System, method and computer program product for enhancing commercial value of electrical power produced from a renewable energy power production facility

• US 6,512,966 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2001
• Issued: 01/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ABB Power Grids Switzerland AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: ABB AB (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Andren, Lars Anders Tommy, Gertmar, Lars Gustaf Ingolf, Lof, Per-Anders Kristian
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): JARRETT, RYAN A
• Application Number:
  US09/839,220
• Publication Number:
  US 20020087234A1
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 700/286, 700/287, 700/289, 700/291, 700/297, 705/412, 290/4.R, 290/42, 290/43, 290/44, 290/53, 290/54, 290/55
• US Class Current: 700/291
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/0284 in relation to the state of the electric grid
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/048 controlling wind farms
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 9/257 the wind motor being part of a wind farm
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2210/16 Air or water being indistinctly used as working fluid, i.e. the machine can work equally with air or water without any modification
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2260/8211 of the weather
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/20 to optimise the performance of a machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/20 The dispersed energy generation being of renewable origin
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/24 of photovoltaic origin
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/28 The renewable source being wind energy wind motors F03D
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/40 wherein a plurality of decentralised, dispersed or local energy generation technologies are operated simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/008 involving trading of energy or energy transmission rights
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/46 Controlling of the sharing of output between the generators, converters, or transformers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/76 Power conversion electric or electronic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/20 using renewable energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/90 : Financial instruments for climate change mitigation, e.g. environmental taxes, subsidies or financing
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 : Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

A method, system and computer program product enhance the commercial value of electrical power produced from a wind turbine production facility. Features include the use of a premier power conversion device that provides an alternative source of power for supplementing an output power of the wind turbine generation facility when lull periods for wind speed appear. The invention includes a communications infrastructure and coordination mechanism for establishing a relationship with another power production facility such that when excess electrical power is produced by the wind turbine facility, the excess may be provided to the power grid while the other energy production facility cuts back on its output production by a corresponding amount. A tracking mechanism keeps track of the amount of potential energy that was not expended at the other facility and places this amount in a virtual energy storage account, for the benefit of the wind turbine facility. When, the wind turbine power production facility experiences a shortfall in its power production output it may make a request to the other source of electric power, and request that an increase its power output on behalf of the wind turbine facility. This substitution of one power production facility for another is referred to herein as a virtual energy storage mechanism. Furthermore, another feature of the present invention is the use of a renewal power exchange mechanism that creates a market for trading renewable units of power, which have been converted into “premier power” and/or “guaranteed” by secondary sources of power source to provide a reliable source of power to the power grid as required by contract.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing a commercial value of a unit of electric power produced by a renewable power production facility, comprising steps of:

identifying a predetermined amount of power predicted to be produced from the renewable power production facility at a predetermined future time;

converting the predetermined power from the renewable power production facility to a unit of premier power for application to a power grid at a standard frequency;

selling on a market said unit of premier power for delivery at the predetermined future time;

delivering to the power grid the unit of power at the predetermined future time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of guaranteeing the unit of power with supplemental power produced at a remote facility so as to supplement an amount of actual premier power that is delivered by said renewable power production facility so that a combination of the supplemental power and the actual premier power substantially equals the unit of premier power.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said guaranteeing step includes obtaining a contractual obligation from the remote facility to provide the supplemental power.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of obtaining transmission rights to transfer the unit of premier power from the renewable power production facility to a portion of the power grid to which a purchaser of the premier power unit is obligated to provide the premier power unit at the predetermined future time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said converting step includes converting the predetermined power using a co-active converter.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said converting step includes providing to said power grid a predetermined quantity of reactive power.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising a step of providing a short circuit power to the power grid when a fault occurs in the power grid.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein said converting step includes suppressing harmonics in the unit of premier power.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein said converting step includes providing supplemental power from a prime mover to the predetermined power from the renewable power production facility.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of collecting electrical power from multiple renewable power production facilities prior to performing said converting step.

11. A system for enhancing a commercial value of a unit of electric power produced by a renewable power production facility, comprising:

means for identifying a predetermined amount of power expected to be produced from the renewable power production facility at a predetermined future time;

means for converting the predetermined power from the renewable power production facility to a unit of premier power for application to a power grid at a standard frequency;

means for selling on a market said unit of premier power for delivery at a predetermined future time; and

means for delivering to the power grid the unit of power at the predetermined future time.

12. A system for prognosticating an electric power output from a renewable power production facility and converting the electrical power output into a unit of premier power configured for sale on a market, comprising:

means for receiving at least one of meteorological and oceanographic data from a forecasting and data analysis system;

means for receiving other data from at least one sensor positioned locally relative to the renewable power production facility;

means for predicting an electrical power output from the renewable power production facility from the at least one of meteorological and oceanographic data and the other data; and

means for converting the predetermined power from the renewable power production facility to the unit of premier power for application to a power grid, said unit of premier power being configured for sale on a market.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said at least one of the meteorological and oceanographic data being from at least one of a regional, a national and an international forecasting and data analysis system.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein said at least one sensor is positioned within one mile of said renewable power production facility.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein said at least one sensor is positioned at said renewable power production facility.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein said means for predicting includes means for refining and calibrating the electric power output prediction using at least one of Multivariate data analysis, a neural network and a Fuzzy Control-based mechanism.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said means for predicting includes a processor.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein said at least one sensor being configured to provide at least one of meteorological and oceanographic data from a vicinity local to said renewable power production facility.

19. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

means for forwarding a prognosticated electrical power output from the means for predicting to a renewable energy exchange.

20. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

means for forwarding a prognosticated electrical power output from the means for predicting to an operator of a renewable energy production facility.

21. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

means for forwarding a prognosticated electrical power output from the means for predicting to an operator of another power production facility.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said another power production facility being one of an energy-limited power production facility and a power-limited power production facility.

23. The system of claim 12, wherein said means for predicting electrical power output from the renewable power production facility includes means for predicting the electrical power output within 5 days in advance of an actual production date.

24. The system of claim 12, wherein said means for predicting electrical power output from the renewable power production facility includes means for predicting an amount of energy to be delivered more than 5 days in advance of an actual power production date.

25. A method for prognosticating an electric power output from a renewable power production facility and converting the electrical power output into a unit of premier power configured for sale on a market, comprising steps of:

receiving at least one of meteorological and oceanographic data from a forecasting and data analysis system;

receiving other data from at least one sensor positioned locally to the renewable power production facility;

predicting an electrical power output from the renewable power production facility from the at least one of meteorological and oceanographic data and the other data; and

converting the predetermined power from the renewable power production facility to the unit of premier power for application to a power grid, said unit of premier power being configured for sale on a market.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said at least one of the meteorological and oceanographic data being from at least one of a regional, a national and an international forecasting and data analysis system.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein said at least one sensor is positioned within one mile of said renewable power production facility.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein said at least one sensor is positioned at said renewable power production facility.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein said step of predicting includes refining and calibrating the electric power output prediction using at least one of Multivariate data analysis, a neural network and a Fuzzy Control-based mechanism.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein said at least one sensor being configured to provide at least one of meteorological and oceanographic data from a vicinity local to said renewable power production facility.

31. The method of claim 25, further comprising a step of:

forwarding a prognosticated electrical power output to a renewable energy exchange.

32. The method of claim 25, further comprising a step of:

forwarding a prognosticated electrical power output to an operator of a renewable energy production facility.

33. The method of claim 25, further comprising a step of:

forwarding a prognosticated electrical power output to an operator of another power production facility.

34. The method of claim 25, wherein said step of predicting electrical power output from the renewable power production facility includes predicting the electrical power output within 5 days in advance of an actual production date.

35. The method of claim 25, wherein said step of predicting electrical power output from the renewable power production facility includes predicting an amount of energy to be delivered more than 5 days in advance of an actual power production date.

36. A computer program product for prognosticating an electric power output from a renewable power production facility and converting the electrical power output into a unit of premier power configured for sale on a market, comprising computer readable instructions that when executed on a processor perform steps of:

receiving at least one of meteorological and oceanographic data from a forecasting and data analysis system;

receiving other data from at least one sensor positioned locally to the renewable power production facility;

predicting an electrical power output from the renewable power production facility from the at least one of meteorological and oceanographic data and the other data; and

converting the predetermined power from the renewable power production facility to the unit of premier power for application to a power grid, said unit of premier power being configured for sale on a market.

37. The computer program product of claim 36, wherein said at least one of the meteorological and oceanographic data being from at least one of a regional, a national and an international forecasting and data analysis system.

38. The computer program product of claim 36, wherein said at least one sensor is positioned within one mile of said renewable power production facility.

39. The computer program product of claim 36, wherein said at least one sensor is positioned at said renewable power production facility.

40. The computer program product of claim 36, wherein said step of predicting includes refining and calibrating the electric power output prediction using at least one of Multivariate data analysis, a neural network and a Fuzzy Control-based mechanism.

41. The computer program product of claim 36, wherein said at least one sensor being configured to provide at least one of meteorological and oceanographic data from a vicinity local to said renewable power production facility.

42. The computer program product of claim 36, further comprising a step of:

forwarding a prognosticated electrical power output to a renewable energy exchange.

43. The computer program product of claim 36, further comprising a step of:

forwarding a prognosticated electrical power output to an operator of a renewable energy production facility.

44. The computer program product of claim 36, further comprising a step of:

forwarding a prognosticated electrical power output to an operator of another power production facility.

45. The computer program product of claim 36, wherein said step of predicting electrical power output from the renewable power production facility includes predicting the electrical power output within 5 days in advance of an actual production date.

46. The computer program product of claim 36, wherein said step of predicting electrical power output from the renewable power production facility includes predicting an amount of energy to be delivered more than 5 days in advance of an actual power production date.