U.S. patent application number 14/959798 was filed with the patent office on 2016-07-07 for power management device and system.
The applicant listed for this patent is Gram Power, Inc.. Invention is credited to Jacob Dickinson, Yashraj Khaitan.
Application Number | 20160197478 14/959798 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47627479 |
Filed Date | 2016-07-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160197478 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Khaitan; Yashraj ; et
al. |
July 7, 2016 |
POWER MANAGEMENT DEVICE AND SYSTEM
Abstract
An intelligent user-side power management device (PMD) that is
comprised of an optional energy storage unit and can interface with
a utility grid or microgrid to eliminate power theft and
efficiently provide clean energy to the users of the grid while
helping the grid to do smart demand response management,
particularly for renewable energy based grids that need to
efficiently manage the slack due to the large variability in power
generation through these energy sources.
Inventors: |
Khaitan; Yashraj; (Berkeley,
CA) ; Dickinson; Jacob; (Berkeley, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Gram Power, Inc. |
Berkeley |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
47627479 |
Appl. No.: |
14/959798 |
Filed: |
December 4, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13556532 |
Jul 24, 2012 |
9207735 |
|
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14959798 |
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61514103 |
Aug 2, 2011 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
700/295 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y04S 10/50 20130101;
H02J 3/386 20130101; Y02E 70/30 20130101; H02J 3/381 20130101; H02J
3/383 20130101; Y02B 70/3225 20130101; H02J 2300/28 20200101; H02J
3/382 20130101; Y02E 10/76 20130101; G06F 1/263 20130101; Y02E
10/56 20130101; H02J 2300/24 20200101; H02J 3/004 20200101; H02J
3/14 20130101; Y04S 20/222 20130101; G05B 15/02 20130101; H02J 3/32
20130101; H02J 2300/40 20200101; H02J 2300/20 20200101 |
International
Class: |
H02J 3/14 20060101
H02J003/14; G05B 15/02 20060101 G05B015/02 |
Claims
1-27. (canceled)
28. A multipurpose power management and delivery system coupled to
at least one energy storage device, the system comprising: at least
one power management device operatively coupled to at least one
energy storage device and at least one energy source; at least one
power conversion device for controlling power flow to a load, each
power conversion device operatively coupled to the at least one
energy storage device; a plurality of sensing circuits to sense
external signals from the at least one energy source; and a
controller configured to receive the sensed external signals and to
selectively activate and deactivate the at least one power
management device.
29. The system of claim 28, wherein each power management device is
activatable and deactivatable individually or jointly in
combination with at least one other power management device.
30. The system of claim 28, wherein each power management device is
operatively coupleable to at least one other power management
device.
31. The system of claim 28, wherein the at least one power
management device forms a grid power management system.
32. The system of claim 28, wherein the energy storage device
comprises a rechargeable battery.
33. The system of claim 28 further comprising a battery manager
that is coupled to the at least one energy storage device and the
controller.
34. The system of claim 28, wherein the at least one energy source
is selected from a group consisting of a solar panel, a solar
array, a wind turbine generator, a micro wind generator, a bicycle
dynamo, a micro hydro power plant, and a utility grid.
35. The system of claim 28, wherein the at least one energy source
is structured and arranged to charge the at least one energy
storage device without required conversion or external voltage
regulation.
36. The system of claim 28, wherein the at least one power
management device comprises at least one of a submeter for metering
AC power supply, a submeter for metering DC power supply, and a
combined converter when operatively coupled to a hybrid grid.
37. The system of claim 28 further comprising a plurality of
filters, each filter operatively coupled to a corresponding energy
storage device and adapted to filter activation/deactivation and
recharging signals from the controller.
38. The system of claim 28, wherein at least one sensing circuit is
adapted to sense external signals from the at least one energy
source.
39. The system of claim 38, wherein the external signals are
capable of at least one of initiating charging of the at least one
energy storage device, initiating discharging of the at least one
energy storage device, modifying a rate of charging of the at least
one energy storage device, modifying a rate of discharging of the
at least one energy storage device, limiting the rate of charging
of the at least one energy storage device, and limiting the rate of
discharging of the at least one energy storage device.
