Control federation for utility grids

• US 9,099,868 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2012
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Taft, Jeffrey D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fennema, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Whittington, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US13/484,066
• Publication Number:
  US 20120310424A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• Field of Search: 700/286, 700/297, 709/224, 718/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00016 using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/00 Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses

Abstract

In one embodiment, a federation device receives one or more grid control-based signals over a computer network, applies one or more utility grid control policies to the one or more grid control-based signals, and federates the one or more signals and/or the one or more utility grid control policies into one or more federated control-based signals. The federation device then propagates the one or more federated control-based signals to one or more grid-related devices.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a federation device, grid control-based signals over a computer network that have been redirected to the federation device instead of one or more grid-related devices that control the flow of alternating current (AC) electrical power in a utility grid;

applying, by the federation device, one or more utility grid control policies to the one or more grid control-based signals;

federating, by the federation device, conflicting grid control-based signals in the received grid control-based signals into one or more federated control-based signals by selecting a particular one of the conflicting grid control-based signals as the federated control-based signal based on the applied one or more utility grid control policies; and

propagating, by the federation device, the one or more federated control-based signals to the one or more grid-related devices.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein the one or more grid-control based signals comprise at least one of:

an input signal, a grid control signal, or a feedback signal.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein the one or more grid-control based signals comprise one or more feedback signals regarding control of the flow of AC electrical power in the utility grid.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein the one or more grid-control based signals comprise one or more grid control signals.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein propagating further comprises:

communicating the one or more federated control-based signals to the one or more grid-related devices over the computer network.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein propagating further comprises:

communicating the one or more federated control-based signals directly to a signal input of the one or more grid-related devices.

7. The method as in claim 2, wherein the one or more grid-control based signals are input signals associated with at least one of:

Flow Control, Load Balance, Volt/VAr management, Utilization Management, Loss Management, VER management, Gen/VPP/Ancillary Dispatch, DER/DR Management, or Fault/Outage Management.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein federating further comprises:

determining whether any of the one or more grid control-based signals are conflicting grid control-based signals.

9. The method as in claim 1, wherein the one or more grid-related devices comprise at least one of:

a control center, a substation, a feeder, a grid controller, a grid device, a grid sensor, or a grid actuator.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more network interfaces to communicate with a utility grid network;

a processor coupled to the network interfaces and adapted to execute one or more processes; and

a memory configured to store a process executable by the processor, the process when executed operable to;

receive one or more grid control-based signals over a computer network that have been redirected to the apparatus instead of one or more grid-related devices that control the flow of alternating current (AC) electrical power in a utility grid;

apply one or more utility grid control policies to the one or more grid control-based signals;

federate conflicting grid control-based signals in the received grid control-based signals into one or more federated control-based signals by selecting a particular one of the conflicting grid control-based signals as the federated control-based signal based on the applied one or more utility grid control policies; and

propagate the one or more federated control-based signals to the one or more grid-related devices.

11. The apparatus as in claim 10, wherein the one or more grid-control based signals comprise at least one of:

an input signal, a grid control signal, or a feedback signal.

12. The apparatus as in claim 10, wherein the one or more grid-control based signals comprise one or more feedback signals regarding control of the flow of AC electrical power in the utility grid.

13. The apparatus as in claim 10, wherein the one or more grid-control based signals comprise one or more grid control signals.

14. The apparatus as in claim 10, wherein the process, when executed to propagate, is further operable to:

communicate the one or more federated control-based signals to the one or more grid-related devices over the computer network.

15. The apparatus as in claim 10, wherein the process, when executed to propagate, is further operable to:

communicate the one or more federated control-based signals directly to a signal input of the one or more grid-related devices.

16. The apparatus as in claim 11, wherein the one or more grid-control based signals are input signals associated with at least one of:

Flow Control, Load Balance, Volt/VAr management, Utilization Management, Loss Management, VER management, Gen/VPP/Ancillary Dispatch, DER/DR Management, and Fault/Outage Management.

17. The apparatus as in claim 10, wherein the process, when executed to federate, is further operable to:

determine whether any of the one or more grid control-based signals are conflicting grid control-based signals.

18. The apparatus as in claim 10 wherein the one or more grid-related devices comprise at least one of:

a control center, a substation, a feeder, a grid controller, a grid device, a grid sensor, or a grid actuator.

19. A system, comprising:

a computer network;

one or more grid control devices;

one or more federation devices; and

one or more grid-related devices that control the flow of alternating current (AC) electrical power in a utility grid, wherein the one or more federation devices are configured to;

receive one or more grid control-based signals from the one or more grid control devices over the computer network that have been redirected to the one or more federation devices instead of the one or more grid-related devices, apply one or more utility grid control policies to the one or more grid control-based signals, federate conflicting grid control-based signals in the received grid control-based signals into one or more federated control-based signals by selecting a particular one of the conflicting grid control-based signals as the federated control-based signal based on the applied one or more utility grid control policies, and propagate the one or more federated control-based signals to the one or more grid-related devices.

20. The system as in claim 19, wherein the one or more grid-control based signals comprise at least one of:

an input signal, a grid control signal, or a feedback signal.