Patent Application
20190393721
This disclosure generally relates to the management of energy routing in an electricity distribution network.
The electricity distribution network, whether in a neighborhood or inside a building, currently transmits alternating energy (AC) for which the origin and destination is not fully traceable today.
It is therefore not possible to certify that a customer who buys “green” energy (from solar, wind, or other renewable energy channels), at a given time T, is actually consuming such energy.
Moreover, the 2020 French thermal regulations require that new houses be equipped with means for producing local energy as well as a storage means, both of them using direct electrical energy (DC), in order to move towards a home that is energy-autonomous.
In addition, in this current digital era, older uses of electricity include electronic components that require converting alternating energy into direct energy in order to operate. This therefore involves widely distributed converters in order to supply power to light-emitting diode (LED) devices, devices such as computers, terminal battery chargers (telephones, tablets, etc.), and more generally all brown goods, and increasingly more and more white goods.
The electrical architecture for the production, distribution, and use of energy in the home must also take into account the multiple losses associated with energy conversion, must be able to provide AC power for existing equipment as well as DC power for new equipment or permit its direct use, providing secure energy according to the priorities, characteristics, availability, and traceability of energy at the lowest possible cost.
Moreover, in France, Ruling No. 2016-1019 of Jul. 27, 2016 concerning shared collective self-consumption of electricity requires that tools be put in place such as, for example, an energy exchange platform at the scale of a neighborhood and/or of a low voltage (LV) substation and/or of an outgoing line of an LV substation.
Today, there is indeed a market for offers to purchase “green” energy (from renewable energy sectors). However, the current that is consumed at any given time does not provide any information on its origin. There is of course the known “blockchain” technology as applied to energy, for validating the fact that a producer is contracted to provide a consumer with renewable energy. However, there is a lack of formal “labeling” of the current at the moment it is used that can guarantee a match between the current produced in one place and the current consumed in another. In any case, such a method could not typically be implemented to deliver alternating current using an associated conventional transmission of data.
A tool is therefore needed that is capable of listing the transactions between producers and consumers, and in particular is capable of tracking an amount of electrical energy received from a producing entity and intended for a consuming entity.
This disclosure can improve the situation.
To achieve this, it offers a method for delivering an amount of electrical energy between an energy producing entity and an energy consuming entity. This amount of energy is delivered via an electricity distribution network in the form of at least one temporal flow of electric power, at a constant level for at least the main part of the flow.
In particular, to identify the delivery via the network, the flow further comprises an additional part comprising delivery identification data. This additional part is where the electric power is modulated in amplitude, the additional part thus having periods when the electric power is lower than said constant level of the main part of the flow.
The term “electric power modulation” should be considered in the general sense and may include both direct power modulation, but also possibly voltage modulation (in direct current (DC), the effect of this is essentially to modulate the power).
Furthermore, the above phrase “via an electricity distribution network” is understood to mean using a local sub-network of the general electricity distribution network, typically such as the low voltage network, for example.
So, in one variant, as the amount of energy is delivered as direct current, said additional part of the flow comprises times when the voltage of the flow is zero. Modulation is applied to the voltage in order to encode the delivery identification data into two binary values corresponding to a zero voltage and a maximum voltage, the maximum voltage corresponding to the constant level of power of the main part of the flow.
In one particular variant, the energy delivery is carried out by a transmission of a plurality of successive packets of temporal flows, each comprising a main part of the flow and an additional part comprising delivery identification data, the additional part of the flow preceding the main part of the flow in each packet. It is further understood that the disclosure can be implemented in the case of delivering a single packet therefore comprising a single flow, if this single packet is sufficient to provide the amount of electrical energy required.
In the case of delivering multiple packets, these packets may be spaced apart in time by a chosen duration of synchronization of the distribution network, during which the power is zero. This synchronization duration may allow entities receiving the packets to start reading the packet header (the aforementioned additional part) in order to extract the data encoded therein.
The identification data may comprise, for example:
The identification data may further include:
In addition, a timestamp may be provided in these data in order to time stamp the delivery of the flow, or these data may be received by a computing device which then applies this time stamp onto the data received for certification of the delivery date.
Furthermore, the identification data in each current packet may comprise:
Therefore, this embodiment makes it possible to identify packets relating to the same delivery and their order, in order to await the receipt of any additional packets.
The method may then comprise the steps implemented by a computing device connected to the producing entity:
It is advantageous to use an electrical energy router to transmit the flow with said additional part to the consuming entity.
