Power transfer management for local power sources of a grid-tied load

• US 9,690,313 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2014
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apparent Labs LLC
• Original Assignee: Xslent Energy Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Matan, Stefan, Westbrock, Jr., William B, Horton, Fred C, Klemm, Joseph M, Marrone, Frank P, McKinley, Arnold F, Wiseman, Kurt W
• Primary Examiner(s): Laxton, Gary L
• Application Number:
  US14/185,509
• Publication Number:
  US 20140350742A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,223 Days
• Field of Search: 363 95, 363 97, 323906, 307 11, 307 26
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/70 Regulating power factor; Regulating reactive current or power
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/18 Arrangements for adjusting, eliminating or compensating reactive power in networks for adjustment of voltage H02J3/16
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/46 Controlling of the sharing of output between the generators, converters, or transformers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/50 Controlling the sharing of the out-of-phase component
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/42 Circuits or arrangements for compensating for or adjusting power factor in converters or inverters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/48 using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/30 Reactive power compensation

Abstract

A power transfer system provides power factor conditioning of the generated power. Power is received from a local power source, converted to usable AC power, and the power factor is conditioned to a desired value. The desired value may be a power factor at or near unity, or the desired power factor may be in response to conditions of the power grid, a tariff established, and/or determinations made remotely to the local power source. Many sources and power transfer systems can be put together and controlled as a power source farm to deliver power to the grid having a specific power factor characteristic. The farm may be a grouping of multiple local customer premises. AC power can also be conditioned prior to use by an AC to DC power supply for more efficient DC power conversion.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a power converter, direct current (DC) power from a local power source, the local power source and the power converter electrically located on a same side of a point of connection to a utility power grid as a local load tied to the power grid, where the local load includes a consumer premises of the power grid;

converting with the power converter the DC power to alternating current (AC) power to deliver to the local load, including generating a reactive power component from the DC power, wherein generating the reactive power component includes generating an AC current waveform based on a reference waveform that represents an idealized output waveform having a phase relative to an AC voltage waveform of the power grid, and includes generating the AC current waveform out of phase with respect to the AC voltage waveform of the grid, based on a table-based phase adjustment; and

delivering the AC power on the local load side of the power grid.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the reactive power component comprises:

generating the reactive power component in response to detection of a reactive power need by the local load.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the reactive power component further comprises:

generating an output current waveform with output hardware;

sampling the output current waveform;

comparing the output current waveform to a corresponding reference output waveform;

generating a feedback signal based on comparing the output current waveform to the reference output waveform; and

adjusting an operation of the output hardware at runtime based on the feedback signal to converge the output current waveform toward the reference output waveform and phase.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the reactive power component in response to detection of the reactive power need by the local load further comprises:

generating an output current having a leading phase with respect to power grid voltage at the point of connection.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the reactive power component in response to detection of the reactive power need by the local load further comprises:

generating an output current having a lagging phase with respect to power grid voltage at the point of connection.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the reactive power component comprises:

generating the reactive power component in response to detection of a reactive power need by a local region.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the local power source comprises a local renewable energy source.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the reactive power component comprises:

generating the output waveform based on the reference waveform having a phase that is in-phase with the AC voltage waveform of the grid.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the reactive power component comprises:

generating the output waveform based on the reference waveform having a phase that is out of phase relative to the AC voltage waveform of the grid.

10. An inverter apparatus comprising:

input hardware to receive a direct current (DC) power from a local power source, the local power source and the inverter electrically located on a same side of a point of connection to a utility power grid as a local load tied to the power grid, where the local load includes a consumer premises of the power grid, including the inverter hardware to generate an AC current waveform based on a reference waveform that represents an idealized output waveform having a phase relative to an AC voltage waveform of the power grid;

inverter hardware to convert the DC power to alternating current (AC) power to deliver to the local load, including generate a reactive power component from the DC power and generate the AC current waveform out of phase with respect to the AC voltage waveform of the grid, based on a table-based phase adjustment; and

output hardware to deliver the AC power on the local load side of the power grid.

11. The inverter apparatus of claim 10, wherein the inverter hardware is further to generate an output current having a leading phase with respect to power grid voltage at the point of connection.

12. The inverter apparatus of claim 10, wherein the inverter hardware is further to generate an output current having a lagging phase with respect to power grid voltage at the point of connection.

13. The inverter apparatus of claim 10, wherein the inverter hardware is further to generate the reactive power component in response to detection of a reactive power need by the local load.

14. The inverter apparatus of claim 10, wherein the inverter hardware is further to generate the reactive power component in response to detection of a reactive power need by a local region.

15. The inverter apparatus of claim 10, wherein the inverter hardware is further to generate an output current waveform with output hardware;

sample the output current waveform;

compare the output current waveform to a corresponding reference output waveform;

generate a feedback signal based on comparing the output current waveform to the reference output waveform; and

adjust an operation of the output hardware at runtime based on the feedback signal to converge the output current waveform toward the reference output waveform and phase.

16. The inverter apparatus of claim 10, wherein the local power source comprises a local renewable energy source.

17. The inverter apparatus of claim 10, wherein the inverter hardware is to generate the reactive power component based on the reference waveform having a phase that is in-phase with the AC voltage waveform of the grid.

18. The inverter apparatus of claim 10, wherein the inverter hardware is to generate the reactive power component based on the reference waveform having a phase that is out of phase relative to the AC voltage waveform of the grid.