Dynamic distributed power grid control system

• US 8,401,709 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2010
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avista Development, Inc. (Avistar)
• Original Assignee: Spirae, Inc.
• Inventors: Cherian, Sunil, Keogh, Brendan, Pacific, Oliver
• Primary Examiner(s): Masinick, Michael D
• Application Number:
  US12/846,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20110106321A1
• Time in Patent Office: 964 Days
• Field of Search: 700/291, 700/295
• US Class Current: 700/291
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0421 Multiprocessor system
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• 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 13/00001 characterised by the display of information or by user interaction, e.g. supervisory control and data acquisition systems [SCADA] or graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/10 The dispersed energy generation being of fossil origin, e.g. diesel generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/00 Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/06 Controlling transfer of power between connected networks; Controlling sharing of load between connected networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/1828 with stepwise control, the possibility of switching in or out the entire compensating arrangement not being considered as stepwise control
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/30 Reactive power compensation
• 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 80/15 On-site combined power, heat or cool generation or distribution, e.g. combined heat and power [CHP] supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/12 Monitoring or controlling equipment for energy generation units, e.g. distributed energy generation [DER] or load-side generation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/22 : Flexible AC transmission systems [FACTS] or power factor or reactive power compensating or correcting units
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/30 : State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/40 : Display of information, e.g. of data or controls
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 : End-user application control systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 : using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 : Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/14 : Marketing, i.e. market research and analysis, surveying, promotions, advertising, buyer profiling, customer management or rewards

Abstract

A system for dynamically managing and controlling distributed energy resources in a transmission/distribution power grid is disclosed. A plurality of regions within a transmission/distribution power grid is autonomously managed using regional control modules. Each regional control module oversees the management and control of the transmission/distribution power grid and is further associated with a plurality of local control modules that interface with distributed energy resources within a region. Power production and power consumption are monitored and analyzed by the enterprise control module which, upon determining that power consumption within a region does not match power producing capability, dynamically reallocates distributed energy resources throughout the grid keeping the system balance. Power flow at key nodes within the network are monitored and analyzed by the local control modules, regional control modules, and enterprise control modules with compensating actions taken in the event that system parameter risks violating safety, stability, or operational thresholds.

Claims

1. A distributed control system for a transmission and distribution power grid wherein the transmission/distribution power grid includes a plurality of distributed energy resources (DER) coupled to a plurality of power consumers, the distributed control system comprising:

an enterprise control module communicatively coupled to existing supervisory control and data acquisition systems for the transmission/distribution power grid and/or other enterprise applications;

a plurality of local control modules wherein each local control module is uniquely associated with one of the plurality of DERs;

a plurality of regional control modules wherein each regional control module is interposed between the enterprise control module and a portion of the plurality of local control modules and wherein the regional control module is operable to perform dynamic power management within a region and power exchange with adjoining regions wherein dynamic power management regulates local and regional power flow parameters to stay within defined operating limits and includes self-altering and/or predictive calculations.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the enterprise control module is communicatively coupled to a communication network.

3. The control system of claim 1, wherein a regional control module is interposed between the enterprise control module and another regional control module forming a distributed system.

4. The control system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of DERs is chosen from a group consisting of energy generation, storage and demand/load management.

5. The control system of claim 1 wherein a transmission and distribution power grid DER is chosen from a group consisting of grid and equipment protection, voltage regulation, power flow control, capacitor banks, and transformers.

6. The control system of claim 1, wherein the enterprise control module manages demand among the plurality of regional control modules and power exchange with adjoining power grids or power systems.

7. The control system of claim 6, wherein managing demand among the plurality of regional control modules includes initiating commands to regional control modules to vary power production in a first region in response to varied demand in a second region.

8. The control system of claim 6, wherein managing demand among the plurality of regional control modules includes redefining local control modules associated with each regional control module and regional control modules.

9. The control system of claim 1, wherein the enterprise control module is operable to selectively issue broadcast control commands to the plurality of local control modules and/or regional control modules.

10. The control system of claim 1 wherein responsive to communication disruption the distributed control system is operable to switch to an autonomous operating modality and upon communication restoration synchronize data and revert to a command modality.

11. The control system of claim 1, further comprising a device interface interposed between each local control module and its associated DER wherein the device interface converts standardized local control module commands so as to be understood by the associated DER and converts a DER responses to standardized messages understood by the local control module.

12. The control system of claim 1, wherein the local control module is operable to collect data regarding each coupled DER.

13. The control system of claim 12, wherein data includes static, dynamic or control response characteristics of the DER.

14. The control system of claim 1, wherein the local control module standardizes commands and/or response messages between the DER and the regional control module.

