The present disclosure relates to a power management system and, more particularly, to a system to manage energy being used from the electric grid as well as being used and generated from one or more energy generators or fuel-powered turbines, including, but not limited to, natural gas generators, fuel cells, diesel generators, bio-diesel generators, ethanol generators, propane generators, biogas generators and kerosene generators, or a combination of any or all of these sources, with or without a battery energy storage system, resulting in (a) a reduction of the peak power demand from the electric grid of a user of the system, and/or (b) a reduction of the high consumption charges during times in which consumption costs are higher due to variable billing or otherwise, and/or (c) the ability to provide energy to the user of the system at a time that such user is offsetting, in whole or in part, a reduction of its demand from the electric grid to, among other things, qualify for, participate in and/or satisfy the requirements of demand response or similar programs with third parties.
The power management system may or may not be integrated with a battery energy storage system. If the power management system integrates a battery energy storage system, the system will charge and discharge the battery energy storage system in a manner described in patent application Ser. No. 13/359,643 and is to be considered fully incorporated by reference. The one or more energy generators or fuel-powered turbines of the power management system may be directly connected to the battery energy storage system, the battery energy storage system may be connected only to the grid or a combination thereof.
Many electricity suppliers typically but not always utility companies, throughout much of the United States and abroad charge their commercial customers not only for the consumption of electricity but also a demand, or distribution, charge. The calculation of this demand charge varies from supplier to supplier, but is generally based upon the highest amount of power demand that a customer uses from the electric gird in a billing cycle—often called peak demand. Recently, demand charges have become an increasing part of commercial customers' electricity costs. Certain electricity suppliers have begun to charge residential customers demand charges, and that charge is expected to be implemented by additional electricity suppliers to residential customers.
Additionally, unrelated to demand charges, electricity suppliers often charge a higher rate for the consumption of electricity for commercial and residential customers during certain times of day when overall demand on the electricity supplier is greater, which is often but not always during the early afternoon hours.
In addition, many electricity suppliers compensate customers to agree in advance to lower their electrical usage if requested to do so by the electricity supplier. These programs are often called demand response programs. Typically, but not always, the electricity provider requests that the customer lower its usage at times when overall demand on the electricity supplier is unusually or unexpectedly high or to provide ancillary services to the utility such as frequency regulation or synchronous reserve. The amount compensated to customers by the electricity suppliers could be annually, quarterly, weekly, daily or otherwise, or any combination thereof. Typically, but not always, the amount compensated to the customer is based, in whole or in part, upon the amount of energy that the customer agrees to cease using for a period of time upon request by the electricity provider demand response aggregator or other third party. The amount of notice provided by the electricity provider to the customer that a reduction of energy taken from the grid by such customer is required varies, but typically is between twenty-four hours and two hours. The duration that the customer is required to reduce its energy taken from the grid varies, but is typically between one and six hours.
It is commonly known to those skilled in the art when to use energy, whether generated by one or more generators, the electric grid, other sources, released from a battery energy storage system or any combination thereof, to receive improved consideration for such energy, or to reduce energy costs by reducing demand charges, by reducing consumption charges or by participating in demand response programs.
Systems and methods for managing a power system are described. The power management system is made of several components that enable an end user of energy at the local level to use electricity from (1) the electric grid, (2) one or more energy generators or fuel-powered turbines, including, but not limited to, natural gas generators, fuel cells, diesel generators, bio-diesel generators, ethanol generators, propane generators, biogas generators and kerosene generators, or (3) a combination of any or all of these sources. In addition, the power management system may or may not be integrated with a battery energy storage system.
The power management system determines whether to draw power from the following and, if power is being drawn from more than one the following, in what amount from each, (a) the grid, (b) the energy generator(s), (c) the battery energy storage system, if integrated into the power management system, or (d) a combination thereof, depending upon the following:
An end user of energy at the local level would include, but is not limited to, a commercial building, a group of commercial buildings, a residential building, a group of residential buildings, a single or a group of apartment buildings, a farm or group of farms, a commercial factory, a government building or any other individual or group of free-standing structures that are connected to the electric grid.