40. The system of claim 28, wherein the controller is structured
and arranged to control signals to provide for at least one of
activation of the power management system and deactivation of at
least one power management device.
41. The system of claim 28, wherein the controller is adapted to
determine whether the system should be on or off depending on
whether there is a fault condition or not.
42. The system of claim 28, wherein the at least one power
conversion device is selected from the group consisting of a DC/DC
converter, an AC/DC inverter, a DC/AC inverter, and AC/AC
converter, and any combination thereof.
43. The system of claim 28 further comprising at least one energy
storage device that is internal to the system.
44. The system of claim 28, wherein the sensed external signals are
received wirelessly.
45. The system of claim 28, wherein the sensed external signals are
received via a wired network.
46. The system of claim 28, wherein the sensed external signals are
received from at least one of a third-party and a preconfigured
server.
47. A method for operating a multipurpose power management system,
comprising: providing at least one power management device, each
power management device activatable and deactivatable individually
or jointly, in combination with one or more additional power
management devices and operationally configured to be coupled to at
least one input energy source; and controlling power flow to a
load, by at least one power conversion device operatively coupled
to the at least one energy storage device; sensing external
signals, by a plurality of sensing circuits, from the at least one
energy source; receiving, by a controller, the sensed external
signals; and selectively activating and deactivating the at least
one power management device based at least in part on the received
external signals.
48. The method of claim 47, wherein the at least one power
conversion device is selected from the group consisting of a DC/DC
converter, an AC/DC inverter, a DC/AC inverter, and AC/AC
converter, and any combination thereof.
49. The method of claim 47 further comprising transmitting
time-synchronized power consumption data from each of the at least
one power management device to a central server.
50. The method of claim 47 further comprising transmitting
time-synchronized power quality data from each of the at least one
power management device to a central server.
51. The method of claim 47 further comprising transmitting
time-synchronized power consumption data from each energy storage
device to a central server.
52. The method of claim 47 further comprising transmitting
time-synchronized power quality data from each energy storage
device to a central server.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE OF RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit
of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/556,532, filed on Jul. 24,
2012, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No.
61/514,103 filed on Aug. 2, 2011, both of which are incorporated by
reference herein in their entirety. This application further
acknowledges prior patent application U.S. Ser. No. 13/100,957,
filed by the same applicant on May 4, 2011, which is incorporated
by reference herein in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to the power management of
mini grid systems for use in power management units and/or device
system arrays, which can be activated externally for a temporary
period or permanently and that can be plugged in and/or
rechargeable and portable. It can be utilized with a whole range of
energy sources that provide either fluctuating (e.g., solar panels,
dynamos, and the like) or constant power (e.g., a wall adapter or
utility grid) as output. In addition the power management devices
are capable of being stackable and built with theft deterrence and
overload detection capabilities. They are enabled to output a
variety of voltages and variable amounts of power that may be used
to run a variety of end appliances, including, for the purpose of
illustration and not limitation, cellular telephones, personal
stereos, memo recorders, televisions, lights, computers, and
refrigerators. Individual and/or multiple power management
units/devices in operation may be referred to and configured as
such for use as a power management system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The renewable energy boom during the recent past has brought
some significant advances to the energy sector, but renewable
technologies and the conventional electricity grid are not
necessarily suited for each other. A couple of major problems exist
in this area. First, the modern grid operates on AC power, while
renewable energy sources (e.g., solar panels) generate DC power.
The conversion from DC to AC creates avoidable inefficiencies in
the grid, which is further aggravated when the power is converted
from AC back to DC to operate modern DC appliances (e.g., cell
phones, laptops, and LED lamps).
[0004] A second problem with renewable energy sources is their
inherent variability in power output (e.g., solar panels when
shaded), which warrants a large amount of storage in order to
ensure a consistent and reliable power delivery to the nodes of the
grid. In particular, duration of power supply (number of hours in a
day) in rural areas of developing countries and quality of supply
(voltage and frequency) are highly uncertain and intermittent. This
is both expensive and difficult to scale for the grid operator.