15. The control system of claim 1, wherein management of power production is based on production, load and storage within the region, and/or power exchange with adjoining regions.

16. The control system of claim 1, wherein power production management by the regional control module within each region is autonomous.

17. The control system of claim 1, wherein each of the regional control modules is operable to receive and respond to production commands from the enterprise control module.

18. The control system of claim 17, wherein the regional control module verifies that production commands received from the enterprise control module are within predefined limits of the DERs and the transmission/distribution power grid within the region associated with the regional control module prior to issuing control commands to the DERs.

19. The control system of claim 17, wherein production commands are dynamically verified and preemptively modified so as to maintain actual production within predefined system limits.

20. The control system of claim 1, wherein the enterprise control module and each of the plurality of regional control modules and each of the plurality of local control modules is operable to receive and responds to commands issued from authorized users via a user interface.

21. The control system of claim 1, further comprising a modeling module operable to predict system response and operations to various system conditions.

22. The control system of claim 21, wherein the modeling module can allocate operation of the plurality of DERs and form a set of modeled controls to meet specific power flow objectives.

23. The control system of claim 22, wherein the set of modeled controls can be directly applied to the system.

24. A computer-readable storage medium tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine wherein said program of instructions comprises a plurality of program codes for managing a transmission/distribution power grid wherein the transmission/distribution power grid includes a plurality of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) coupled to a plurality of power consumers, said program of instructions comprising:

program code for dynamically managing at an enterprise control module power flow parameters within the transmission/distribution power grid so as to stay within defined operating limits using self-altering and/or predictive calculations;

program code for receiving at one or more of a plurality of regional control modules power requests from the enterprise control module wherein each regional control module is associated with a region associated with a portion of the plurality of the DERs; and

program code for managing at each of the plurality of regional control modules DERs within its associated region.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein regional power flow requests are received at the enterprise control module from at least one of the plurality of regional control modules and/or system users.

26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein regional power flow commands are issued by the enterprise control module in response to regional power flow requests received from the at least one of the plurality of regional control modules and/or system users.

27. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein local power flow requests are received at the least one of the plurality of regional control modules from at least one of a plurality of local control modules and/or system users.

28. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein local power flow commands are issued by the regional control module in response to local power flow requests received from the at least one of the plurality of local control modules and/or system users.

29. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein the program code for managing DERs includes program code for standardized control commands issued to DERs via a local control module.

30. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, further comprising program code for collecting data regarding each DER.

31. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, further comprising program code for initiating commands to one or more of the regional control modules to vary power flow in a first region in response to varied demand in a second region.

32. The computer readable storage medium of claim 24, further comprising program code for initiating commands to one or more of the regional control modules to vary power flow in a region in response to user initiated request.

33. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, further comprising program code for redefining DERs associated with each regional control module either automatically or in response to a user initiated request.

34. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, further comprising program code for determining DER static and/or dynamic operation based on a predicted or derived power flow.

35. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, further comprising program code for real-time analysis of existing connectivity and conditions of the transmission/distribution power grid.

36. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, further comprising program code operable to operate a region electrically separated from the transmission/distribution power grid autonomously.

37. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 36, further comprising program code operable to dynamically manage DERs to reincorporate and synchronize operations of an autonomously operating region back into the transmission/distribution power grid.

38. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, further comprising program code for modifying connectivity paths among the enterprise control module, the plurality of regional control modules, a plurality of local control modules and the plurality of DERs.

39. A computer system for managing a transmission/distribution power grid wherein the transmission/distribution power grid includes a plurality of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), the computer system comprising:

a DER interface for each of the plurality of DERs wherein each DER interface translates implementation specific commands and data;

a machine capable of executing instructions embodied as software and interfacing with existing supervisory control and data acquisition systems for the transmission/distribution power grid; and

a plurality of software portions, wherein

one of said software portions is configured to dynamically manage at an enterprise control module power flow parameters within the transmission/distribution power grid so as to stay within defined operating limits using self-altering and/or predictive calculations;

one of said software portions is configured to receive at one or more of a plurality of regional control modules power requests from the enterprise control unit wherein each regional control module is associated with a region associated with a portion of the plurality of DERs; and

one of said software portions is configured to issue, at one or more of the plurality of regional control modules, commands to one or more of the DERs within the associated region of the one or more regional control modules through one of a plurality of local control modules.

40. The computer system of claim 39, further comprising a software portion configured to initiate commands from the enterprise control module to one or more of the regional control modules to modify power flow in a first region in response to flow requests from a second region.

41. The computer system of claim 39, further comprising a software portion configured to predict system response and operations to various system conditions.