METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING ELECTRIC ENERGY PRODUCED LOCALLY FOR SELF-CONSUMPTION AND DISTRIBUTED TO MULTIPLE USERS BELONGING TO ONE OR MORE COMMUNITIES OF USERS

• US 20150032279A1
• Filed: 03/01/2013
• Published: 01/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sisvel Technology S.r.l. (Fineur International S.A.)
• Original Assignee: Sisvel Technology S.r.l. (Fineur International S.A.)
• Inventors: Striuli, Alessandro
• Granted Patent: US 10,559,961 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/295
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/46 Controlling of the sharing of output between the generators, converters, or transformers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 4/00 Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as ac or dc

Abstract

A method for managing the supply of electric energy to a community of users (UP1, UP2, . . . UPN) includes determining a supply, to each user of the community of users (UP1, UP2, . . . UPN), of a combination of electric energy coming from at least one system for producing energy from a local source (100) and from the at least one system for supplying energy managed by an external distributor (110), wherein the combination of electric energy can be determined specifically for each user; adjusting, for each user of the community of users, the supply of the fraction of electric energy coming from the local source (100), as a function of the electric energy coming from the local source (100) to be distributed to the other users of the community of users (UP1, UP2, . . . UPN), so as to give priority to taking electric energy directly from the system for producing energy from a local source (100) over the at least one system for supplying electric energy managed by an external distributor (110).

Claims

1. A device for managing the supply of electric energy to a user belonging to a community of users, said community having available at least one system for producing electric energy from a local source and at least one system for supplying electric energy managed by an external distributor, comprising:

combining means for combining electric energy coming from said at least one system for producing energy from a local source and from said at least one system for distributing energy managed by an external distributor;

adjusting means for adjusting the fraction of electric energy supplied to said user from said local source as a function of the electric energy coming from said local source that must be supplied to the other users of said community of users;

said adjusting means being configured to give priority to taking electric energy directly from said system for producing energy from a local source over said at least one system for supplying electric energy managed by an external distributor.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said adjusting means are configured to exclude the supply of electric energy from said at least one system for supplying electric energy managed by an external distributor, if said system for producing energy from a local source can supply all the required electric energy to said user.

3. A device according to claim 1, comprising metering means for metering the electric energy that is being supplied to said user from said local source.

4. A device according to claim 1, comprising an electronic communication interface for communicating with other devices associated with other users belonging to said community of users.

5. A device according to claim 1, comprising an interface for communicating with a system for managing the supply of electric energy by said at least one system for producing energy from a local source.

6. A device according to claim 4, wherein said adjusting means for adjusting the fraction of electric energy distributed to said user, coming from said local source, are so configured as to determine said fraction on the basis of information about the electric energy coming from said local source and supplied to other users belonging to said community of users, said information being received through said interface for communicating with other devices and/or through said interface for communicating with a management system.

7. A device according to claim 1, comprising a component for one-way power flow control on the line transporting electric energy from said at least one system for producing electric energy from a local source, which only allows electric energy coming from said at least one system for producing electric energy from a local source to be carried on said line.

8. A device according to claim 1, wherein said device is physically integrated into a meter of an external distributor of electric services, said meter being of the smart type or being a meter adapted to measure distributable electric energy only.

9. A device according to claim 1, comprising means for connecting to an electric energy storage system, said connecting means being so configured as to allow storing electric energy coming from said system for producing electric energy from a local source and/or from said at least one system for supplying electric energy managed by an external distributor.

17. A system for managing the supply of electric energy to users belonging to a community of users, said community having available at least one system for producing electric energy from a local source and at least one system for supplying electric energy managed by an external distributor, comprising, for each user, a device according to claim 1.

10. A method for managing the supply of electric energy to a community of users, said community having available at least one system for producing electric energy from a local source and at least one system for supplying electric energy managed by an external distributor, comprising:

determining a supply, to each user of said community of users, of a combination of electric energy coming from said at least one system for producing energy from a local source and from said at least one system for supplying energy managed by an external distributor, wherein said electric energy combination can be determined specifically for each user;

adjusting, for each user of said community of users, the supply of the fraction of electric energy coming from said local source, as a function of the electric energy coming from said local source to be distributed to the other users of said community of users, so as to give priority to taking electric energy directly from said system for producing energy from a local source over said at least one system for supplying electric energy managed by an external distributor.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein said fraction of electric energy coming from said local source is fixed for one or more users of said community of users.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein said fraction of electric energy coming from said local source is variable for one or more users of said community of users as a function of the electric energy that is being distributed from said local source to other users of said community of users.

13. A method according to claim 10, wherein said adjustment of the fraction of electric energy supplied to said user from said local source is such that it excludes the supply of electric energy from said at least one system for supplying electric energy managed by an external distributor, if said system for producing energy from a local source can supply all the required electric energy to said user.

14. A method according to claim 10, wherein said adjustment of the fraction of electric energy supplied to said user from said local source is determined also as a function of the purchase price of electric energy purchased from said at least one system for supplying electric energy managed by an external distributor and/or of the selling price of electric energy sold to said at least one system for supplying electric energy managed by an external distributor.

15. A method according to claim 10, comprising a step of controlling a connection to an electric energy storage system, so as to allow storing electric energy coming from said system for producing electric energy from a local source and/or from said at least one system for supplying electric energy managed by an external distributor.

16. A method according to claim 10, wherein one or more of said steps are carried out either in a centralized manner or in a distributed manner at the level of said users.

19. A computer program comprising program coding means adapted to implement the method according to claim 10 when said program is executed on a computer.

20. Computer-readable means comprising a recorded program, said computer-readable means comprising program coding means adapted to implement the method according to claim 10 when said program is executed on a computer.

18. (canceled)