This may be a “smart” router such as the type described in WO-2014/147437.
The aforementioned computing device may be integrated into the router or directly connected to the energy meter of the producing entity.
The method may also comprise at least the following steps implemented by the consuming entity:
In one embodiment, the method may also include at least one subsequent step implemented by the consuming entity:
This disclosure also provides a system for implementing the above method, comprising an electric power generating entity and an electric power consuming entity, and further comprising at least:
This disclosure also concerns the first device alone in such a system. It is then configured to apply a modulation to the additional part of the flow encoding the delivery identification data.
This disclosure also concerns the second device alone in such a system, which is then configured to verify the delivery identification data in said additional part of the flow and to store said data in memory.
This disclosure also concerns a computer program comprising instructions for implementing the above method when this program is executed by a processor.
The disclosure thus makes it possible to have a new DC distribution architecture capable of routing and tracing the origin of energy packets by implementing a simple data transmission protocol, and does not require any additional means other than a simple computing tool. More particularly, this computing tool is carefully programmed using a computer program to apply the aforementioned modulation and thus incorporate the data concerning the source of the energy, directly into the energy flow supplied to the consuming entity.
Therefore, the disclosure has an advantageous but non-limiting application in the context for example of supplying energy peer-to-peer on demand, with the possibility of tracing the source of this energy. So, at any time, a local producer can provide energy to a consumer who wants to consume locally and this tool allows the exchange to be tracked.
In this type of application, the disclosure proposes a reconsideration of the concept of energy distribution, labeling the source of the current for traceability, and the concept of routing these energy flows within a neighborhood, a low-voltage station, or a feeder. This will facilitate peer-to-peer exchanges between energy producing entities and consuming entities at a given moment and at an attractive cost, particularly in order to respond to the aforementioned draft ministerial ruling concerning “shared collective self-consumption”.
Other advantages and features of the disclosure will be evident when reading the following detailed description of some variants of the disclosure and examining the attached drawings, where:
First we will refer to
So, in these exchanges and transfers of energy traveling through the electricity distribution network (RES), it is appropriate to organize these exchanges and to structure them so that the electricity distribution network is preserved. To organize these exchanges, a transaction platform PF can be provided, through which the various consuming entities EC1, EC2 can request given amounts of energy, with for example a preference concerning the nature of the production of these amounts of energy (for example, renewable or other types of energy; or energy from local production, whether neighboring or otherwise for example). For example, the platform PF may be connected by power line communication or other means (such as an Internet communication via a cellular network or the switched network) to computing devices DIS for each entity EP1, EP2, EC1, EC2 in order to organize each transaction and, in particular for:
Once the amount of energy is delivered by the producing entity, it is transferred via the network, using the respective routers ROU of the producing entity and the consuming entity that define the inputs of the network RES. These are typically routers such as those described in document WO-2014/147437.
Hereafter, the provisions used for structuring the exchanges of electrical energy via the electricity distribution network are described in particular, followed by a particular means of implementation.
Referring now to
The computing device DIS of the producing entity EP then generates a code corresponding to these data, with the aim of applying this code as a modulation of the temporal flow of power as described below.
Indeed, in step S3, the producing entity delivers the requested amount of energy in the form of a temporal flow of electric power (which can correspond more precisely to a succession of packets P1, P2 as will be seen further below with reference to
Then, this temporal flow, possibly in the form of packets, is transmitted via the network RES by the router ROU of the producing entity. It transits from router to router in the network, according to a point-to-point mode in the example described, and, more particularly, each router that does not recognize the identifier of the associated entity (KO arrow exiting test S4) ignores this flow and transmits it to a neighboring router (step S5). However, the router ROU of the consuming entity which is declared in the encoded data at the beginning of the flow recognizes in these data the identifier of the consuming entity to which it is directly connected (OK arrow exiting test S4). This router ROU then transfers this temporal flow to an energy storage means such as a battery or inverter to which it is connected (as illustrated in
With reference to
In the example in
All these data are encoded in a first part AC of the flow, called the “additional part” above. A subsequent part PP of the flow, referred to as the “main part” above, has bits set to “1” in order to transmit as much energy as possible. Finally, at the end of the packet a few check bits CRC may be provided (as is done for frame checks in ETHERNET or other communications).
