Business Methods in a Power Aggregation System for Distributed Electric Resources

• US 20080040263A1
• Filed: 08/09/2007
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gridpoint (Twenty First Century Utilities LLC)
• Original Assignee: V2 Green Incorporated
• Inventors: Kaplan, David, Bridges, Seth, Pollack, Seth
• Application Number:
  US11/836,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20080040263A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/00 Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism healthcare informatics G16H
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00007 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/008 involving trading of energy or energy transmission rights
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/322 the battery being on-board an electric or hybrid vehicle, e.g. vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G], power aggregation, use of the battery for network load balancing, coordinated or cooperative battery charging
• 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: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/126 : the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]
• 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 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 : Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/12 : Billing, invoicing, buying or selling transactions or other related activities, e.g. cost or usage evaluation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/16 : Energy services, e.g. dispersed generation or demand or load or energy savings aggregation

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for a power aggregation system. In one implementation, a service establishes individual Internet connections to numerous electric resources intermittently connected to the power grid, such as electric vehicles. The Internet connection may be made over the same wire that connects the resource to the power grid. The service optimizes power flows to suit the needs of each resource and each resource owner, while aggregating flows across numerous resources to suit the needs of the power grid. The service can bring vast numbers of electric vehicle batteries online as a new, dynamically aggregated power resource for the power grid. Electric vehicle owners can participate in an electricity trading economy regardless of where they plug into the power grid.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

enlisting owners of electric resource into a power aggregation system for distributed electric resources; and

providing an incentive to each owner for participating in the power aggregation system.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising giving an incentive to each owner for participation in the form of providing power to the power grid from the owner'"'"'s electric resource under the control of the power aggregation system.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising giving an incentive to each owner for participation in the form of taking power from the power grid for electrical resource charging or consumption under the control of the power aggregation system.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the power aggregation system directs the electric resource to deliver power to the power grid in response to a grid control signal requesting an increase in power from the power aggregation system.

5. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the power aggregation system directs the electric resource to take power from the power grid in response to a grid control signal requesting a decrease in power from the power aggregation system.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the incentive comprises at least some free power from the power grid.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the owners receive payments based on actual power services provided by their vehicle.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the owners receive a preferential tariff for participating in the power distribution network.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the power aggregation system earns a management fee paid by an operator of the power distribution network.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the management fee is calculated in relation to services provided.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein

the power aggregation system directly markets power services to a grid operator;

and

the grid operator pays compensation to the operator of the power aggregation system in relation to the services provided.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the power aggregation system sells into a power trading market.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein power grid operators pay for the power aggregation system and operate the power aggregation system themselves.

14. A method of intermediating between owners of electric resources and power grid operators, comprising:

enlisting the owners of the electric resources in a power aggregation system, wherein the electric resources collectively provide power to the power grid or store energy from the power grid as requested by a power grid operator or an automated grid controller; and

offering the collectively produced power services for sale to the power grid operator.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising offering for sale to a power grid operator a service of collectively charging the electric resource during intervals of power surplus and/or collectively discharging the electric resources during intervals of power deficit.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the power aggregation system aggregates electric resources to collectively provide power or collectively store energy according to constraints on including each individual electric resources in the aggregation, wherein the constraints are selected by individual electric resource owners.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, further comprising selling use of a user control interface to the power grid operator, wherein the user control interface enables the user to select the constraints.

18. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

managing a collective load behavior of the electric resources; and

offering the management of the collective load behavior for sale to a power grid operator.

19. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising measuring power quality at each electric resource and offering for sale the collective measuring as a massively distributed sensor network for the power grid.

21. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising providing an incentive to owners of the electric resources to participate in the aggregation.

20. A method, comprising:

receiving generation control signals from a power grid operator;

predicting an aggregation of electric resources that improves a grid condition indicated by the generation control signals; and

offering for sale the aggregation as predicted to the power grid operator.