Method and system for managing a power grid

• US 9,534,928 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2009
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Taft, Jeffrey D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kundu, Sujoy
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANDERSON, LYNNE D
• Application Number:
  US12/378,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20090281673A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,883 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/12 Determination or prediction of behaviour, e.g. likely power consumption or unusual usage patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/063 related to remote communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• 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 13/00022 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00026 involving a local wireless network, e.g. Wi-Fi, ZigBee or Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/0073 for providing alternative feeding paths between load and source when the main path fails, e.g. transformers, busbars
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• 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 10/30 State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/50 Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications
• 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 20/221 General power management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 : Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 : Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 : using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 : using wireless data transmission

Abstract

A smart grid for improving the management of a power utility grid is provided. The smart grid as presently disclosed includes using sensors in various portions of the power utility grid, using communications and computing technology to upgrade an electric power grid so that it can operate more efficiently and reliably and support additional services to consumers. The smart grid may include distributed intelligence in the power utility grid (separate from the control center intelligence) including devices that generate data in different sections of the grid, analyze the generated data, and automatically modify the operation of a section of the power grid. Further, the intelligent devices in the power utility grid may cooperate together to analyze and/or control the state of the power grid. Finally, the distributed intelligence may further include distributed storage.

Claims

1. A power grid management system for managing a power grid, the power grid comprising a plurality of grid devices, the power grid management system comprising:

a first grid device positioned in a first section of the power grid, the first grid device comprising;

a first sensor configured to sense a first electrical parameter in the first section of the power grid;

a first processor configured to analyze the first electrical parameter in the first section of the power grid in order to determine an event based on the first electrical parameter, and

a second grid device associated with a substation positioned in a second section of the power grid, the second grid device comprising;

a second sensor configured to sense a second electrical parameter in the second section of the power grid; and

a second processor configured to;

receive the event determined by the first grid device;

analyze the event determined by the first grid device and the second electrical parameter in the second section of the power grid;

modify operation of at least a part of the second section based on the event and the analysis by the second processor, comprising controlling operation of the substation to execute self-healing of the at least a part of the second section of the power grid; and

transmit to a central power grid authority information indicative of the operational modification of the at least a part of the second section of the power grid.

2. The power grid management system of claim 1, wherein the second grid device is configured to modify operation of the at least a part of the second section of the power grid without intervention of the central power grid authority.

3. The power grid management system of claim 1, wherein at least one feeder circuit emanates from the substation;

and

wherein the first sensor of the first grid device is configured to sense the first electrical parameter for at least a part of the at least one feeder circuit.

4. The power grid management system of claim 1, wherein the substation further comprises data storage associated with and located proximate to the substation, the data storage comprising a plurality of memory locations for storing the second electrical parameter and the event in the second section of the power grid.

5. The power grid management system of claim 1, wherein to control operation of the substation, the second processor is further configured to:

receive application data comprising voltage, current, real power and reactive power from a substation device; and

send the application data to a substation computer.

6. A grid device associated with a substation in a first section of a power grid, the first section comprising a sensor configured to sense a first electrical parameter in the first section of the power grid, and the grid device comprising:

a communication interface configured to;

communicate with another grid device positioned in a second section of the power grid, the another grid device configured to sense a second electrical parameter; and

receive an event from the another grid device, the event based on analysis of the second electrical parameter by the another grid device; and

a processor in communication with the sensor and the communication interface and configured to;

analyze the event received by the grid device and the first electrical parameter from the sensor;

modify operation of the first section of the power grid according to the received event and the analysis by the processor, comprising controlling operation of the substation to execute self-healing of the at least a part of the first section of the power grid; and

transmit to a central power grid authority information indicative of the modification of the first section of the power grid.

7. The grid device of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to modify operation of the first section of the power grid by controlling operation of the substation without intervention of the central power grid authority.

8. The grid device of claim 6, wherein a feeder circuit emanates from the substation;

and

wherein the communication interface is configured to receive from the another grid device the second electrical parameter for at least a part of the feeder circuit.

9. The grid device of claim 6, wherein the grid device further comprises data storage associated with and proximate to the substation, the data storage comprising a plurality of memory locations configured to store the first electrical parameter from the sensor.

10. The grid device of claim 6, wherein to control operation of the substation, the processor is further configured to:

receive application data comprising voltage, current, real power and reactive power from a substation device; and

send the application data to a substation computer.

11. A method comprising:

sensing a first electrical parameter by a first sensor of a first grid device positioned in a first section of a power grid;

analyzing the first electrical parameter with a first processor to determine an event based on the first sensed electrical parameter;

sensing a second electrical parameter by a second processor of a second grid device positioned in a second section of the power grid, wherein the second grid device is associated with a substation;

receiving, with the second processor, the event determined by the first processor based on analysis of the first electrical parameter;

analyzing the event and the second electrical parameter with the second processor;

modifying operation of at least a part of the second section of the power grid based on the event and the analyzing by the second processor, including controlling operation of the substation to execute self-healing of the at least a part of the second section of the power grid; and

transmitting to a central power grid authority information indicative of the operation modification of the at least a part of the second section of the power grid.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the operational modification is performed without intervention of the central power grid authority.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first electrical parameter is sensed within at least one feeder circuit emanating from the substation.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

storing the event and the second electrical parameter in a plurality of memory locations of a data storage associated with and located proximate the substation.