METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING POWER USING EXTERNAL DATA

• US 20140049109A1
• Filed: 08/14/2013
• Published: 02/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stem, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Stem, Inc.
• Inventors: KEARNS, Ben, BURLINSON, Jon, STEVENS, Drew
• Granted Patent: US 9,406,094 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/52
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/026 using a predictor
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39361 Minimize time-energy cost
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00 Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/00 Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/003 Load forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future load demand
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/32 using batteries with converting means
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 4/00 Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as ac or dc
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/70 Smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the energy generation sector
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/14 Energy storage units
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/30 State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/50 Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications

Abstract

A control system for an energy storage system located behind a utility meter uses a unique, feedback-based, communication and control method to reliably and efficiently maximize economic return of the energy storage system. Operating parameters for the energy storage system are calculated at an external, centralized data center, and are selected to prevent electrical power demand of an electric load location from exceeding a specified set-point by discharging energy storage devices, such as DC batteries, through a bidirectional energy converter during peak demand events. The control system can operate autonomously in the case of a communications failure.

Claims

1. A system for controlling the transfer of energy between an electric load location and an electric grid, comprising:

a power monitor that is in electric communication with an electric line that is coupled to an electric meter of an electric load location, wherein the electric meter is configured to measure energy transferred to the electric load location through the electric line;

an optimization engine configured to receive one or more external inputs and create a set of operating parameters based on the one or more external inputs; and

a system controller that is configured to receive the created operating parameters and use the operating parameters to control an amount of energy flowing through the electric line below a threshold value.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of operating parameters are derived from simulations of energy use at the electric load location, and the simulations are performed by the optimization engine.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the system controller comprises a set-point controller configured to vary the threshold value.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more external inputs are selected from a group consisting of weather information, sunrise and sunset information, power usage cost information, utility'"'"'s billing period, geographic location, local solar production, local incident light, customer type, electric load location building specifications, grid operator data and time data.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the system controller is configured to communicate with the optimization engine, and is configured to transmit information used to adjust a variation in time of energy delivered through the electric line to the optimization engine to improve subsequently created operating parameters.

6. A system for controlling energy transferred between an electric grid and an electric load location, comprising:

an optimization engine configured to receive one or more external inputs and create one or more operating control curves based on the one or more external inputs; and

a distributed energy storage device comprising a system controller and a power monitor that is configured to monitor an electric line that is coupled to an electric meter, wherein the system controller is configured to

receive the one or more operating control curves,

compare the one or more operating control curves to information received from the power monitor and energy storage device, and

control a transfer of energy from or to the electric line from an energy storage device based on the comparison.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more operating control curves comprise a battery state-of-charge curve that is used by the system controller to determine an amount of energy to transfer to the electric line based on a measured amount of charge in the energy storage device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more operating control curves further comprise:

a discrete or continuous demand set-point curve that is used by the system controller to determine two or more demand set-points, wherein the discrete or continuous demand set-point curve has a first value for a first time period and a second value for a second time period, the first value being different than the second value.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the system controller further comprises a computer readable medium that is configured to store instructions that cause a processor to perform a process comprising:

receiving a first set of operating parameters that are created based on one or more received external inputs; and

based on the first set of operating parameters, varying the energy transfer from the energy storage device to the electric line to cause the first rate of energy transfer to remain below a threshold value,

wherein the threshold value varies with time.

10. A system for controlling energy transferred between an electric grid and an electric load location, comprising:

an energy source;

a power monitor that is configured to monitor an electric line that is coupled to an electric meter of an electric load location, wherein the electric meter is used by a utility to determine power delivered to one or more electrical components disposed in the electric load location through the electric line;

a bi-directional power converter electrically coupled to the energy source and the electric line; and

a system controller that is configured to control a transfer of energy between the energy source and the electric line using the bi-directional power converter.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

an optimization engine configured to receive one or more external inputs and create a set of operating parameters based on the one or more external inputs, and

the system controller is configured to receive the created operating parameters and use the operating parameters to control the transfer of energy between the energy source and the electric line using the bi-directional power converter.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the system controller is in communication with the optimization engine, and is configured to transmit information used to adjust the variation in time of power delivered through the electric line to the optimization engine to improve subsequently created operating parameters.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the system controller is further configured to create storage system results, and provide the storage system results to the optimization engine.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the energy source comprises one or more batteries.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the system controller comprises a set-point controller and a runtime controller.

16. A computer readable medium configured to store instructions executable by a processor of a host device, the instructions when executed by the processor causing the processor to:

generate control parameters based on a simulation that is performed using forecast information;

monitor a first rate of energy transfer from an electric line to an electric load location; and

control a second rate of energy transfer between the electric line and an energy storage device based on the control parameters, wherein controlling the second rate of energy transfer alters the first rate of energy transfer.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein generating control parameters further comprises:

generating forecast information by creating a forecast for a first time period based on one or more received external inputs; and

cleansing the one or more received external inputs by adjusting the information received from a first external input so that a time scale associated with the information received from the first external input matches a time scale associated with information received from a second external input.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the forecast is created based on received forecasted coefficient data and received historical coefficient data.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the external inputs are created from information selected from a group consisting of weather information, sunrise and sunset information, power usage cost information, utility'"'"'s billing period, geographic location, local solar production, local incident light, customer type, electric load location building specifications, grid operator data and time data.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the control parameters comprise optimum demand set-points as a function of time and one or more battery curves that comprise a set of time-based battery state-of-charge curves.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the one or more battery state-of-charge curves comprise a flat battery curve, a continuously varying battery curve, a stepped battery curve, or a forecasted battery curve.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein generating the control parameters comprises:

receiving electrical pricing information for the first time period; and

generating the control parameters based on the electrical power pricing information.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein generating the control parameters comprises:

receiving electrical power tariff information for the first time period;

receiving energy storage device operation information, wherein the energy storage device operation information comprises at least one of the following;

state-of-charge information received from the energy storage device;

total charge capacity information received from the energy storage device;

charge discharge efficiency rating information received from the energy storage device;

or

current energy capacity information received from the energy storage device; and

generating the control parameters based on a simulation that includes the electrical power tariff information.