In the example shown in
In practice, in the embodiment illustrated where the energies come from solar or wind power, the current is direct (DC mode) and the voltage is low voltage, for example 48 volts or more, as detailed below. In this embodiment, rather than modulating the power delivered in the temporal flow, the voltage can be modulated (simply by means of a switch function) by applying the binary values “0” or “1” corresponding to the respective levels of a zero voltage or a maximum voltage of 48V for example.
It is provided for this purpose that the computing device DIS associated with the producing entity EP performs this modulation to encode these data in binary in the voltage v, in order to deliver a corresponding power, thus modulated and sent into the network via the router ROU of the producing entity. For this purpose, the computing device DIS comprises a communication interface COM with the router ROU, as well as a processor for applying the encoding and a memory MEM storing the instructions of a computer program according to the disclosure. Working together with the memory MEM, the processor executes these instructions in order to apply the aforementioned encoding.
Moreover, the device DIS applies a synchronization duration Ts (specific to the network) between the successive packets P1, P2.
More specifically, a network control entity may define an instantiation of the packets transmitted by each producing entity (similar to a “scheduler” in the telecommunications field). This may involve, for example, the platform PF defining, after each transaction, the start times of each energy packet requested via the network. For example, the platform can define the duration of the synchronization Ts between two packets P1, P2 sent by the entity EP. Of course, each device DIS refers to the same network clock in order to transmit its packets. Alternatively, for local low voltage branches of the network (downstream of a HV/LV transformer sub-station) to which few producing entities are connected, simply the packet transmission times may be programmed for each producing entity (for example at times assigned to each entity and fixed within the day).
Reference is now made to
Now described more specifically, with reference to
The following describes possible details and perspectives for the implementation of the disclosure.
For example, it is possible to rely on a plurality of energy flow routers (ROU) (of the type described in WO2014147437), located in businesses and/or homes and/or a vehicle charging station and/or within an HV/LV (for “high voltage/low voltage”) substation each having one or more DC power distribution networks (of a suitable voltage for the topologies and uses). These energy flow routers can then assume the same switching role as a router in data transmission networks, ensuring and tracking the transmission of energy packets from point A to point B.
Such an architecture makes it possible to implement the transmission of electrical energy in packets, similarly to successive frames of data.
These energy routers (ROU) can directly integrate the aforementioned computing devices DIS, so that they ROU have an artificial intelligence that can be characterized by a multi-agent system (MAS). A MAS agent is then an at least partially autonomous entity, comprising:
The platform PF itself has an artificial intelligence that enables, on request, searching for and providing the amounts of energy to buy or sell on a grid at the best price, based on the types of energy and the times of day. The platform PF is therefore a transaction agent that links the electrical equipment that wants to consume and the energy source, and keeps record of the energy exchanges for a billing agent which bills in energy units, hereinafter referred to as “WattCoins”. An analysis agent for analyzing predictions and actuals may be provided in connection with the platform, to enrich the predictions and knowledge for MAS agents.
Therefore, it is possible to provide energy flow routers placed in an eco-neighborhood, comprising an HV/LV DC electrical transformer substation, a local service platform for managing peer-to-peer energy exchanges, electrical energy storage means (inverters or other), and means of production (solar, wind, or other). Each home of this neighborhood can (and eventually will) have means for local energy production and electrical storage. So, a smart router having an agent for analyzing and creating DC energy packets in homes, charging stations, and an HV/LV substation, enables the transformation of AC and/or DC electrical energy into DC energy packets, for transmission to a consumer or for reception of these packets from a producer in order to transform them into AC and/or DC electrical energy. An advantage of this implementation is that it allows the development of new services such as energy on demand, green energy, provenance, etc.
Indeed, the transmission of energy can be carried out continuously (AC and/or DC), in which an amplitude modulation is applied in order to encode, in binary, the data to be transmitted. In direct current DC, a square signal can be generated as shown in
This hashing means data can be introduced in distributed flows. In order to achieve energy exchanges between one or more producers and one or more consumers, typically the concepts of addressing, traceability, labeling, pricing (real or virtual currency, coupons etc.) are introduced, also with synchronized clocks at a neighborhood scale (for example, synchronization with the atomic clock in a transformer substation).
A digital encryption key may be provided for creating a digital certificate encoded in the header of the packets, comprising, as an example for France, an identifier of the electrical point of delivery for a home, a business, charging stations within the distribution network. This is the digital signature of the place of production or consumption. For example, this is automatically available in LINKY® type communicating meters under the name NMP (“Network Measurement Point”), when only one meter is needed to measure the consumption and production of an electrical facility, if the latter is only the surplus energy sold and not self-consumed.
