Mobile micro-grid power system controller and method
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A stand-alone micro-grid power system, comprising:
- a plurality of loads disconnected from utility power and individually capable of consuming electrical power when activated;
a plurality of power supplies disconnected from utility power and operatively coupled with the at least one load and with one another to form a micro-grid, at least some of the power supplies being operatively coupled to provide electrical power to the micro-grid when activated; and
a master controller comprising at least one processor, an electronic memory, and a communications interface, the at least one processor being configured to automatically control the provision of electrical power in the micro-grid power system for a requested or anticipated change in load consumption and/or supply capability by;
obtaining a plurality of consumption profiles via the communications interface, each individual consumption profile corresponding to a particular one of the plurality of loads,determining a micro-grid load profile for the micro-grid power system based at least partially on the consumption profiles,determining an active reserve power level for the micro-grid power system based at least partially on the consumption profiles,obtaining power supply information including at least one power supply profile and power supply data for at least some of the power supplies via the communications interface, andsetting an activation state of one or more of the plurality of power supplies based at least partially on the power supply information, the determined micro-grid load profile and the determined active reserve power level.
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Abstract
Methods and control apparatus are presented for controlling supply of electrical power to a micro-grid power system, in which a master controller automatically rebalances the micro-grid by activating and deactivating individual power supplies to preferentially activate non-fuel consuming power supplies and deactivate fuel consuming power supplies so as to minimize fuel consumption for the micro-grid power system.
27 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A stand-alone micro-grid power system, comprising:
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a plurality of loads disconnected from utility power and individually capable of consuming electrical power when activated; a plurality of power supplies disconnected from utility power and operatively coupled with the at least one load and with one another to form a micro-grid, at least some of the power supplies being operatively coupled to provide electrical power to the micro-grid when activated; and a master controller comprising at least one processor, an electronic memory, and a communications interface, the at least one processor being configured to automatically control the provision of electrical power in the micro-grid power system for a requested or anticipated change in load consumption and/or supply capability by; obtaining a plurality of consumption profiles via the communications interface, each individual consumption profile corresponding to a particular one of the plurality of loads, determining a micro-grid load profile for the micro-grid power system based at least partially on the consumption profiles, determining an active reserve power level for the micro-grid power system based at least partially on the consumption profiles, obtaining power supply information including at least one power supply profile and power supply data for at least some of the power supplies via the communications interface, and setting an activation state of one or more of the plurality of power supplies based at least partially on the power supply information, the determined micro-grid load profile and the determined active reserve power level. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A master controller for a stand-alone micro-grid power system with a plurality of loads and a plurality of power supplies disconnected from utility power, the master controller comprising:
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a communications interface operative to exchange communications messaging with at least some of the power supplies and with the loads or a load control device coupled with a corresponding load; and at least one processor programmed to; obtain a plurality of consumption profiles via the communications interface, each individual consumption profile corresponding to a particular one of the plurality of loads, compute a micro-grid load profile for the micro-grid power system based at least partially on the consumption profiles, compute an active reserve power level for the micro-grid power system based at least partially on the consumption profiles, and obtain power supply information including at least one power supply profile and power supply data for at least some of the power supplies via the communications interface, and set an activation state of one or more of the plurality of power supplies based at least partially on the power supply information, the computed micro-grid load profile and the computed active reserve power level. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A stand-alone micro-grid power system, comprising:
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a plurality of loads disconnected from utility power and individually capable of consuming electrical power when activated; a plurality of power supplies disconnected from utility power and operatively coupled with the at least one load and with one another to form a micro-grid, at least some of the power supplies being operatively coupled to provide electrical power to the micro-grid when activated; and a master controller comprising at least one processor, an electronic memory, and a communications interface, the at least one processor being configured to automatically control the provision of electrical power in the micro-grid power system for a requested or anticipated change in load consumption and/or supply capability by; obtaining a plurality of consumption profiles via the communications interface, each individual consumption profile corresponding to a particular one of the plurality of loads, obtaining power supply profiles for at least some of the power supplies via the communications interface, selectively adjusting at least one of the consumption profiles of at least one of the loads and the power supply profile of at least one of the power supplies at least partially according to at least one of an environmental condition of the micro-grid and a geographical location of the micro-grid, determining a micro-grid load profile for the micro-grid power system based at least partially on the consumption profiles, determining an active reserve power level for the micro-grid power system based at least partially on the consumption profiles, and setting an activation state of one or more of the plurality of power supplies based at least partially on the power supply profiles, the determined micro-grid load profile and the determined active reserve power level.
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Specification