According to some embodiments, the end user's peaks of electricity demand from the electric grid will be reduced by using energy from the generator(s) and/or the battery energy storage system when the end user's electricity demand from the electric grid is, or is expected to be, at its greatest. By reducing its highest demand, or peek demand, from the electric grid over a period of time, typically a billing cycle from the electricity provider, the end user can receive cost savings from the utility company via a reduction of its demand charges, distribution charges or other similar charges, fees or taxes that are often charged by utility companies. In addition or alternatively, an end user can receive cost savings by using energy from a generator(s) and/or the battery energy storage system instead of energy from the electric grid when the consumption charges are relatively high. In addition or alternately, according to some embodiments, an end user can successfully participate in and/or comply with demand response programs, and receive and/or keep the associated payments, as a result of energy from the generator(s) and/or the battery energy storage system offsetting some or all of the reduction of energy taken from the grid as required by the demand response program.
The invention is herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. With specific reference now the drawings in detail, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purpose of illustrative discussion of the preferred embodiments of the present invention only, and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the invention may be embodied in practice. The accompanying drawings do not include an integrated battery energy storage system.
In describing the preferred embodiments of the invention which are illustrated in the drawings and otherwise, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, it is not intended that the invention be limited to the specific terms so selected and it is understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.
Embodiments of the disclosed subject matter relate to systems methods software and devices for managing a power system. In the power management system, energy generated through one or more energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) is used by the end user of the system or released into the electric grid in order to reduce the electricity bill of the end user at times when (1) the end user's power loads taken from the electric grid are relatively high, or expected to be relatively high; and/or (2) consumption charges are relatively high, or expected to be relatively high; and/or (3) the customer has been notified, directly or indirectly, including, without limitation, through a third party, that such customer's electricity taken from the grid must be reduced to comply with or participate in a demand response program.
The principles and operation of a power management system according to the embodiments may be better understood with reference to the drawings (
Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
Referring now to the drawings,
The power management system 10 determines when to utilize the generator(s) by:
The power output generated by the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 can vary. The power management system 10 determines the rate of power that the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 are to generate by:
The power management system 10 may combine any or all of the manners in which it determines when to generate energy from the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 with any or all of the manners in which it determines how much energy to generate by the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14.
The power management system 10 generates power from one or more energy generators and/or fuel-powered turbines 14 when the end user's power load 20 that is taken from the grid power 12 is higher than set or calculated values, or expected to be higher than such values, or at previously determined times. Among the advantages of this timed release may be (a) a reduction in the end user's power load 20 that is taken from the grid power 12, (b) an offset of the more expensive consumption charges of the end user, typically during peak usage times, and/or (c) the ability to reduce the end user's power load 20 that is taken from the grid power 12 in order to quality has for, or satisfy the obligations of, demand response programs.
The power management system 10 utilizes energy that is generated from the electric grid 12 and/or one or more energy generators and/or fuel-powered turbines 14. The power management system 10 utilizes the energy created by the energy generators and/or fuel-powered turbines 14 to work with the grid power 12 to fulfill the end user's power load 20
The energy created by the energy generators and/or fuel-powered turbines 14 is created in the form of DC power and then may be inverted to AC power by the applicable inverter(s) 16 and may be:
The end user's circuit breaker 18 is the central point where at least one of energy sources 12, 14 in the power management system 10 are brought together when being used to fulfill the end user's power load 20
The end user's power load 20 uses the power (kW) and energy (kWh) that are being supplied by the power management system 10 from grid power 12 and energy generators and/or fuel-powered turbines 14. In certain cases, the power management system 10 will monitor the end user's power load 20 taken from the grid 12 to determine when to utilize the energy created by the energy generators and/or fuel-powered turbines 14 and, in certain instances, at what rate such stored energy is created.
The automatic transfer switch/synchronous switch(es)/inverter(s) 16 monitors, receives and analyzes data from the grid 12 and from the energy generators and/or fuel-powered turbines 14 to determine when to (1) synchronize energy created by the energy generators and/or fuel-powered turbines 14 with grid power 12 and/or (2) reduce the amount of energy taken from the grid 12 as a result of the energy being generated by the energy generators and/or fuel-powered turbines 14.
