Microgrid control system

• US 9,742,189 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2011
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Watanabe, Tohru, Atsumi, Juichiro, Sekoguchi, Masahiro, Kaminaga, Masanori, Aikawa, Kosho, Magoroku, Hisayuki, Nakamura, Tomoharu, Nagayama, Yuichi, Hirasawa, Shigeki
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Darrin
• Application Number:
  US14/126,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20140252855A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,258 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/10 The dispersed energy generation being of fossil origin, e.g. diesel generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/24 of photovoltaic origin
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/10 The network having a local or delimited stationary reach
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/00 Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/003 Load forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future load demand
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/46 Controlling of the sharing of output between the generators, converters, or transformers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/70 Smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the energy generation sector
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/123 the energy generation units being or involving renewable energy sources
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for controlling microgrid facilities. In particular, the microgrid control system provided is capable of controlling multiple facilities according to characteristics of the facilities in order to achieve economic efficiency, environmental friendliness, and continued operability. The microgrid control system for controlling the operations of the multiple power facilities is provided with: a power supply activation/suspension planning unit that has a prediction unit for predicting outputs or loads of power supply facilities or load facilities and a prediction unit for predicting prediction errors contained therein; and an economical load allocation unit that determines command values related to the distribution of loads to be borne by currently running power supply facilities.

Claims

1. A microgrid control system for controlling operations of a plurality of electric power facilities, comprising:

a power supply machine activating and stopping planning portion; and

an economical load distributing portion that determines command values associated with allocations of a load to a plurality of electric power supply facilities, wherein electric power equipment comprising at least solar panels are equipped at each of the plurality of electric power supply facilities;

wherein the power supply machine activating and stopping planning portion;

forecasts output amounts of the plurality of electric power supply facilities and amounts of load on a plurality of electric load facilities, and

forecasts errors for the output amounts forecasted and the amounts of load forecasted,

determines a total amount of output for power supply facilities to be activated, based on the output amounts forecasted, the amounts of load forecasted and the errors forecasted, and

selects power supply facilities to be activated, based on the total amount of output determined and on characteristic information about the power supply facilities such that power supply facilities having good fuel consumption characteristics are selected in turn until a total of rated outputs of the power supply facilities selected exceeds a predetermined value,

calculates load factors based on load ratios of the power supply facilities, and

limits outputs from the solar panels of the power supply facilities when the load factors calculated are below a given threshold value, wherein limiting outputs from the solar panels increases the load factor for each of the plurality of power supply facilities; and

wherein the characteristic information about the power supply facilities includes information about fuel consumption characteristics of the power supply facilities, wherein the information about fuel consumption characteristics includes fuel consumption characteristics in a load region about which a particular power supply facilities operates.

2. The microgrid control system set forth in claim 1, wherein the power supply machine activating and stopping planning portion further selects power supply facilities with a priority on power supply facilities currently in operation.

3. The microgrid control system set forth in claim 1, further comprising a facility characteristic identification portion for learning profile information regarding one or more of characteristic of variability, responsiveness, fuel consumption, incremental amount of fuel consumption, environmental load characteristics, and environment-friendly operation time range characteristics regarding outputs from the power supply facilities or loads on the load facilities.

4. A microgrid control method for controlling operations of a plurality of electric power facilities, comprising:

forecasting amounts of output of a plurality of electric power supply facilities and amounts of loads on a plurality of electric load facilities, wherein electric power equipment comprising at least solar panels are equipped at each of the plurality of electric power supply facilities;

forecasting errors of the amounts of output forecasted and the amounts of loads forecasted;

determining a total amount of output of power supply facilities to be activated, based on the output amounts forecasted, the amounts of loads forecasted and the errors forecasted;

selecting power supply facilities to be activated, based on the total amount of output determined and on characteristic information about the power supply facilities such that power supply facilities having good fuel consumption characteristics are selected in turn until a total of rated outputs of the power supply facilities selected exceeds a predetermined value;

calculating load factors based on load ratios of the power supply facilities; and

limiting outputs from solar panels of the power supply facilities when the load factors are below a given threshold value, wherein limiting outputs from the solar panels increases the load factor for each of the plurality of Power supply facilities; and

wherein the characteristic information about the power supply facilities includes information about fuel consumption characteristics of the power supply facilities, wherein the information about fuel consumption characteristics includes fuel consumption characteristics in a load region about which a particular power supply facilities operates.

5. The microgrid control method set forth in claim 4, wherein the selecting is further based on a priority on power supply facilities currently in operation.