Furthermore, traditional grids suffer from power theft, making the
already-expensive renewable energy sources even more expensive. For
example, in India energy theft is a major issue in rural
communities, where distribution companies incur AT&C losses of
over 58% most of which is due to theft and pilferage.
[0005] Moreover, the electricity distribution companies in these
areas charge consumers a minimum fixed monthly fee irrespective of
power supply/consumption. Thus, in several cases people pay more
for electricity than what they actually consume just to maintain
the connection. Most electrical appliances today are DC powered and
the most promising renewable source of power is solar, which also
generates DC power. Thus, in areas where power generation and most
of the consumption is in DC, there is a need for DC transmission
and distribution to reduce power losses through several layers of
conversion.
[0006] Prior art patent publications US 2010/0207448 A1 and US
2012/0080942 A1 are considered as relevant to the present
invention. However, the cited prior art basically describe ideas
and concepts rather than concrete technical solutions to the
problems. These ideas and concepts have been discussed in several
publications prior to the disclosure of the admitted prior art.
[0007] However, the existing grids supplying A.C. power or hybrid
power (i.e., a combination of A.C. & D.C. power), suffer from
distribution problems. In particular, quantum of generation of
non-conventional and variable voltage power (D.C.) is not constant
due to natural uncertainty. Further, the A.C. supply from the grid
is totally irregular particularly in rural areas, and so is the
situation for hybrid supply. In gist, there is no reliable system
and process available for AC or DC power distribution to ensure
equitable and substantially regular power supply by eliminating
power theft, and maximizing the generation/distribution efficiency
by implementing distributed maximum power point tracking and
intelligent energy demand response techniques.
[0008] The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations
related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not
exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become
apparent upon a reading of the specification and a study of the
drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to
propose a smart power grid comprising one or more sources of energy
generation that may supply constant or variable amounts of power, a
central controller with optional remote monitoring capabilities
that can eliminate power theft and control a cluster of power
management devices (PMDs) that are used for efficient monitoring,
controlling, metering, and equitable distribution of electrical
power to the consumers corresponding to different energy
demand-generation scenarios.
[0010] Another object of the present invention is to propose at
least one PMD with optional internal energy storage capacity
interfaced with the smart power grid acting as distributed storage
to allow amortization of storage cost across all users in the smart
grid that in turn reduces the capital and operating costs for the
grid owner.
[0011] Yet another object of the present invention is to propose at
least one PMD interfaced to a smart grid which is enabled to
accommodate an external energy storage device to increase energy
storage capacity.
[0012] A further object of the present invention provides at least
one PMD interfaced to a smart grid, which is configured to
implement an effective demand-response management on the smart
microgrid and equitable power distribution to several appliances,
including devices such as refrigerators, air conditioners, and
heaters having inherent slack to supplement or act as the primary
storage attached to the PMD.
[0013] A still further object of the present invention provides a
PMD that uses the voltage on a grid and is enabled to convert the
supply voltage into useful DC, AC, or hybrid voltages to operate a
large variety of consumer appliances.
[0014] Yet another object of the present invention provides a PMD
that optionally comprises internal, external or hybrid storage,
which can be used for remote slack management by the smart grid to
control charging and discharging of this storage to provide
reliable power to consumers even during low generation levels
without significantly investing in a central energy storage
facility.
[0015] Another object of the present invention provides a PMD,
which is enabled under wired or remote communications mode with the
central grid controller to achieve maximum power point tracking of
variable power generation sources in a distributed manner without
additional devices as with prior art.
[0016] Still another object of the present invention provides a
process for automatic detection of power theft during transmission,
distribution and consumption of power through a PMD interfaced to a
smart grid.
[0017] Yet another object of the present invention provides a PMD
with means for metering the generation and consumption of power
including processing of deposit/credit/outstanding payment
data.
