METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY RECONFIGURING MULTI-PHASED NETWORKED ENERGY STORAGE DEVICES AT A SITE

• US 20140067151A1
• Filed: 08/29/2013
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stem, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Stem, Inc.
• Inventors: ERHART, DAVID, SOUTHEREN, CRAIG, KEARNS, BEN, BURLINSON, JON, STEVENS, DREW
• Granted Patent: US 11,454,999 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/297
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• 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 3/0073 for providing alternative feeding paths between load and source when the main path fails, e.g. transformers, busbars
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/32 using batteries with converting means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/30 State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/52 Outage or fault management, e.g. fault detection or location
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/12 Energy storage units, uninterruptible power supply [UPS] systems or standby or emergency generators, e.g. in the last power distribution stages

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention include control methods employed in multiphase distributed energy storage systems that are located behind utility meters typically located at, but not limited to, medium and large commercial and industrial locations. Current solutions for these types of electric load locations entail multiple discrete energy storage systems, where if any piece of an energy storage system is damaged, the ability of the complete power control strategy at the entire electric load location is at risk of becoming inoperable. Some embodiments of the invention include hardware and methods for dynamically reconfiguring networks of distributed energy storage systems that are able to provide automatic site layout discovery using a formed auto-discovering network formed at an electric load location.

Claims

1. A system for managing power delivery, comprising:

a first storage device that is in electric communication with an electric power line, wherein the first storage device comprises a first energy source;

a second storage device that is in electric communication with the electric power line, wherein the second storage device comprises a second energy source;

a power monitor controller that is in communication with the first storage device and the second storage device, and is configured to receive information regarding the configuration of the first and second storage devices; and

a first system controller that is configured to use the received information to control a transfer of energy between the electric power line and the first energy source.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first storage device further comprises a first bidirectional power converter, and the second storage device further comprises a second bidirectional power converter.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second energy sources each comprises one or more batteries.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a power monitor comprising the power monitor controller and a first device that is configured to measure the power transferred through the electric power line.

5. The system of claim 1, 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,

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

6. The system of claim 5, 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.

7. The system of claim 5, 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.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the first system controller comprises a set-point controller configured to vary the threshold value.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a power monitor comprising the power monitor controller and a first device that is configured to measure the power transferred through the electric power line;

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,

wherein the first system controller is further 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 the first energy source, and

control a transfer of energy from or to the electric power line from the first energy source based on the comparison.

10. A system for managing power delivery, comprising:

a first storage device that is in electric communication with the multiphase electric power line, wherein the first storage device comprises a first energy source and a first system controller;

a second storage device that is in electric communication with the multiphase electric power line, wherein the second storage device comprises a second energy source and a second system controller; and

a power monitor controller that is in communication with the first storage device and the second storage device, and is configured to receive information regarding the configuration of the first and the second storage devices,

wherein the first system controller is configured to control a transfer of energy between the multiphase electric power line and the first storage device, and the amount of energy transferred is a least partially based on the received information.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first and second energy sources each comprises one or more batteries.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a power monitor comprising the power monitor controller and a first device that is configured to measure the power transferred through the multiphase electric power line.

13. 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,

wherein the first system controller is further configured to receive the created operating parameters and use the operating parameters to control an amount of energy flowing through a first phase of the electric power line below a threshold value, and

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

14. The system of claim 13, 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.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the first system controller comprises a set-point controller configured to vary the threshold value.

16. A method of managing power at an electric load location, comprising:

transferring telemetry data from a first storage device to a power monitor that is coupled to an electric power line after the first storage device is coupled to the electric power line, wherein the first storage device comprises a first energy source and a first system controller;

storing the telemetry data in memory; and

controlling a transfer of power between the first storage device and the electric power line using information derived from the telemetry data.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the telemetry data transferred from the first storage device includes information selected from a group consisting of serial number, battery health and phase(s) to which the first storage device is coupled.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

transferring telemetry data from a second storage device to the power monitor after the second storage device is coupled to the electric power line, wherein the first storage device comprises a first energy source and a first system controller; and

controlling a transfer of power between the second storage device and the electric power line using information derived from the telemetry data received from the first storage device or the second storage device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the telemetry data transferred from the first or second storage devices includes information selected from a group consisting of serial number, battery health and phase(s) to which the first or the second storage device is coupled.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the first energy source comprises a battery that is coupled to the electric power line through a bidirectional converter.