System and method for creating and operating an enhanced distributed energy network or virtual power plant

• US 20030144864A1
• Filed: 07/11/2002
• Published: 07/31/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joseph R. Mazzarella
• Original Assignee: Joseph R. Mazzarella
• Inventors: Mazzarella, Joseph R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,778,940 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/004 Generation forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future energy generation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/008 involving trading of energy or energy transmission rights
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/70 Smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the energy generation sector
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/40 Fuel cell technologies in production processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/845 Inventory and reporting systems for greenhouse gases [GHG]
• 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 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

A system and method for operating a distributed power generation system comprising one or more Local Production Units (LPPUs) is provided. The method includes the steps of receiving and storing data relating to the operating performance of a plurality of LPPUs, receiving and storing data relating to the local power consumption for the plurality of LPPUs, determining the available aggregate quantity of excess power generation capacity for the plurality of LPPUs based upon the operating performance data and the power consumption data, communicating to at least one power purchasing entity an offer to sell at least part of the available aggregate quantity of excess power generation capacity, receiving from at least one power purchasing entity an order to purchase, and communicating with the plurality of LPPUs to provide each LPPU with instructions regarding the quantity of power to be produced. The system includes means for performing each of these steps.

Claims

1. A method for managing an electrical energy distribution network of local power production units over a distributed computing network comprising the steps of,

(a) receiving and storing data relating to the operating performance of a plurality of local power production units;

(b) receiving and storing data relating to the local power consumption for the plurality of local power production units;

(c) determining the available aggregate quantity of excess power generation capacity for the plurality of local power production units based upon the operating performance data and the power consumption data;

(d) communicating to at least one power purchasing entity an offer to sell at least part of the available aggregate quantity of excess power generation capacity of the plurality of local power production units;

(e) receiving from at least one power purchasing entity an order to purchase a quantity of excess power generated by the local power production units;

(f) communicating with the plurality of local power production units to provide each local power production unit with instructions regarding the quantity of power to be produced by that unit; and

(g) receiving and storing data relating to the quantity of power transmitted to at least one power purchasing entity by each local power production unit.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of determining the highest purchase price offered by one of a plurality of power purchasing entities, and communicating with the power purchasing entity offering the highest price to confirm a sale of electrical power to such power purchasing entity.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of generating an invoice to the purchasing entity for a selected time period relating to the quantity of power purchased by the purchasing entity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of local power production units are selected from the group consisting of fuel cells, microturbines, solar electrical generating devices and wind based electrical generating devices.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of generating a report of the quantity of power generated by each local power production unit and transmitted to a purchasing entity for a selected period of time.

8. The method of claims 1 or 6, further comprising the steps of:

receiving and storing data relating to the quantity of emissions from each of the plurality of local power production units; and

determining a efficiency of fuel consumption for each local power production unit based on the emissions data.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of generating a report of the emissions and efficiency of fuel consumption for each local power production unit for a selected period of time.

6. A method for managing an energy distribution network of local power production units over a distributed computing network comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving and storing data relating to the operating performance of a plurality of local power production units;

(b) receiving and storing data relating to a local power consumption for the plurality of local power production units;

(c) determining a available aggregate quantity of excess power generation capacity for the plurality of local power production units based upon the operating performance data and the power consumption data;

(d) calculating a cost of generating excess power for each of the plurality of local power production units;

(e) communicating with at least one power purchasing entity to determine a price that the at least one power purchasing entity is offering to pay for a quantity of power;

(f) comparing the cost of generating excess power for each local power production unit with the purchase price offered by at least one power purchasing entity to determine a quantity of excess power which can be economically provided by each local power production unit at the purchase price; and

(g) communicating with the at least one power purchasing entity the quantity of power to be provided by the local power production units at the purchase price.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

receiving and storing data relating to a plurality of selected operating parameters for each of the plurality of local power production units;

comparing the data relating to the plurality of selected operating parameters to specified operating ranges for each of the plurality of local power production units to determine whether the local power production units are operating within the specified operating ranges; and

generating a report for each local power production unit that operates outside of the specified operating range for any one of the plurality of selected operating parameters.

10. A system for managing an energy distribution network of local power production units over a distributed computer network comprising:

(a) means for receiving and storing data relating to the operating performance of a plurality of local power production units;

(b) means for receiving and storing data relating to a local power consumption for the plurality of local power production units;

(c) means for determining an available aggregate quantity of excess power generation capacity for the plurality of local power production units based upon the operating performance data and the power consumption data;

(d) means for communicating an offer to sell at least part of the available aggregate quantity of excess power generation capacity of the plurality of local power production units to at least one power purchasing entity;

(e) means for receiving from at least one power purchasing entity an order to purchase a quantity of excess power generated by the local power production units;

(f) means for communicating with the plurality of local power production units to provide each unit with instructions regarding a quantity of power to be produced; and

(g) means for receiving and storing data relating to a quantity of power transmitted to each power purchasing entity.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising means for determining a highest purchase price offered by a power purchasing entity, and means for communicating with the power purchasing entity offering the highest price to confirm a sale of excess electrical power to the power purchasing entity.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising means for generating an invoice to the purchasing entity for a specified time period relating to the quantity of excess power purchased by the power purchasing entity.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising means for generating a report of the quantity of power generated by each local power production unit and transmitted to a purchasing entity for a selected period of time.

14. The system of claim 10, further comprising means for calculating a cost of generating excess power for each of the plurality of local power production units;

means for determining a purchase price for power offered by at least one power purchasing entity;

means for comparing the cost of generating excess power for each local power production unit with the purchase price offered by at least one power purchasing entity to determine the quantity of excess power which can be economically provided by local power production unit at the offered purchase price; and

means for communicating with the at least one power purchasing entity the quantity of power to be provided by the local power production units at the offered purchase price.

15. The system of claim 10, further comprising means for receiving and storing data relating to a plurality of selected operating parameters for each of the plurality of selected operating parameters for each of the plurality of local power production units;

means for comparing the data for the plurality of selected operating parameters to specified operating ranges for each of the plurality of local power production units are operating within the specified operating ranges;

and means for generating a report for each local power production unit that operates outside of the specified operating range for any one of the selected operating parameters.

16. The system of claim 10, further comprising means for receiving and storing data relating to the quantity of emissions from each of the plurality of local power production units;

and

means for determining the efficiency of fuel consumption for each local power production unit based on the emissions data.