METHOD FOR REGULATING THE POWER CONSUMED ON AN ELECTRIC POWER GRID AND CONTROL ENTITY OF THE CONSUMPTION ON THIS ELECTRIC POWER GRID

• US 20150073617A1
• Filed: 09/04/2014
• Published: 03/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Energy Pool Développement SAS
• Original Assignee: Energy Pool Developpement
• Inventors: DUCHATEL, Jean-Pierre, PETIT HALAJDA, Stephanie
• Granted Patent: US 10,241,533 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/297
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/54 according to a pre-established time schedule
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/60 Limiting power consumption in the network or in one section of the network, e.g. load shedding or peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/144 Demand-response operation of the power transmission or distribution network
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• 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 20/00 Management or operation of end-user stationary applications or the last stages of power distribution; Controlling, monitoring or operating thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving

Abstract

According to the inventive method, the power consumed on an electric grid (10), by preselected consumers (42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52) being able to accept a predetermined decrease in power over a predetermined time range, is regulated. This method comprises the following successive steps: sending a control entity, regularly and by each preselected consumer (42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52), a message (M1) containing the power consumed by said preselected consumer (42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52); using the control entity (60) to compute a maximum power reduction value for all of the preselected consumers (42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52) and a maximum duration of that power reduction; transmitting, using the control entity (60) and to a grid manager (62), computed values and maximum power durations; and sending, from the grid manager (62) to the control entity (60), a command order (79) commanding a power reduction for a selected duration.

Claims

1. A method for regulating the power consumed on an electric grid, the electric grid being able to supply a plurality of consumers with electric current, preselected consumers being able to accept a predetermined decrease in power over a predetermined time range,

the method comprising the following steps:

the transmission to a control entity, regularly and by each preselected consumer, of a message containing the consumed power of said preselected consumer, the duration between two successive message transmissions for a given consumer being less than 1 hour, preferably less than 10 minutes, still more preferably less than 1 minute,

the computation, by the control entity, of a maximum power reduction value for all of the preselected consumers and a maximum duration of that power reduction, said maximum value being computed based on the received consumed power values for each preselected consumer,

the transmission, by the control entity and to a grid manager, of the maximum value and duration for the computed power reductions,

the sending, by the grid manager to the control entity, of a command order for a power reduction for a selected length of time, the value of the commanded power reduction being less than or equal to the maximum computed power reduction value and the selected duration being less than or equal to the maximum computed power reduction duration.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control entity is separate from the grid manager, the control entity preferably being capable of communicating with the grid manager via the Internet.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

during the computation step, the control entity computes a minimum power reduction duration,

during the transmission step, said minimum duration is transmitted to the grid manager,

during the sending step, the selected duration is comprised between the computed minimum and maximum durations of the power reduction.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, during the transmission step, the transmitted consumed power is an instantaneous or averaged power.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the command order for the power reduction is carried out by the control entity as of receipt of that order, and in that the time frame between the sending of the order and the power reduction for the preselected consumers is less than 1 minute, preferably less than 30 seconds, still more preferably less than 5 seconds.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electric grid is able to power a plurality of distinct geographic zones, and the preselected consumers are grouped together by geographic zone,

during the computation step, the value and maximum power reduction duration are computed by each of the geographic zones, and

during the step for sending the command order, the command order of the power reduction is specific to one or more geographic zones.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, during the computation step, the control entity carries out the following steps:

a) processing the messages transmitted by each preselected consumer,

b) verifying that the power reduction offered by the preselected consumers is greater than or equal to a predetermined power reduction value for each geographic zone,

c) activating an alert signal on a terminal of the control entity and increasing the number of preselected consumers for a given geographic zone if the power reduction offered by the consumers previously preselected for said geographic zone is less than the predetermined power reduction value, then returning to the verification step,

d) generating a decision file comprising the computed maximum power reduction value and duration.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, during the processing of the messages transmitted by each preselected consumer, the control entity computes, for each preselected consumer, the power reduction and the duration of that power reduction, based on the consumed power value and the following parameters:

the value of the predetermined power decrease,

the maximum number of power reductions authorized over a predetermined time period,

the number of power reductions done since the beginning of a predetermined time period,

the minimum time frame between two successive power reductions,

the predetermined time range for the power reduction,

the minimum time frame for implementing the power reduction,

the consumer'"'"'s availability schedule.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein each preselected consumer comprises one or more sub-consumers and in that during the transmission step, the consumed power transmitted, via the message, by each preselected consumer is equal to the sum of the powers consumed by the corresponding sub-consumers, and in that the message also comprises the power consumed by each sub-consumer.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein:

during the computation step, the control entity computes, for each preselected consumer, several power reduction values during a maximum duration, the computed values being equal to respective percentages of the maximum power reduction value and corresponding to power reductions consumed by each sub-consumer or groups of sub-consumers;

during the transmission step, the control entity transmits the different computed power reduction values and the corresponding maximum durations;

during the sending step, the value of the commanded power reduction is equal to one of the values transmitted by the control entity.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein, during the computation step, the time frame to compute the maximum power reduction value and duration, as of the reception of the consumed powers, transmitted by each preselected consumer, is less than 1 minute.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein, during the computation step, the computed maximum power reduction values and durations are anticipated values and durations, whereas the anticipated values and durations are transmitted to the grid manager daily and correspond to the forecasts, for a predetermined period, preferably for the following day, of the maximum power reduction values and for a maximum length of time.

13. A control entity for controlling the consumption of a plurality of preselected consumers of electric current in an electric grid, the electric grid being able to power a plurality of consumers, the preselected consumers being able to accept a predetermined power decrease over a predetermined time range,

the control entity comprising:

means for receiving a message containing the power consumed by a preselected consumer, each preselected consumer being able to transmit said message to the control entity regularly, the duration between two successive message transmissions for a given consumer being less than 1 hour, preferably less than 10 minutes, still more preferably less than 1 minute,

a member for computing a maximum power reduction value for all of the preselected consumers and for maximum length of time, said maximum value being computed as a function of the received power values consumed for each preselected consumer,

means for sending a grid manager computed maximum power reduction values and durations,

means for receiving an order commanding a power reduction for the preselected consumers for a selected duration, the value of the commanded power reduction being less than or equal to the maximum computed power reduction value and the selected duration being less than or equal to the computed maximum power reduction duration, the command order being sent by the grid manager.