For this purpose, a device DIS ensuring the analysis and creation of DC energy packets is able to create a power supply frame, based on the negotiations made for a duration such as a day by the energy exchange platform in the neighborhood (connected to an intelligent agent acting as a “trader”). The device DIS can cooperate with a DC voltage generator generating voltage of magnitude v (which for example may be 48, 400, or 1500V) as input, in order to generate as output a conventional data frame such as “Ethernet or other”, but particularly here in the form of a power supply frame intended for a consumer of the neighborhood who also has a device DIS for reading.
On the distribution network there are, therefore, energy packets continuously being transported that have multiple sources and destinations (which in this sense is similar to direct current). Each energy packet is separated by synchronization information of duration Ts. Each receiving device DIS, after detection of this synchronization, reads the header of the new packet that is traveling through, in order to determine whether or not it is the recipient. If it is the recipient, it can control the storage of the energy, but if it is not, it waits for the next synchronization.
As shown in
There is no specific relationship between durations T0, T1 on the one hand and the synchronization period Ts on the other. The durations may be equivalent or different or may not even correspond at all if the synchronization information was, for example, a frequency or a pulse with a characteristic form in its voltage, frequency, and duration.
In contrast, on the consumer side, the agent for analyzing and creating DC energy packets of the device DIS makes it possible to determine whether the packets received come from the producer with which the consumer has made an offer to purchase via the platform, if the energy packets are indeed for it, how many packets it still has to receive, whether the energy received is of renewable origin or not, is local or not (called “green” or “red”).
The set of energy frames are then stored in an inverter, a battery, an ultra-capacitor, an electric vehicle, or other, to be converted into energy (comprising the identification bytes in order to compensate for any network losses). Next, it is possible to pull this energy from storage for the electrical uses concerned by the consumer.
Moreover, it is not always necessary to wait until all the energy packets have been received in order to start using this energy. It may be advisable, as is the case when streaming a data file, to use the inverter OND as a buffer memory, a memory that is all the more beneficial if using an “ultra-capacitor” type of technology because the charging and discharging cycles are faster and potentially more numerous.
To carry out these peer-to-peer energy exchanges, the collaborative platform (PF) which brings together the client/producer collects, for a neighborhood or for a low-voltage branch (or feeder) of the network, the energy availabilities and requirements, current pricing, and possibly the virtual exchange currency “Wattcoins”.
Depending on the energy requirements identified, a request for energy can be sent from a consuming entity to the collaborative platform for an amount Q, for and within a given time T, with the type of energy chosen. The platform selects a list of producers (in the neighborhood or upstream of the HV/LV substation) that are likely to provide this amount of energy for this length of time, as well as the various rates offered. The energy can come from one or several producers depending on the amount requested, the rate differences, the type of energy, and the number of “Wattcoins” the consumer has.
Once the requesting device has validated the transaction with the platform, the terms for the quantity, time, cost, and energy type, the platform directly links the devices of the producer and consumer, and if necessary the HV/LV substation for the switching, by transmitting the respective address identifiers to each of them.
The consumer device can submit its request to the producer(s) selected for its request for an amount (Q) of energy, possibly renewable, according to the pricing and the time requested. The device of the producer or producers generates energy packets that will be received by the device of the consumer.
Once the number of energy packets has been received, as an example, a frame for an exchange between consumer and producers and/or between consumer, trading platform, and producers, may be provided as notification to pay the number of “Wattcoins” provided, by means of a billing agent connected to the platform for example (or in the form of a computer module stored in each device DIS). The sale makes it possible to obtain Wattcoins which in turn make it possible to buy energy or electricity usage time or recharging for an electric vehicle in the neighborhood.
Such an embodiment allows tracked peer-to-peer exchanges of energy between producers and consumers in a same LV feeder, in a private area at the scale of a neighborhood, of a low voltage substation (LV), or of an LV outgoing line, or within a building, housing between two facilities, guaranteeing the provenance of the production of electric current (green energy or not, local within the eco-neighborhood, or national, etc.).
The energy flow routers can then assume the same switching role as a router in data transmission networks, ensuring and tracking the transmission of energy packets from point A to point B, as with communications within a telecommunications network.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 62741 | Dec 2016 | FR | national |
This application is the U.S. national phase of the International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2017/083522 filed Dec. 19, 2017, which claims the benefit of French Application No. 16 62741 filed Dec. 19, 2016, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2017/083522 | 12/19/2017 | WO | 00 |
