Battery energy storage system

• US 9,882,401 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2015
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Powin Corporation (Powin Energy Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Powin Energy Corporation
• Inventors: Beaston, Virgil Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): DIAO, M BAYE
• Application Number:
  US14/932,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20170126032A1
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 320128
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4207 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00022 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00024 by means of mobile telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/16 by adjustment of reactive power
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/32 using batteries with converting means
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0016 using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00306 Overdischarge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0034 using reverse polarity correcting or protecting circuits mechanical means of polarity protection H02J7/0045
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0049 Detection of fully charged condition
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/10 Flexible AC transmission systems [FACTS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/30 Reactive power compensation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/70 Smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the energy generation sector
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 70/30 : Systems combining energy storage with energy generation of non-fossil origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/00 : Systems supporting electrical power generation, transmission or distribution
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/14 : Energy storage units
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/22 : Flexible AC transmission systems [FACTS] or power factor or reactive power compensating or correcting units
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/30 : State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to a battery energy storage system (BESS) that can be used to store energy that is produced by conventional sources (e.g., coal, gas, nuclear) as well as renewable sources (e.g., wind, solar), and provide the stored energy on-demand.

Claims

1. A battery energy storage system comprising:

a plurality of battery packs;

a string controller coupled to the plurality of battery packs and configured to control charging and discharging of the plurality of battery packs via a power control system that is external to the battery energy storage system; and

an array controller coupled to the string controller and configured to instruct the string controller to charge or discharge the plurality of battery packs via a first communication bus,

wherein the array controller is coupled to a system controller that comprises a communication interface that is configured to couple to a communications network.

2. A battery energy storage system of claim 1, further comprising:

another plurality of battery packs;

another string controller coupled to the another plurality of battery packs and configured to control charging and discharging of the another plurality of battery packs via the power control system,

wherein the array controller is coupled to the another string controller and is further configured to instruct the another string controller to charge or discharge the another plurality of battery packs via the first communication bus.

3. The battery energy storage system of claim 1, wherein the first communication bus is a control area network (CAN) bus.

4. The battery energy storage system of claim 1, wherein the system controller is further configured to encrypt communications transmitted over the communications network.

5. The battery energy storage system of claim 1, wherein the system controller is further configured to receive instructions over the communications network and instruct the array controller to charge or discharge the plurality of battery packs in response to receiving the instructions.

6. The battery energy storage system of claim 1, wherein the system controller is further configured to transmit a status report of the battery energy storage system over the communications network.

7. The battery energy storage system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of battery packs are vertically stacked.

8. The battery energy storage system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of battery packs are connected in series to form a string of battery packs.

9. The battery energy storage system of claim 7, wherein the string controller is coupled to a terminal of a first battery pack and a terminal of a last battery pack of the string of battery packs.

10. The battery energy storage system of claim 7, wherein the string controller comprises a ground fault detection system that is coupled to a middle battery pack of the string of battery packs.

11. The battery energy storage system of claim 1, wherein the string controller comprises a controller that is configured to monitor current of the plurality of battery packs.

12. A battery energy storage system comprising:

a battery pack array comprising n battery pack strings, wherein each battery pack string comprises m battery packs connected in series;

n string controllers, wherein each string control box is coupled to one of the n battery pack strings and configured to control charging and discharging of the m battery packs; and

an array controller configured to instruct the n string controllers to charge or discharge each of the m battery packs via control area network (CAN) bus, wherein n is greater than or equal to 2 and m is greater than 2,

wherein the array controller is coupled to a system controller that comprises a communication interface that is configured to couple to a communications network, and is further configured to receive instructions over the communications network and instruct the n string controllers to charge or discharge each of the m battery packs in response to receiving the instructions.

13. The battery energy storage system of claim 12, further comprising an enclosure housing the battery pack array, n string controllers, and the array controller.

14. The battery energy storage system of claim 13, wherein an exterior of the enclosure is configured to support a power converter.

15. The battery energy storage system of claim 12, wherein, for each of the n battery pack strings, the m battery packs are vertically stacked on server racks.

16. The battery energy storage system of claim 12, wherein each of the n string controllers are coupled to a terminal of a first battery pack and a terminal of a last battery pack of the m battery packs.

17. The battery energy storage system of claim 16, wherein each of the n string controllers comprise a power interface that is configured to couple to a power control system, and are further configured to charge or discharge the m battery packs via the power control system.

18. The battery energy storage system of claim 16, wherein each of the n string controllers comprises a ground fault detection system coupled to a middle battery pack of the m battery packs.