Methods and system to manage variability in production of renewable energy

• US 8,731,732 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2009
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Billian Energy, LLC
• Original Assignee: Stanley Klein
• Inventors: Klein, Stanley
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHITTINGTON, ANTHONY T
• Application Number:
  US12/391,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20090216387A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,911 Days
• Field of Search: 700/291, 700/295, 700/286, 290/44
• US Class Current: 700/295
• 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 2310/58 The condition being electrical
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/004 Generation forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future energy generation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/144 Demand-response operation of the power transmission or distribution network
• 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: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/76 Power conversion electric or electronic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving

Abstract

Methods and systems to control loads coupled to an electric energy or power grid within corresponding ranges of load values in response to one or more factors, such as to manage variability in production of renewable energy. Loads may be controlled in response to an indication of balance between available power and loads and/or in response to new loads and/or grid disconnections, and may be controlled repeatedly over time to adjust a sum load in response to changes in one or more of balance between available power and loads, new loads, and grid disconnections. A load may be repeatedly adjusted over time to provide an electrical power requirement within a time frame while accommodating at least a portion of variations in the balance between available electric power and load.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method, comprising:

receiving indications of a balance in an electric grid between available electric power and load;

determining load settings within variable load ranges for a plurality of controllable loads that are controllable to operate within corresponding ones of the variable load ranges, based on load parameters of the controllable loads, to accommodate at least a portion of variations in the balance between available electric power and load, including one or more of,

receiving minimum and maximum load values corresponding to a controllable load and determining a load setting for the controllable load as one or more of a plurality of parameters that in combination determine a load value and a rate of task performance,

receiving a time parameter corresponding to a controllable load and repeatedly adjusting a load setting for the controllable load within a variable load range of the controllable load to meet an energy parameter of the controllable load in accordance with the time parameter while contributing to the balance between available electric power and loads on the grid,

receiving minimum and maximum capacity values, a current state of a task, and a time parameter corresponding to a controllable load determine minimum and maximum load values based on one or more of the minimum and maximum capacity values, the current state of the task, and the time parameter, and determining a load setting for the controllable load as a set point within the minimum and maximum load values, and

receiving product identification information corresponding to a controllable load from a corresponding load controller, retrieving one or more load parameters corresponding to the product identification information from one or more databases, and determining a load setting for the controllable load in accordance with the retrieved load parameters; and

communicating the load settings to load controllers associated with the controllable loads to control the controllable loads with the corresponding load settings.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the electric power grid includes one or more renewable electrical power sources coupled thereto, and wherein the determining load settings includes determining the load settings to accommodate variations in balance between the available renewable electric power and the load provided by the controllable loads and variations due to other factors.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the indications of the balance include one or more of:

an indication of a system frequency;

an indication of an effect of generation or load changes on the change in system frequency;

an indication of an allocated portion of the balancing effort to be accommodated;

an indication of an allocated amount of controllable load to be changed;

an indication of an allocated amount of generation, the changes in which are to be balanced by changing the controllable loads;

an indication of a subset of the available generation, the changes in which are to be balanced at least in part by changing the controllable loads; and

an indication of a subset of the load, the changes in which are to be balanced at least in part by changing the controllable loads.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining load settings further includes:

receiving minimum and maximum load values corresponding to a first controllable load and determining a load setting for the first controllable load as one or more of a plurality of parameters that in combination determine a load value and a rate of task performance.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining further includes:

receiving a time parameter corresponding to a first controllable load and repeatedly adjust a load setting for the first controllable load within a variable load range of the first controllable load to meet an energy parameter of the first controllable load in accordance with the time parameter while contributing to the balance between available electric power and loads on the grid.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining further includes:

receiving minimum and maximum capacity values, a current state of a task, and a time parameter corresponding to a first controllable load;

determining a minimum and maximum load values based on one or more of the minimum and maximum capacity values, the current state of the task, and the time parameter; and

determining a load setting for the first controllable load as a set point within the minimum and maximum load values.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining further includes:

receiving product identification information corresponding to a first controllable load from a corresponding load controller;

retrieving one or more load parameters corresponding to the product identification information from one or more databases; and

determining a load setting for the first controllable load in accordance with the retrieved load parameters.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining load settings further includes one or more of:

polling load controller, receiving an updated load parameter in response to the polling, and determining a load setting based on the updated load parameter;

receiving a load parameter by communications initiated at a load controller upon connection of a corresponding load to the grid;

receiving a load parameter by communications initiated at a load controller, as determined by the load controller based on a change in a value of the load parameter; and

receiving a load parameter by communications initiated at a load controller based on one or more reporting intervals jointly determined by communication between a load control system and the load controller, where each reporting interval includes one or more of a deterministic time interval and a random time interval.

9. The method of claim 1, further including performing one or more of the receiving, the determining, and the communicating at one or more time horizons.

