Fast acting distributed power system for transmission and distribution system load using energy storage units

• US 20070005192A1
• Filed: 06/16/2006
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Optimal Innovations Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Optimal Licensing Corporation
• Inventors: Schoettle, Roland, Detmers, James
• Application Number:
  US11/454,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20070005192A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/286
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/32 using batteries with converting means
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/062 for AC powered loads
• 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 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: Y04S 20/12 Energy storage units, uninterruptible power supply [UPS] systems or standby or emergency generators, e.g. in the last power distribution stages
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/248 UPS systems or standby or emergency generators

Abstract

An electric power load management system and method that uses a multiplicity of remote power supplies in a controlled manner such that the aggregate system has the capacity to offset critical power company peak electric demand periods thereby preventing severe and detrimental power shortages and interruptions.

Claims

1. An electric power management system for managing a load comprising:

a connection to a power supply network;

a connection to a back-up power supply, wherein the back-up power supply is connected between the power supply network and the load; and

a controller that causes the load to receive power from the power supply network that is reduced by an amount, and causes the back-up power supply provides the amount of power to the load.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller operates to cause the load to receive power from the power supply network that is reduced by an amount during a peak period of power consumption on the power supply network.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a communication network that connects the power supply network and the back-up power supply to the controller.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the communication network is the Internet.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the communication network is the power supply network.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the communications network is the building wiring.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the communication network is a wide area network.

8. The system of claim 3, wherein the communication network is proprietary network.

9. The system in claim 3, wherein the communication network comprises:

at least one terrestrial wireless transceiver link.

10. The system in claim 3, wherein the communication network comprises:

at least one non-terrestrial satellite link.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the back-up power supply is one of:

a rechargeable storage battery, a liquid or gas fueled reciprocating engine-electric generator unit, a liquid or gas fueled turbine engine-electric generator unit, a fuel cell, a flow battery, a flywheel, and other refillable energy storage device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller operates according to one of:

a human operator;

an automated, non-human operator; and

a combination of a human and non-human operator.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the load is one of:

a computer system, a lighting system, an electronic device, and an electrical load of a building.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an instrumentation interface that monitors the load and the power supply network.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the instrumentation interface is also used for energy service billing.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the instrumentation interface is used to determine the condition and capacity of the backup power supply source.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is operative to cause the back-up power supply to provide the amount of power to the load until a minimum amount of power remains in the back-up power supply, whereby the controller then causes the load to receive power from only from the power supply network.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein an end-user of the back-up power supply determines the minimum amount.

19. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for determining the maximum load of the load;

means for determining the minimum load of the load; and

means for correlating the load with an output of the back-up power supply to determine a non steady-state run time of the back-up power supply.

20. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an override switch for overriding the controller and returning the load to receiving all power from the power supply network.

25. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for determining a quality of power of the power supply network.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the means tracks one or more of a plurality of power conditions comprising:

sags, blips, voltage problems, frequency problems, and waveform problems.

21. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for tracking usage of the override switch.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the controller is one of a plurality of controllers, with each controller associated with one of a plurality of loads, with one of a plurality of back-up power supplies, and with one of a plurality of power supply networks.

23. The system of claim 22, further comprising:

means for aggregating the quantity of electrical power available within a portion of the plurality of back-up power supplies.

24. The system of claim 22, further comprising:

means for aggregating an available time in which a portion of the plurality of back-up power supplies can serve their associated loads.