Supervisory system controller for use with a renewable energy powered radio telecommunications site

• US 8,970,160 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2010
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gridserve Technologies Limited
• Original Assignee: Poweroasis Incorporated
• Inventors: Groves, Thomas Paul, Bishop, Peter William Dale
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Drew A
• Assistant Examiner(s): GRANT, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US12/950,741
• Publication Number:
  US 20110125336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,565 Days
• Field of Search: 320/101
• US Class Current: 320/101
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 9/007 the wind motor being combined with means for converting solar radiation into useful energy
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 9/11 storing electrical energy
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 9/25 the apparatus being an electrical generator F03D9/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00016 using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/24 of photovoltaic origin
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/28 The renewable source being wind energy wind motors F03D
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/40 wherein a plurality of decentralised, dispersed or local energy generation technologies are operated simultaneously
• 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 3/004 Generation forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future energy generation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/144 Demand-response operation of the power transmission or distribution network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/46 Controlling of the sharing of output between the generators, converters, or transformers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007188 the charge cycle being controlled or terminated in response to non-electric parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/34 Parallel operation in networks using both storage and other dc sources, e.g. providing buffering H02J7/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 10/10 including a supplementary source of electric power, e.g. hybrid diesel-PV energy systems combinations with gas-turbine plants F02C6/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 10/12 Hybrid wind-PV energy systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 30/00 Adapting or protecting infrastructure or their operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/76 : Power conversion electric or electronic aspects
• 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: Y02E 70/30 : Systems combining energy storage with energy generation of non-fossil origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/123 : the energy generation units being or involving renewable energy sources
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 : using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses

Abstract

A supervisory system controller for controlling and monitoring the generation of electrical energy from renewable sources and management methods for the storage of energy so generated and interconnecting the energy-generating elements, storage and load. The supervisory system controller operates to maximum the power transfer from a wind turbine to a battery by automatically varying the threshold levels at which turbine dump loads are switched based on system inputs and measurements. The method conserves generator fuel by delaying a scheduled generator maintenance running period such that it occurs when renewable energy availability is predicted to be low and battery is in a reduced state of charge. Further modifications and management methods are also provided.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling and monitoring the generation of electrical energy from renewable sources, said apparatus being operable to manage storage of energy generated from renewable sources by controlling interconnection of energy generating elements, energy storage elements and energy load elements, said apparatus being operable to communicate with a remote device to obtain weather forecast data for the purpose of predicting future renewable energy generation capability;

and manage storage of energy generated from said renewable sources based upon said prediction of future renewable energy generation capability, and said apparatus further comprising a plurality of disconnect devices to allow independent disconnection of individual loads from a DC bus according to an algorithm that uses voltage levels, battery state of charge, time and override command, to manage said storage of energy generated from said renewable sources.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 which correlates local micro climate conditions with forecasted weather data for the purpose of predicting future energy availability.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 that uses predicted renewable energy availability for the purpose of connecting, disconnecting or controlling the power consumption of loads connected to a battery.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1 that can override or delay the operation of a co-located diesel or gasoline powered generator to recharge a battery if predicted energy data indicates that renewable energy will become available within an acceptable timeframe.

11. An apparatus according to claim 1 that uses the measure of battery state of charge for the purpose of connecting, disconnecting or controlling the power consumption of loads connected to a battery.

12. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one or more said disconnect devices can have their operating thresholds adjusted to remove power load from a DC bus to make available a greater proportion of energy to one or more specific loads that may remain connected.

13. An apparatus according to claim 1 that may dynamically vary the disconnection threshold of a disconnect device controlling a base station to make available a greater proportion of battery energy to backhaul communications equipment.

14. An apparatus according to claim 1 that can be commanded to override the normal operation of battery protection disconnect devices to provide additional operational power under an emergency condition.

15. An apparatus according to claim 1 that can communicate with telecommunications equipment to command said equipment to reduce its power consumption.

5. An apparatus for controlling and monitoring the generation of electrical energy from renewable sources, said apparatus being operable to manage storage of energy generated from renewable sources by controlling interconnection of energy generating elements, energy storage elements and energy load elements, said apparatus comprising a plurality of disconnect devices to allow independent disconnection of individual loads from a DC bus according to an algorithm that uses voltage levels, battery state of charge, time and override command, to manage said storage of energy generated from said renewable sources, and wherein said apparatus is operable to use a measure of battery state of charge for the purpose of connecting, disconnecting or controlling the power consumption of loads connected to a battery.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein one or more said disconnect devices can have their operating thresholds adjusted to remove power load from a DC bus to make available a greater proportion of energy to one or more specific loads that may remain connected.

7. An apparatus according to claim 5 that may dynamically vary a disconnection threshold of a disconnect device controlling a base station to make available a greater proportion of battery energy to backhaul communications equipment.

8. An apparatus according to claim 5 that can be commanded to override a normal operation of battery protection disconnect devices to provide additional operational power under an emergency condition.

9. An apparatus according to claim 5 that can communicate with telecommunications equipment at a telecommunication site to command said equipment at the telecommunication site to reduce its power consumption to thereby reduce the load on the battery at the telecommunication site.

10. An apparatus according to claim 5 whereby a communications system comprises two base transceiver stations, one providing broadcast control channel carriers and a second with additional capacity, that can exercise power control by disconnecting the second base transceiver stations to thereby reduce the load on the battery.

16. An apparatus for controlling and monitoring generation of electrical energy from renewable sources, said apparatus being operable to manage storage of energy generated from renewable sources by controlling interconnection of energy generating elements, energy storage elements and energy load elements, said apparatus being operable to communicate with a remote device to obtain weather forecast data for the purpose of predicting future renewable energy generation capability;

and manage storage of energy generated from said renewable sources based upon said prediction of future renewable energy generation capability, and operable to override or delay operation of a fossil fuelled generator to recharge a battery if predicted energy data indicates that renewable energy will become available within a predetermined acceptable timeframe, and said apparatus further comprising at least one DC bus interconnecting the fossil fuelled generator and the battery and to allow for disconnection of individual loads, and the predicted energy data includes weather forecast data and battery state of charge data which are processed according to an algorithm to thereby override or delay operation of a fossil fuelled generator.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16 which correlates local micro climate conditions with forecasted weather data for the purpose of predicting future energy availability.

18. An apparatus according to claim 16 that uses predicted renewable energy availability for the purpose of connecting, disconnecting or controlling the power consumption of loads connected to a battery.