The power management system 10 begins its cycle, which is typically 24 hours long but can be of any duration, with its energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 turned off or in standby mode, which means no significant amount of energy is being generated by the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 for the end user.
In step 54 the power management system 10 obtains the time of day from its control electronics to determine in step 56 whether the time of day is within the range of times of day in which the power management system 10 directs the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 to generate energy. If in step 56 the time of day is not within the range of times in which the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 is directed to generate energy, the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 may be turned off in step 60, if not already off, and the power management system 10 returns to obtain the time of day in step 54, and continues such a cycle of steps 56, 60 and 54 until the time of day is within the range of times in which the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 is directed to generate energy.
If in step 56 the time of day is within the range of times in which the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 is previously determined to generate energy, in step 58 the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 are turned on and operated in step 62, and the automatic transfer switch/synchronous switch(es)/inverter(s) 16 is directed to use the energy generated from the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 at a previously determined duration and rate of use. After the energy generation in step 58 has begun based on the previously determined parameters, the power management system 10 then evaluates in step 66 whether to continued to direct energy to be generated from the energy generator(s) 62 and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 by obtaining the time of day from the control electronics 64 to determine whether the time of day is within the range of times of day in which the power management system 10 directs the automatic transfer switch/synchronous switch(es)/inverter(s) 16 to continue to generate energy from the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14.
If in step 66 the use the energy generated from the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 is determined not completed, the power management system 10 repeats steps 62, 64, and will continue to repeat this cycle of steps 62, 64 and 66 until the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 are no longer directed to use energy.
The power management system 10 begins its cycle, which generally consists of 24 hours but can be of any duration, with its energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 turned off or in standby mode. In step 104, the power management system 10 determines in real-time or close to real-time the end user power load 20 taken from the electric grid 12, which is determined by (a) taking such reading from the end user's circuit breaker 18, (b) subtracting from grid power all amounts of other energy being contributed to the end user's power load 20, (c) as otherwise determined by the power management system 10, or (d) any combination of the foregoing.
If in step 106 the end user's power load 16 taken from the electric grid 12 is not at or in excess the previously determined threshold at which the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 is directed to create energy, the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 is turned off in step 110, if it is not already in such mode, and the power management system 10 returns to step 104 to determine if the plant load from the grid is greater than or equal to preset levels.
If in step 106 the end user power load 20 taken from the electric grid 12 is at or in excess the previously determined threshold at which the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 is directed to create energy, in step 108 and 112, the automatic transfer switch/synchronous switch(es)/inverter(s) 16 is directed to use energy from the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 at a previously determined amount of energy creation.
If in step 116 the end user power load 20 taken from the electric grid 12 remains at or in excess the previously determined threshold at which the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 is directed to create energy, then the power management system 10 repeats step 112, and will continue to repeat this cycle of steps 112, 114 and 116 until it is determined in step 116 that the end user's power load 20 taken from the electric grid 12 is no longer at or in excess the previously determined threshold at which the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 is directed to create energy.
If in step 116 the end user's power load 20 taken from the electric grid 12 is no longer at or in excess the previously determined threshold at which the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 is directed to create energy, the power management system 10 in step 120 determines if the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 have created energy for more than the previously determined minimum amount of time for such energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 to create energy. If in step 120 it is determined that the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 have created energy for more than the previously determined maximum amount of time, then the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 are turned off and the power management system 10 returns to step 104 to determine if the plant load from the grid is greater than or equal to preset levels. If in step 120 it is determined that the energy generator(s) and/or fuel-powered turbine(s) 14 have not created energy for more than the previously determined minimum amount of time, then the power management system 10 returns to steps 112, 114 and 116 and, if applicable, step 120 in order to create energy for more than the previously determined minimum amount of time.
It should be understood that the disclosure described above to the details of construction and arrangement of the components set forth herein. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Variations, alternations and modifications of the foregoing are within the scope of the present invention. It also being understood that the invention disclosed and defined herein extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text and/or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the present invention. The embodiments described herein explain the best modes known for practicing the invention and will enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention.
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/669,821, filed Jul. 10, 2012, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61669821 | Jul 2012 | US |