Power control device for a power grid, comprising a control unit for controlling an energy flow between the power generation unit, the energy storage unit, the consumer unit and/or the power grid

• US 9,099,893 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2010
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Voltwerk Electronics GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Inventors: Schmiegel, Armin Uwe, Bueppelmann, Ralf, Heimfarth, Stefan Dieter
• Primary Examiner(s): Gami, Tejal
• Application Number:
  US12/875,942
• Publication Number:
  US 20110060474A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,796 Days
• Field of Search: 700/291, 700/296, 700/297, 307/20, 136/244
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/24 of photovoltaic origin
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/466 Scheduling the operation of the generators, e.g. connecting or disconnecting generators to meet a given demand
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers

Abstract

The invention relates to a power control device for a power grid and to a method for controlling the operation of a power control device. To allow a consumer unit connected to the power control device to be supplied with energy in an optimized manner in accordance with its requirements, a power control device according to the invention is proposed, said device comprising a power generation unit, in particular a photovoltaic unit, for generating power from renewable resources, an energy storage unit for storing energy, a load connection unit for connecting the power control device to a consumer unit for consuming energy, a grid unit, in particular an inverter unit, for connecting the power control device to a power grid, for drawing energy from the power grid and for feeding energy into the power grid, and a control unit for controlling a flow of energy between the power generation unit, the energy storage unit, the consumer unit and/or the power grid.

Claims

1. A power control device, comprising;

a power generation unit which generates energy from renewable resources, the power generation unit adapted for installation at a location comprising a consumer unit;

an energy storage unit which stores at least a portion of the energy generated by the power generation unit, the energy storage unit adapted for installation at the location along with the power generation unit;

a measuring device for detecting the energy consumption of the consumer unit which consumes energy;

a grid connection unit which connects the power control device to a public power grid, for drawing energy from the public power grid and for feeding energy into the public power grid; and

a control unit which controls an energy flow between the power generation unit, the energy storage unit, the consumer unit and the public power grid,

wherein the energy flow comprises a first energy flow from the power generation unit or the energy storage unit to the consumer unit, a second energy flow from the public power grid to the consumer unit, and a third energy flow from the power generation unit or the energy storage unit to the public power grid, wherein the first energy flow, the second energy flow, and the third energy flow are provided simultaneously.

2. The power control device of claim 1, wherein the control unit is adapted to bring about a flow of energy from the power generation unit to the energy storage unit when the energy produced exceeds the energy consumption of the consumer unit.

3. The power control device of any of the preceding claims, wherein the control device is adapted to bring about the flow of energy to the energy storage unit until the energy storage unit is charged completely or to a predetermined degree.

4. The power control device of claim 1, wherein the control device has a predictor unit for predicting the flow of energy to be controlled.

5. The power control device of claim 4, wherein the predictor unit is adapted to predict the energy consumption of the consumer unit on the basis of a reference period, information about times, days or seasons, or to predict the energy generated by the power generation unit on the basis of weather information, reference data or measurement data.

6. The power control device of claim 1, wherein the energy storage unit is connected by means of a first capacitor unit and a second capacitor unit to the power generation unit and to the grid connection unit.

7. The power control device of claim 6, wherein the power control device further comprises a charge controller for regulating the charging of an energy storage unit, wherein said charge controller comprises the first capacitor unit and is connected by means of the second capacitor unit to the power generation unit and to the grid connection unit.

8. The power control unit of claim 1, wherein the control unit is adapted to feed such an amount of energy into the public power grid as it draws from the public power grid.

9. The power control device of claim 1, further comprising a consumer connection unit for connecting the power control device to a consumer unit for the consumption of energy.

16. The power control device of claim 1, wherein the control unit is adapted to control a flow of energy from the power generation unit, from the energy storage unit, or both, to the public power grid in an amount that depends on the amount of energy that is drawn from the public power grid by the consumer unit.

17. The power control device of claim 1, wherein the control unit is adapted to control the flow of energy from the power generation unit, from the energy storage unit, or both, to the public power grid in an amount that is equal to the amount of energy that is drawn from the public power grid by the consumer unit.

18. The power control device of claim 1, wherein the control unit is adapted to control the flow of energy from the power generation unit, from the energy storage unit, or both, to the public power grid in an amount that is equal to the amount of energy that is drawn from the public power grid by the consumer unit by balancing a withdrawal of an amount of energy on one or more phases of a multiphase public power grid by feeding in the same amount of energy on one or more phases of the public power grid.

10. A method for controlling the operation of a power control device, comprising controlling, by a control unit of the power control device, an energy flow between a power generation unit, an energy storage unit, a consumer unit, and a public power grid according to an amount of energy consumed by the consumer unit, wherein the power generation unit is adapted to generate energy from a renewable energy source and is adapted for installation at a location comprising the consumer unit, wherein the energy storage unit is adapted to store at least a portion of the energy generated by the power generation unit and is adapted for installation at the location along with the power generation unit, wherein the control unit is adapted to control a flow of energy between the power generation unit and the public power grid such that for any period of time the nonzero amount of energy provided from the power generation unit to the public power grid is equal to the nonzero amount of energy drawn from the public power grid and consumed by the consumer unit.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the method also includes controlling a flow of energy from the power generation unit to the energy storage unit if the energy produced exceeds the energy consumption of the consumer unit.

12. The method of claim 10 or 11, further comprising controlling a flow of energy to the energy storage unit until the energy storage unit is charged completely or to a predefined charge state.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

predicting the energy consumption of the consumer unit on the basis of a reference period or information about times, days or seasons;

predicting the energy generated by the power generation unit on the basis of weather information, reference data or measurement data; and

controlling the flow of energy according to the predicted energy consumption and the predicted amount of energy generated.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the method also includes feeding an amount of energy from the power generation unit and the energy storage unit into the public power grid that matches the amount of energy consumed by the consumer unit.

15. The method of claim 10, characterized in that such an amount of energy is fed into the public power grid as is drawn from the public power grid.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein the flow of energy from the power generation unit, from the energy storage unit, or both, to the public power grid is controlled to be an amount that depends on the amount of energy that is drawn from the public power grid by the consumer unit.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein the flow of energy from the power generation unit, from the energy storage unit, or both, to the public power grid is controlled to be an amount that is equal to the amount of energy that is drawn from the public power grid by the consumer unit by balancing a withdrawal of an amount of energy on one phase of the public power grid by feeding in the same amount of energy on another phase of the public power grid.

21. The method of claim 10, wherein the energy flow controlled by the control unit comprises a first energy flow from the power generation unit to the consumer unit, a second energy flow from the public power grid to the consumer unit, and a third energy flow from the power generation unit to the public power grid, wherein the first energy flow and the second energy flow are provided to the consumer unit at a same time, and wherein the third energy flow is equal to the second energy flow and is provided to the public power grid at also the same time.