10. The method of claim 1, further including performing one or more of the determining and the communicating at a first interval for a first subset of the controllable loads, and at another interval for another subset of controllable loads.

11. The method of claim 1, further including communicating with at least a portion of the load controllers using a layered network communications protocol.

12. The method of claim 1, further including communicating with at least a portion of the load controllers using an internet protocol and a web service.

13. The method of claim 1, further including computer modeling the controllable loads, including representing the controllable loads as data objects having data fields corresponding to one or more of,

grid connection status,

ability to vary load,

task performance setpoint,

measured task performance value,

minimum task performance rate,

maximum task performance rate,

load at maximum task performance rate,

load at minimum task performance rate,

a relationship between task performance rate and load, expressed as one or more of a mathematical function, an array of points, and a collection of parameters, to describe a function,

time remaining to task completion, and

target time of task completion.

14. A system, comprising a load control system to:

receive indications of balance in an electric grid between available electrical power and load;

determine load settings within variable load ranges for a plurality of controllable loads that are controllable to operate within corresponding ones of the variable load ranges, based on load parameters of the controllable loads, to accommodate at least a portion of variations in the balance between available electrical power and load, including one or more of,

poll a load controller, receive an updated load parameter in response to the polling, and determine a load setting based on the updated load parameter,

receive a parameter by communication initiated at a load controller upon connection of a corresponding load to the grid,

receive a load parameter by communication initiated at a load controller, as determined by the load controller based on a change in a value of the load parameter, and

receive a load parameter by communication initiated at a load controller based on one or more reporting intervals jointly determined by communication between the load control system and the load controller, where each reporting interval includes one or more of a deterministic time interval and a random time interval; and

communicate the load settings to load controllers associated with the controllable loads to control the controllable loads with the corresponding load settings.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the load control system is configured to communicate the load settings over a load controller network, and wherein the load control network includes one or more of:

a connection device that includes a wireline connector to connect to the load controller network and a connector to connect to one or more of a controllable load and a load controller;

a connection device that includes a wireless transceiver to wirelessly communicate with the load controller network, and a connector to connect to one or more of a load and a load controller;

a connection device that includes a wireline connector to connect to the load controller network and a wireless transceiver to wirelessly communicate with one or more of a load and a load controller; and

a connection device that includes a wireless transceiver to wirelessly communicate with the load controller network and with one or more of a load and a load controller.

16. A machine-implemented method, comprising:

establishing communications between a load control system and a load controller associated with a controllable load that is controllable within a variable load range;

communicating one or more load parameters from the load controller to the load control system;

receiving a load setting within the variable load range at the load controller from the load control system in response to the one or more load parameters;

setting a load value of the controllable load by the load controller, within the variable load range in accordance with the received load setting;

communicating one or more updated load parameters from the load controller to the load control system;

receiving an updated load setting at the load controller from the load control system in response to the one or more updated load parameters; and

adjusting the load value of the controllable load by the load controller, within the variable load range in accordance with the updated load setting.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the communicating the load parameter includes:

initiating communication with the load control system by the load controller upon connection of the controllable load to an electric grid.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the initiating communication includes:

initiating the communication under control of plug and play component discovery logic.

19. The method of claim 16, further including:

configuring one or more load parameters at the load controller in response to user input.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program including instructions to cause a processor to:

establish communications with a load control system;

communicate one or more load parameters corresponding to a controllable load to the load control system, wherein the controllable load is controllable with respect to a variable load range;

receive a load setting from the load control system in response to the one or more load parameters;

set a load value of the controllable load within the variable load range and in accordance with the received load setting;

communicate one or more updated load parameters to the load control system;

receive an updated load setting from the load control system in response to the one or more updated load parameters; and

adjust the load value of the controllable load within the variable load range in accordance with the load settings.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the instructions further include instructions to cause the processor to send task state information to the load control system.

22. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program including instructions to cause a processor to:

receive indications of a balance in an electric grid between available electric power and load;

determine a grid load adjustment value to accommodate at least a portion of the variation in balance between the available electric power and the load;

determine load settings within variable load ranges for a plurality of controllable loads that are controllable to operate within corresponding ones of the variable load ranges to correspond to the grid load adjustment value;

communicate the load settings to load controllers associated with the controllable loads to control the controllable loads with the corresponding load settings;

determine a variation in grid load due to one or more of controllable load grid connections and controllable load grid disconnections; and

revise the grid load adjustment value to accommodate at least a portion of a variation in the balance between available electric power and the variation in the grid load.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the instructions to cause the processor to determine a variation in grid load include one or more of:

instructions to cause the processor to estimate controllable load grid disconnections; and

instructions to cause the processor to estimate undiscovered controllable grid loads.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the instructions to cause the processor to determine a variation in grid load include one or more of:

instructions to cause the processor to determine a controllable load disconnection in response to a non-responsive polling of a load; and

instructions to cause the processor to determine a controllable load disconnection in response to non-receipt of a report due from a load controller.