AGGREGATOR-BASED ELECTRIC MICROGRID FOR RESIDENTIAL APPLICATIONS INCORPORATING RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
First Claim
1. An electricity microgrid for controlling electricity flow between a plurality of residential consumers and at least one utility company, the microgrid comprising:
- at least one renewable generation source for generating electricity at the microgrid;
means for storing at least a fraction of the generated electricity at the microgrid; and
an aggregator entity for purchasing electricity from the at least one utility for distribution to the plurality of residential consumers connected to the microgrid and pooling the electricity generated by the at least one renewable generation source, the aggregator utilizing a rules-based mechanism to perform the purchasing of electricity.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A residential electric grid (microgrid) is proposed as a distribution arrangement between a utility company and a group of individual residential consumers. The residential consumers are also viewed as “producers” of renewable energy and are defined as “prosumers”. An aggregator is used at the microgrid to negotiate with the utility on behalf of the group of prosumers, commanding a better price for excess electricity sold back to the utility (especially as part of a Demand Response (DR) program). Importantly, the microgrid is constructed to include energy storage capability at the microgrid. Therefore, the arrangement is capable of supplying power to the residential customers in the event of an outage at the macrogrid level, and also selling back the electricity to the utility as part of a DR program.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. An electricity microgrid for controlling electricity flow between a plurality of residential consumers and at least one utility company, the microgrid comprising:
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at least one renewable generation source for generating electricity at the microgrid; means for storing at least a fraction of the generated electricity at the microgrid; and an aggregator entity for purchasing electricity from the at least one utility for distribution to the plurality of residential consumers connected to the microgrid and pooling the electricity generated by the at least one renewable generation source, the aggregator utilizing a rules-based mechanism to perform the purchasing of electricity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method of controlling a bi-directional flow of electricity between a utility company and a plurality of residential consumers, at least a subset of the plurality of residential consumers including renewable sources for generating electricity, the method including the steps of:
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creating an electric microgrid interconnecting the plurality of residential consumers; installing electricity storage means at the microgrid; and providing an aggregator at the microgrid to controlling the buying and selling of electricity to the utility company on behalf of the plurality of residential consumers. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
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Specification