[0018] A further object of the present invention provides a PMD
that allows the users to increase local storage and consumption or
decrease the power consumption corresponding to increased/decreased
power supply.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1--shows a block diagram of a Power Management device
(PMD) interfaced to a DC-micro grid according to the invention.
[0020] FIG. 2--shows a block diagram of a Power Management device
(PMD) interfaced to an AC-micro grid according to the
invention.
[0021] FIG. 3--shows a block diagram of a Power Management device
(PMD) interfaced to a hybrid grid (AC+DC) according to the
invention.
[0022] FIG. 4--shows architecture of the smart grid of the
invention with centralized storage and PMDs with their internal
distributed storage.
[0023] FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C--schematically show processes for
implementing maximum power point tracking under different
generation consumption conditions according to the invention.
[0024] FIGS. 6A and 6B--schematically illustrate the process of
theft detection according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0025] The approach is illustrated by way of example and not by way
of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which
like references indicate similar elements. It should be noted that
references to "an" or "one" or "some" embodiment(s) in this
disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such
references mean at least one.
[0026] Accordingly, there is provided a Power Management Device
(PMD) that can be interfaced to a smart microgrid (using AC power,
DC power, or hybrid power) to address the prior art problems. The
smart microgrid is configured to be of modular construction such
that it can cater to as few as tens of PMDs vis-a-vis consumers and
can be expanded to operate as a utility grid by combining several
smart microgrids with communication means provided between them.
This modularity, inter alia, makes it feasible to provide grid
power without incurring huge capital expense of extending the
utility grid to remote areas. The invention described herein is an
intelligent user-side Power Management Device (PMD) for a smart
microgrid that may use distributed energy storage.
[0027] The smart microgrid of the invention works with A.C, D.C.,
and hybrid power, from source to appliances. The grid is capable of
working but not necessarily limited to solely working on the
premise of distributed energy storage in which each household or
business contains its own energy storage, amortizing the cost of
energy storage across the entire user base and allowing for
seamless scaling. The smart microgrid has a very low susceptibility
to power theft. Further, the invention allows implementing the
techniques of distributed energy storage and maximum power point
tracking without the use of any additional devices. Referring top
FIG. 4, the smart microgrid according to the invention comprises at
least the following:
[0028] One or multiple conventional or non-conventional power
generation sources 43 and 44 that may generate constant or variable
amounts of power (e.g., solar, wind, biomass, micro, hydro, and the
existing power supply from the grid).
[0029] Distribution wiring that takes power from the generation
station 43 and 44 to one or more fanouts 38, the fanouts 38 acting
as intermediate distribution stations for a cluster of consumers.
From the fanouts 38, power is distributed to the consumers who each
have a PMD.
[0030] A central controller 39 located close to the generation
source 43 and 44 that meters the total amount of power going into
the microgrid and communicates with every fanout 38. The fanout 38
meters the power going through it and communicates with every PMD
that is distributing power through it. All this local communication
is done using a medium that can be wired, wireless or a combination
thereof as the communication protocols used by the PMDs can be
customized for any communication medium. The PMD is designed to
work with pure AC power, pure DC power or a combination of the two,
thereby catering to all forms of power generation in a most
efficient manner. Each PMD among other features is provided with at
least one microcontroller which is independent of whether the input
power is AC or DC, or hybrid.
[0031] The central controller 39 can comprise of a GSM module 45 to
do wireless communication with a remote central server where all
information collected in the microgrid is stored. This server is
connected to the internet to allow grid operators to monitor
microgrid operation remotely. The central server also sends
commands to the GSM module 45 to communicate with any specific PMD,
and further to troubleshoot the technical problem of the microgrid
or turn it on/off. The central controller 39 can also use any other
technology for communication to the remote central server (e.g.,
radio, CDMA, wired communication using Ethernet, etc.)
