COLLABORATIVE BALANCING OF RENEWABLE ENERGY OVERPRODUCTION WITH ELECTRICITY-HEAT COUPLING AND ELECTRIC AND THERMAL STORAGE FOR PROSUMER COMMUNITIES

• US 20160011577A1
• Filed: 07/01/2015
• Published: 01/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Europe Ltd (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Schwarz, Maja, Schuelke, Anett
• Granted Patent: US 10,078,315 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/62 The condition being non-electrical, e.g. temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/144 Demand-response operation of the power transmission or distribution network
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• 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: Y04S 20/00 Management or operation of end-user stationary applications or the last stages of power distribution; Controlling, monitoring or operating thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving

Abstract

A system and method perform electricity and heat load balancing within a community of energy nodes. The system includes a central control device to solve an optimization problem over a planning horizon and to run an allocation algorithm. Local agent devices communicate with the central control device. Each local agent device receives input parameters from an energy node. Each energy node includes electricity generation equipment, electrical heat-generating equipment, and power transmission equipment, electricity storage equipment and thermal storage equipment. The local agent devices operate the electrical heat-generating equipment based on an allocation instruction received from the central control device. The central control device receives status information from the local agent devices to determine an amount of energy to be converted from electricity to heat by the electrical heat-generating equipment of the energy nodes, to provide the allocation instruction to the energy nodes.

Claims

1. A system for electricity and heat load balancing within a community of energy nodes, the system comprising:

a central control device configured to solve an optimization problem over a planning horizon and to run an allocation algorithm; and

a plurality of local agent devices configured to communicate with the central control device, each of the local agent devices being associated with and configured to receive input variables or parameters from a respective one of the energy nodes, each of the energy nodes having electricity generation equipment, electrical heat-generating equipment, power transmission equipment, electricity storage equipment and thermal storage equipment, at least one of the local agent devices being configured to operate the respective electrical heat-generating equipment based on an allocation instruction received from the central control device,

wherein the central control device is configured to receive status information from each of the local agent devices and use the status information in the allocation algorithm to determine an amount of energy to be converted from electricity to heat by the respective electrical heat-generating equipment of at least one of the energy nodes, so as to provide the allocation instruction to the at least one of the energy nodes.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the status information from each of the local agent devices includes current state of charge (SOC) information for each of the electrical and thermal storage equipment of the energy nodes.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the central control device is configured to receive weather forecast information and use the weather forecast information in the allocation algorithm.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the central control device is configured to estimate aggregated renewable energy generation and electricity and heat demand of the community.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the central control device is configured to determine the amount of energy to be received from or supplied to individual ones of the energy nodes based on electric consumption and heat consumption predicted by the local agent devices using past usage data stored in the local agent devices.

6. A central control device comprising:

a server device associated with a community of energy nodes which each include electricity generation equipment, electrical heat-generating equipment, power transmission equipment, electricity storage equipment and thermal storage equipment, each of the energy nodes being associated with a local agent device;

a communication-receiving unit configured to receive, from the local agent devices, status information from each of the local agent devices;

a computational processor running an allocation algorithm configured to determine an amount of energy to be converted from electricity to heat by the respective electrical heat-generating equipment of at least one of the energy nodes, so as to provide the allocation instruction to the at least one of the energy nodes; and

a communication-transmitting unit configured to communicate to at least the local agent device associated with the at least one of the energy nodes the allocation instruction to operate the respective electrical heat-generating equipment based on the allocation instruction.

7. The central control device according to claim 6, wherein the status information from each of the local agent devices includes current state of charge (SOC) information for each of the electrical and thermal storage equipment of the energy nodes.

8. The central control device according to claim 6, wherein the central control device is configured to receive weather forecast information and use the weather forecast information in the allocation algorithm.

9. The central control device according to claim 8, wherein the central control device is configured to estimate aggregated renewable energy generation and electricity and heat demand of the community.

10. The central control device according to claim 6, wherein the central control device is configured to determine the amount of energy to be received from or supplied to individual ones of the energy nodes based on electric consumption and heat consumption predicted by the local agent devices using past usage data stored in the local agent devices.

11. A method of providing electricity and heat balancing in a community of energy nodes, the method comprising:

receiving, from local agent devices each of which is connected to a respective one of the energy nodes, requests to supply energy to the community or to receive energy from the community;

determining, by a central control device having a computational processor running an allocation algorithm, an amount of energy to be converted from electricity to heat by respective electrical heat-generating equipment of at least one of the energy nodes; and

providing, by the central device, an allocation instruction including the amount of energy, to the local agent device associated with the at least one of the energy nodes.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising, receiving, from each of the local agent devices, status information including current state of charge (SOC) information for each of the electrical and thermal storage equipment of the energy nodes.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the central control device receives weather forecast information and uses the weather forecast information in the allocation algorithm.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the central control device estimates aggregated renewable energy generation and electricity and heat demand of the community.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the central control device determines the amount of energy to be received from or supplied to individual ones of the energy nodes based on electric consumption and heat consumption predicted by the local agent devices using past usage data stored in the local agent devices.