Real time system and method for optimizing and managing a load in an electrical grid

• US 8,937,456 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2011
• Issued: 01/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bhageria, Gopal K., Mak, Don T., Monagle, Kevin M., Ramanathan, Sri, Reboul, Jean-Gael F., Terry, Matthew A., Trevathan, Matthew B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIGGUSH, AARON C
• Application Number:
  US13/091,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20120268061A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104, 320/107, 320/109, 320/115, 320/134
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/72 Charging station selection relying on external data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• 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: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• 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 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/12 Remote or cooperative charging
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A system and a method are provided for optimizing and managing a load in an electrical grid. The method includes receiving an event notification associated with a mobile device requiring a charge and determining charging station information of at least one charging station in an electrical grid based on the event notification, the at least one charging station operable to charge the mobile device. The charging station information of the at least one charging station is sent to a user of the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, an event notification associated with a mobile device requiring a charge;

determining, by the computing device, grid information of an electrical grid comprising one or more charging stations operable to charge the mobile device;

receiving, by the computing device, grid configuration rules indicating how to configure the electrical grid in response to charging of the mobile device, from a rules database;

determining, by the computing device, charging station information of a preferred charging station of the one or more charging stations in the electrical grid based on the event notification, the grid information, and the grid configuration rules;

sending, by the computing device, the charging station information of the preferred charging station to a user of the mobile device;

updating, by the computing device, the charging station information to include the mobile device being charged at the preferred charging station prior to the mobile device actually being charged at the preferred charging station; and

configuring, by the computing device, the electrical grid by sending the updated charging station information to the preferred charging station, which is configured to trigger the preferred charging station to make a power charge reservation at the preferred charging station for charging the mobile device,

wherein the charging station information includes a charging capacity at the preferred charging station and a charging wait time at the preferred charging station.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting the grid configuration rules in the rules database.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user of the mobile device sets the grid configuration rules in the rules database.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating the grid information based on the event notification, the grid information, and the charging station information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the grid information comprises collecting charging station information of the one or more charging stations in the electrical grid, the charging station information comprising:

locations of the one or more charging stations;

charging capacities at the one or more charging stations;

charging rates at the one or more charging stations;

charging wait times at the one or more charging stations; and

charging conditions at the one or more charging stations.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the event notification comprises at least one of:

a location of the mobile device;

a battery charge status of the mobile device;

a charging rate preferred by the user of the mobile device;

a charging wait time preferred by the user; and

a distance to a charging station that the user is willing to travel.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises a plug-in electric vehicle (PEV).

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending of the charging station information comprises sending:

a location of the preferred charging station;

the charging capacity at the preferred charging station;

a charging rate at the at preferred charging station;

the charging wait time at the preferred charging station; and

a charging condition at the preferred charging station.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a service provider at least one of creates, maintains, deploys and supports a computer infrastructure operable to perform the steps of claim 1.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein steps of claim 1 are provided by a service provider on a subscription, advertising, and/or fee basis.

11. A method of optimizing and managing loads in an electrical grid, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure comprising a computing device, the computing device being operable to;

receive an event notification associated with a mobile device requiring a charge;

determine grid information of an electrical grid comprising one or more charging stations operable to charge the mobile device;

receive grid configuration rules indicating how to configure the electrical grid in response to potential charging of the mobile device from a rules database;

determine charging station information of a preferred charging station of the one or more charging stations in the electrical grid based on the event notification, the grid information, and the grid configuration rules;

send the charging station information of the preferred charging station to a user of the mobile device prior to the user arriving at a location of the preferred charging station;

update the charging station information to include the mobile device being charged at the preferred charging station prior to the user arriving at the location of the preferred charging station; and

configure the electrical grid by sending the updated charging station information to the preferred charging station and other charging stations of the one or more preferred charging stations, which is configured to trigger the preferred charging station to make a power charge reservation at the preferred charging station for charging the mobile device, and trigger the other charging stations to void any reservations at the other charging stations for charging the mobile device.