[0032] The PMD is capable of accepting DC, AC, or a hybrid power
backing of inputs, provides metering information to the grid for
power usage, outputs different DC voltages and a standard AC
voltage to operate a wide variety of appliances, communicates with
the grid for slack management and safe operation, charges the
backup internal storage to provide power during grid downtime, and
provides a user interface to give relevant information to the user.
Furthermore, it can be activated and deactivated to allow
controlled levels of consumption, i.e., the device will remain
active until a certain amount of power flows through it, similar to
how a pre-paid cell phone remains active until the account runs out
of balance. When the PMDs are used in a plural manner a distributed
power storage network results in creating the basis for a power
management system.
[0033] In one embodiment, for AC input into the PMD (FIG. 2), three
levels of circuit protection are provided, which include, for
example:
[0034] A varistor 30 is used in parallel to the supply to protect
the circuit from voltage spikes.
[0035] A fuse (resettable or non-resettable) or a circuit breaker
31 is put in series of power supply to prevent current spike
[0036] In the main meter 37, a current transformer meters the
current flow in the circuit. If the current flow exceeds a
threshold limit, the micro controller 17 shuts off the relay to
protect the internal circuit of the PMD including the appliances
the PMD is powering.
[0037] To meter AC power, as seen in FIG. 2, the PMD samples the
voltage and current of the incoming AC waveform. The sampling rate
is selected to be more than double the frequency of the waveform to
prevent aliasing. The micro controller 17 reads these values
through its Analog to Digital Interface 18. The voltage is read
using a step down transformer and a voltage divider. The
transformer provides magnetic isolation between the power and
controller circuitry to protect the digital circuits.
[0038] Another way to measure the voltage is to adapt a voltage
divider and optocouplers that use different power supplies to
isolate the digital circuitry from surges in the power circuitry.
The current is measured using a current transformer. It can also be
measured using a current sense resistor, hall effect sensor. There
are also integrated circuits available for metering AC power which
can also alternatively, be used in the PMD for metering the power
going through it.
[0039] The power inputted through the main meter 37, in one
embodiment, is caused to:
[0040] output 5 VDC 9 and 13 VDC 8 by using DC-DC converters 14,
29. The DC-DC converter 29 for 13 VDC output can however, be
eliminated if the user does not need strict voltage regulation. In
this case, this output can be directly connected to the local 12V
storage 7 that the PMD charges and the voltage will fluctuate
corresponding to change in storage voltage, operate a variety of
standard AC appliances, and charge the local storage 7 through an
AC-DC charger 33.
[0041] According to this embodiment as depicted by FIG. 2, the DC
outputs are generated through current limited DC-DC converters 14,
29. When the output current goes beyond this current limit, the
voltage drops to maintain the power output as constant. This
voltage is compared against a threshold using an analog comparator
and when it goes below the threshold, the switch (a PMOS or NMOS)
11 is turned off by changing its gate voltage. Accordingly, output
voltage can be safely controlled at a low cost.
[0042] The PMD comprises a battery charger 33 having an AC to DC
converter and a PWM controlled voltage feedback circuit to
precisely monitor the output charging voltage of the converter.
This charging voltage can be modified using a digital
potentiometer, which is controlled by the micro controller 17. The
micro controller 17 receives signals from the smart grid to
increase or decrease PMD's power consumption to which it responds
by tuning the digital potentiometer. The digital potentiometer sets
the negative feedback reference voltage of the battery charger 33,
which alters the PWM of the circuit and changes the charging
voltage.
[0043] The battery charger 33 is calibrated such that a particular
difference between charging and battery voltage leads to a
particular amount of current flow into the battery 7. Hence
changing this charging voltage can precisely control the amount of
power going into the battery 7. Alternatively, this power can be
controlled by using a current sense resistor, a current amplifier,
and an analog comparator 21 in addition to the AC-DC battery
charger 33. The negative feedback reference voltage on the analog
comparator 21 can be changed to alter the PWM of the circuit and
thereby change the amount of current flow into the battery 7. This
local storage 7 is attached to an inverter 16, which converts DC to
AC. During the period, when the grid is unable to supply sufficient
power to serve the loads, the controller 17 switches to the
inverter power thereby reducing the load on the grid. The grid
sends this message to the PMD to switch to battery storage instead
of grid power. However, the grid can continue to supply power to
charge the battery 7 as per power availability.
