Configuring, optimizing and managing micro-grids

• US 9,244,446 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2012
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Terrace Licensing LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bhageria, Gopal K., Reboul, Jean-Gael F., Trevathan, Matthew B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ramesh
• Application Number:
  US13/688,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20140148960A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 17/02 electric
• 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 13/00007 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2203/20 Simulating, e g planning, reliability check, modelling or computer assisted design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/00 Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/001 Methods to deal with contingencies, e.g. abnormalities, faults or failures
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/52 Outage or fault management, e.g. fault detection or location
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/00 Management or operation of end-user stationary applications or the last stages of power distribution; Controlling, monitoring or operating thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

Methods and systems for controlling electrical distribution grids. The method includes determining premises in an electrical distribution grid that include an energy resource. The method further includes determining a configuration of the electrical distribution grid including a micro-grid, the micro-grid including the one or more premises. The method further includes electrically isolating, monitoring and controlling the micro-grid from the electrical distribution grid through the use of a micro-grid manager.

Claims

1. A method for configuring micro-grids implemented in a computer infrastructure comprising:

determining, by a computer device, one or more premises in an electrical distribution grid comprising an energy resource;

determining, by the computer device, a configuration of the electrical distribution grid;

determining, by the computer device, a configuration of a micro-grid, the micro-grid comprising the one or more premises in the electrical distribution grid and the micro-grid being configured in the electrical distribution grid; and

electrically isolating, by the computer device, the micro-grid from the electrical distribution grid.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more premises comprises a home area network communicatively linking the energy resource and an energy consuming device; and

the determining the one or more premises comprises receiving information from the energy resource and the energy consuming device via the home area network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the configuration of the electrical distribution grid is determined based on the information received from the energy resource and the energy consuming device, historical information, and forecast information and determining the configuration of the micro-grid includes a blackstart of the micro-grid.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the home area network communicates using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) messages.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

registering with a presence server corresponding to the micro-grid; and

subscribing to messages published by the energy resource and the energy consuming device.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the home area network communicates using Message Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT) messages.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the electrically isolating the micro-grid comprises causing switching elements in the electrical distribution grid to disconnect the micro-grid from the electrical distribution grid.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a service provider at least one of creates, maintains, deploys and supports the computer infrastructure.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein steps of claim 1 are provided by a service provider on a subscription, advertising, and/or fee basis and the service provider monitors a current state of the micro-grid through one or more visualization watcher applications.

10. A system for configuring a micro-grid comprising:

a computing system comprising one or more computing devices communicatively linked to an electrical distribution grid via an information network,

wherein the one or more computing devices;

receive current condition information from devices in the electrical distribution grid via the information network;

determine one or more premises in the electrical distribution grid for inclusion in a micro-grid based on the current condition information; and

control switching elements in the electrical distribution grid to electrically isolate the one or more premises from the electrical distribution grid.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more premises comprising a home area network communicatively linking one or more of the devices to the information network.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the determining the one or more premises for inclusion in a micro-grid comprises determining a forecast of near-term conditions in the electrical distribution grid based on the current condition information, historical information, and forecast information.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the devices communicate using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) messages.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more computing devices comprises a micro-grid manager that registers with a presence server corresponding to the micro-grid, and subscribes to messages published by one or more of the devices in the micro-grid.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the devices communicate using Message Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT) messages.

16. A computer program product for configuring micro-grids, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable storage mediums;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable storage mediums, to electrically isolate one or more premises into a micro-grid within an electrical distribution grid;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable storage mediums, to subscribe to devices in a home area network of the one or more premises; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable storage mediums, to modify power flow in the micro-grid based on current condition information provided from the devices via the home area network.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable storage mediums, to determine a forecast of near-term conditions in the electrical distribution grid based on the current condition information, historical information, and forecast information; and

program instructions operate in real time.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein electrically isolating the one or more premises into the micro-grid comprises validating a switching plan by verifying the micro-grid will be viable once disconnected from the electrical distribution grid and controlling switching elements in the electrical distribution grid to electrically isolate the premises from a remainder of the electrical distribution grid.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein:

the home area network communicates using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) messages; and

subscribing to the devices in the home area network of the premises comprises registering with a SIP registrar.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the devices communicate using Message Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT) messages.

21. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein controlling the power flow comprises issuing control messages to the micro grid that causes an energy resource in the micro-grid to increase energy output.

22. A computer system for configuring micro-grids in an electrical distribution grid, the system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories and one or more computer-readable storage mediums;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable storage mediums for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to receive current condition information from a plurality of home area networks in premises of an electrical distribution grid;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable storage mediums for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to determine configuration information for the electrical distribution grid, the configuration information providing a topology of the electrical distribution grid to form a micro-grid, wherein the micro-grid is an electrically isolated portion of the electrical distribution grid that comprises one or more of the premises;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable storage mediums for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to control switching elements in the electrical distribution grid based on the configuration information;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable storage mediums for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to exchange information with energy resources and energy consuming devices in one or more of the home area networks in the micro-grid; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable storage mediums for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to control power flow between the energy resources and the energy consuming devices.

23. The computer system of claim 22, wherein the determining configuration information for the electrical distribution grid comprises determining a forecast of near-term conditions in the electrical distribution grid based on the current condition information, historical information, and forecast information.

24. The computer system of claim 22, wherein the exchanging information with energy resources in the micro-grid and the energy consuming devices in one or more of the home area networks comprises:

registering with a SIP registrar corresponding to the one or more of the home area networks in the micro-grid; and

subscribing to SIP messages of the energy resources and the energy consuming devices in the one or more home area networks.

25. A method of deploying a system for configuring micro-grids in an electrical distribution grid, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure, being operable to;

subscribe to devices registered with a presence server corresponding to a micro-grid;

receive current condition information published in messages by the devices via the presence server;

determine whether total power generated within the micro-grid will exceed power demanded within the micro-grid;

transmit control messages to one or more of the devices via the presence server that cause the one or more devices to modify power provided or consumed by the one or more of the devices based on the determining; and

transmit control messages to one or more control devices to modify a topology of the electrical distribution grid to add one or more additional devices to the micro-grid.