating range of an identification tag associated with the grid connection point used by the respective mobile asset for the energy service during the connection event, and reading, by the identification module, the identifier of the grid connection point.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

for each respective fixed asset, associating the respective fixed asset with a predetermined account; and

adjusting the predetermined account based on the quantity determined by the respective fixed asset.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

storing, in a lookup table, an identifier for each respective fixed asset and an identifier for an associated, predetermined account;

referencing, using the lookup table, the predetermined account associated with the respective fixed asset connected during the connection event based on a sent asset indicator; and

adjusting the predetermined accounts referenced based on connection event information associated with the respective fixed asset.

14. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

responsive to the connection event information not including the grid connection point identifier, identifying a predetermined account that is associated with the respective asset for realizing the energy service during the connection event; and

adjusting the predetermined account based on the quantity determined by the respective asset.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein the detecting of the grid connection point identifier includes:

positioning an identification module in an operating range of an identification tag associated with the grid connection point used by the respective asset of the first type for the energy service; and

reading, by the identification module, the grid connection point identifier.

16. A billing apparatus configured to manage energy services realized by assets connected to a grid connection points during connection events, comprising:

an aggregation unit configured to;

receive for each connection event an indicator indicating at least one of;

an asset identifier of an asset used during the connection event;

or

a grid connection point identifier of the grid connection point connected to the asset used during the connection event;

identify, for each connection event, an account that is associated with the grid connection point based the indicator; and

aggregate the connection event information in accordance with the identified accounts; and

a billing engine configured to adjust the identified accounts based on the aggregated connection event information associated with the identified accounts.

17. The billing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the aggregation unit includes:

an aggregation database storing a plurality of records, each of the plurality of records including at least one of;

a predetermined account associated with each respective asset of a first type and an asset identifier of the respective asset of a first that identifies the respective asset of the first type;

or

an account associated with a respective grid connection point identifier for each asset of a second type.

18. The billing apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

the aggregation unit, responsive to the identifier not including the grid connection point identifier, identifying a predetermined account that is associated with the asset for realizing the energy service during the connection event; and

the processor adjusts the predetermined account based on a quantity determined by the asset.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program instructions stored thereon for managing energy services for a mobile asset connected to a grid connection point during a connection event, executable on a computing device, the instructions comprising:

instructions for determining a quantity of the energy services realized during the connection event;

instructions for identifying an account associated with the grid connection point; and

instructions for adjusting the identified account based on the quantity determined by the mobile asset.