Networked Power Management and Demand Response

• US 20120245744A1
• Filed: 03/19/2012
• Published: 09/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Engie Storage Services NA LLC (ENGIE SA)
• Original Assignee: Green Charge Networks LLC (ENGIE SA)
• Inventors: Prosser, Ronald D., Shao, Victor
• Granted Patent: US 9,893,526 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/286
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/32 using batteries with converting means
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/46 Controlling of the sharing of output between the generators, converters, or transformers

Abstract

Systems of networking power management systems are disclosed, wherein the systems receive control parameters from a control terminal and bring about demand response, curtailment, and other load management actions. One control terminal may be used to control many zones in different ways, and the load management actions may be automated to improve efficiency and predictability of the results of demand response actions. Some of the systems may be mobile and connectable to different sites in the network to respond to changing needs in the utility distribution grid. Large demand response requirements may be distributed among multiple sites or systems in order to encourage and enable participation in demand response programs by customers that would not traditionally be able to do so because of not being able to produce sufficient demand response results individually.

Claims

1. A system of networked power management systems, comprising:

a control terminal for a zone, the zone comprised of associated sites connected to a utility distribution grid; and

a plurality of power management systems, wherein a power management system is located at each associated site, each power management system comprising;

a network connection to the control terminal whereby the power management system is enabled to receive parameters from the control terminal, and

a system controller enabled to manage the consumption of one or more loads under the parameters received from the control terminal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said loads are curtailable loads, and said parameters define target demand response requirements for a power management system, and each said system controller is enabled to define a curtailment response for the curtailable loads to meet the target demand response power level requirements.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the definition and execution of the curtailment response is enabled to be automated when said parameters are received.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said target demand response requirements are less than a demand response participation threshold for utility customers in the utility distribution grid having demand response capabilities that are not automated.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a network operations center having a network connection to said control terminal;

wherein said control terminal is enabled to receive a target demand response instruction for the zone from the network operations center through the network connection of the network operations center; and

wherein said control terminal divides the target demand response instruction for said zone into demand response parameters specific to each power management system in said zone.

6. The system of claim 1, at least one of said power management systems further comprising a mitigation system, wherein said system controller is enabled to mitigate a load by providing energy from the mitigation system under said parameters received from the control terminal.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said parameters define target demand response requirements for a power management system, and each said system controller is enabled to define the mitigation of said load using said mitigation system to meet the parameters.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the definition and execution of said mitigation of said load is enabled to be automated when said parameters are received.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said target demand response requirements are less than a demand response participation threshold for utility customers in the utility distribution grid having demand response capabilities that are not automated.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said power management systems is a movable power management system connectable to and disconnectable from one or more sites in said zone.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said parameters define a site at which site said movable power management system is to be connected for curtailment or mitigation.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said parameters define a zone at which zone said movable power management system is to be connected for curtailment or mitigation.

13. The system of claim 1, said control terminal further comprising a status monitoring means enabled to monitor the utility distribution grid in the zone, and at least one said power management system further comprising a sensor means enabled to monitor the utility distribution grid status, wherein the status monitoring means comprises the sensor means.

14. A system of networked power management systems, comprising:

a control terminal for a zone, the zone comprised of a plurality of sub-zones, each sub-zone comprised of one or more associated sites connected to a utility distribution grid;

a plurality of power management systems, wherein a power management system is located at each associated site, each power management system comprising;

a network connection to the control terminal whereby the power management system is enabled to receive parameters from the control terminal, and

a system controller enabled to manage the consumption of one or more loads under the parameters received from the control terminal; and

wherein parameters received from said control terminal by power management systems located in a first sub-zone differ from parameters received by power management systems located in a second sub-zone.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a network operations center having a network connection to said control terminal;

wherein said control terminal is enabled to receive a target demand response instruction for the zone from the network operations center through the network connection to the network operations center; and

wherein said control terminal divides the target demand response instruction into demand response parameters specific to each sub-zone.

16. The system of claim 14, at least one of said power management systems further comprising a mitigation system, wherein said system controller is enabled to mitigate a load by providing energy from the mitigation system under said parameters received from said control terminal.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said parameters define target demand response requirements for each sub-zone, and each said system controller is enabled to manage the consumption of said loads using said mitigation system to meet the parameters received in the sub-zone in which system controller is enabled.

18. The system of claim 14, said control terminal further comprising a status monitoring means enabled to monitor the utility distribution grid status in said second sub-zone, and said parameters received in said first sub-zone are based on the utility distribution grid status of said second sub-zone.

19. A method of distributed utility demand response using networked power management systems connected to sites in a utility distribution grid, the networked power management systems each comprising a system controller enabled to execute demand response requirements received through a network connection by managing the consumption of one or more loads, the method comprising:

receiving a total demand response requirement;

dividing the total demand response requirement into lesser demand response requirements;

distributing the lesser demand response requirements to the networked power management systems of the sites in such a manner that each site receives one of the lesser demand response requirements; and

fulfilling the total demand response requirement by fulfilling each of the lesser demand response requirements through the use of the networked power management systems of the sites to which the lesser demand response requirements are distributed.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein each of the lesser demand response requirements is less than a demand response participation threshold of a utility provider of the utility distribution grid, and wherein the total demand response requirement is greater than or equal to the demand response participation threshold.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the fulfillment of the lesser demand response requirements is automated by the system controllers of the networked power management systems when the lesser demand response requirements are received through the network connections.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein each of the lesser demand response requirements is less than a demand response participation threshold for utility customers of the utility distribution grid that do not automate demand response actions.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein at least two of the lesser demand response requirements have different power level or timing requirements.