Management of electric power demand in electric vehicle charging stations

• US 9,475,401 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2015
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KT Corporation
• Original Assignee: KT Corporation
• Inventors: Jeong, Myung-Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): DIAO, M BAYE
• Application Number:
  US14/941,782
• Publication Number:
  US 20160075248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 344 Days
• Field of Search: 320/109, 320/162, 705/412
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/50 by future state prediction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• 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 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: Y02T 90/167 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/126 the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

The disclosure is related to managing an electric power demand in one or more electric vehicle (EV) charging stations by adjusting a charging condition including charging levels and/or charging prices. Particularly, the charging condition may be adjusted according to a proximity degree between a target power usage amount and a current/predicted power usage amount.

Claims

1. A method of managing an electric power demand in one or more electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, the method comprising:

determining, by an electric power demand management system including at least one hardware processor, a target power usage amount for the one or more EV charging stations;

determining, by the electric power demand management system, whether an electric power usage control is required, based on the target power usage amount and an electric power usage amount in the one or more EV charging stations; and

adjusting, by the electric power demand management system, a charging condition including charging levels and a charging price per charging level when the electric power usage control is required.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the target power usage amount is applied for a demand management period associated with a demand response (DR) event; and

the electric power usage amount includes at least one of an accumulated current power usage amount and a predicted power usage amount.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining the target power usage amount includes:

determining a reference power demand amount based on an electric power usage history of the one or more EV charging stations;

determining a target reduction amount for the one or more EV charging stations; and

determining the target power usage amount by obtaining a difference between the reference power demand amount and the target reduction amount.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the reference power demand amount is determined according to a customer baseline load (CBL) scheme.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining the target reduction amount includes:

determining a reduction amount based on the reference power demand amount if a demand response (DR) event is received;

participating in a bidding process associated with the demand response (DR) event, using the reduction amount; and

determining the target reduction amount as the reduction amount when receiving a successful bidding result from a demand management market operating system.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining the target reduction amount includes:

predetermining the target reduction amount to be applied for a specific time period in connection with a demand management market operating system.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein in a case that the electric power demand is applied for two or more EV charging stations,

the target power usage amount and the electric power usage amount are determined as one value for all of the two or more EV charging stations.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining whether the electric power usage control is required includes:

measuring an accumulated current power usage amount within the demand management period, for the one or more EV charging stations; and

determining a necessity of the electric power usage control according to a proximity degree between the target power usage amount and the accumulated current power usage amount.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the proximity degree is determined based on a power margin calculated from a difference between the accumulated current power usage amount and the target power usage amount.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining whether the electric power usage control is required includes:

calculating a power margin from a difference between an accumulated current power usage amount and the target power usage amount;

predicting the predicted power usage amount to be provided to a current charging electric vehicles and a waiting electric vehicle from a current time to an end time of the demand management period;

determining a proximity degree by comparing the power margin and the predicted power usage amount; and

determining a necessity of the electric power usage control according to the proximity degree.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the adjusting includes:

adjusting the charging condition according to a proximity degree of the electric power usage amount to the target power usage amount,

wherein (i) a total discount amount to be applied to the one or more EV charging stations is determined based on the proximity degree, and (ii) the charging levels are classified based on at least one of a charging time, a charging amount per unit time, and a waiting time for charging.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the adjusting includes:

adjusting the charging price per charging level, based on an expected demand response (DR) event profit such that a discount amount for each charging level is proportion to a corresponding charging time and is inverse proportion to a charging amount per unit time; and

restricting a selection of a specific charging level at which a charging amount exceeds a specific threshold amount.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the target power usage amount is a maximum electric power usage amount; and

the target power usage amount is periodically measured.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the maximum electric power usage amount is determined based on a power usage history for the one or more EV charging stations.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the maximum electric power usage amount is:

(i) separately determined for each EV charging station, or

(ii) determined through a form of integration for all of the one or more EV charging stations.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling at least one of a corresponding electric charger and a corresponding EV charging station terminal to apply a newly selected charging level, if a new user selection associated with the adjusted charging condition is received.

17. A system for managing an electric power demand in one or more electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, the system comprising:

a demand response (DR) event management processor configured to determine a target power usage amount associated with a demand response (DR) event for the one or more EV charging stations;

a power usage management processor configured to determine whether an electric power usage control is required, based on the target power usage amount and an electric power usage amount in the one or more EV charging stations; and

a charging condition setting processor configured to adjust a charging condition including charging levels and a charging price per charging level when the electric power usage control is required.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein in a case that a new user selection associated with the adjusted charging condition is received,

the power usage management processor is configured to control at least one of a corresponding electric charger and a corresponding EV charging station terminal to apply the new user selection.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein:

the target power usage amount is applied for a demand management period associated with the demand response (DR) event; and

the electric power usage amount includes at least one of an accumulated current power usage amount and a predicted power usage amount.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the demand response (DR) event management processor is configured to:

determine a reference power demand amount based on an electric power usage history of the one or more EV charging stations;

determine a target reduction amount for the one or more EV charging stations; and

determine the target power usage amount by obtaining a difference between the reference power demand amount and the target reduction amount.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the power usage management processor is configured to:

measure an accumulated current power usage amount within the demand management period, for the one or more EV charging stations; and

determine a necessity of the electric power usage control according to a proximity degree between the target power usage amount and the accumulated current power usage amount.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the power usage management processor is configured to:

calculate a power margin from a difference between an accumulated current power usage amount and the target power usage amount;

predict the predicted power usage amount to be provided to a current charging electric vehicle and a waiting electric vehicle from a current time to an end time of the demand management period;

determine a proximity degree by comparing the power margin and the predicted power usage amount; and

determine a necessity of the electric power usage control according to the proximity degree.