[0044] In another embodiment of the invention (FIG. 1), when the
input power to the PMD is high voltage DC for example, between
150-250 VDC, which can however be increased or decreased by using
an appropriate DC-DC converter 36 inside the PMD to generate
different useful voltages using the modified input voltage range, a
large variety of renewable energy sources can be used to power the
PMDs.
[0045] A circuit breaker in the form of a circuit protection 1 is
provided to prevent the internal circuitry of the PMD from being
damaged due to a voltage spike in the grid or current surge due to
a short-circuit on the user side. This circuit protection may be
either a mechanical or electrical device, which disconnects the PMD
from the grid in the event of such a spike, and only reconnects the
PMD after some user action (i.e., flipping a switch, pushing a
button, etc.). This is a similar concept to the circuit breakers
commonly found in homes on normal AC grids; however the form of the
circuit breaker 1 may be different than conventional devices to
suit the special requirements of a DC, or AC or a hybrid grid.
[0046] For example, circuit protection is done with unidirectional
zener diodes. It can also be done by using high power transistors
whose gate voltage is controlled by a digital circuit that outputs
high/low based on whether the input voltage is within the
prescribed range or not. For example, a voltage divider network 4
made of resistors can be used to measure the input voltage, which
is compared against a threshold voltage using an analog comparator
21. The output of this comparator 21 is connected to the gate of
the transistor to turn it off when the grid voltage is beyond
prescribed limits and keep it on till it returns within limits.
[0047] The DC-DC converter 36 in the PMD has a dynamically
adjustable output voltage. This voltage is also the charging
voltage of the storage 7. Through grid communication, the PMD
learns when it should consume more or less power and accordingly
adjusts a digital potentiometer connected to the negative feedback
node of the DC-DC converter 36. Tuning this potentiometer, the
output voltage of the converter 36 is changed, which in turn
changes the power going into the battery 7, vis-a-vis the total
power consumption of the PMD. No AC to DC converter is necessary
here since the input power is also DC. This makes the system more
efficient. Alternatively, any technique that allows one to change
the PWM of the DC-DC converter 36 can be used to tune the power
going into the local storage.
[0048] The main meter 37 uses voltage dividers to measure input
voltage and current sense resistor technique to measure the
current. In the All DC PMD (PMD-A), the controller 17 does not have
to measure any frequency, power factor, etc. because in DC, all
power is real power. Each PMD is also programmed for a maximum
allowed current through it. Whenever the meter 37 senses a higher
current, it turns the meter 37 off for a few seconds and indicates
overload through a red LED on the user interface (UI) 22. The
controller 17 then turns the meter 37 back on by switching on all
the output switches. If the overload condition is removed, the
meter 37 stays in the on state, otherwise it repeats this
behavior.
[0049] In one embodiment of the invention, the user interface (UI)
22, in the PMD provides the following data to the user:
[0050] Instantaneous power consumption on an LCD screen or through
segmented displays based on readings from the metering module.
[0051] Total power left for consumption (in the case of prepaid
power). This is determined by calculating the difference between
the total power for which the PMD is activated and the amount of
power consumed, which the PMD has measured since activation.
[0052] Power history: An optional on-device SD card or similar
storage device can be provided to record the history of power
consumption on the PMD. The SD card can then be inserted into a
computer to read the history. Alternately, the data can be
communicated through the modem on an online portal on the Internet
or can be acquired by the central controller 39 through grid
communication.
[0053] Fault indicators are used on the casing of the PMD to
display any communication errors or other fault conditions such as
short circuit or overload. A reset button is provided on the PMD
casing to return the device to normal operation after the fault has
been remedied. The system is allowed to reset itself periodically
in this state to check if the fault state is removed, in which case
the system gets back to the normal state, else falls back into the
fault state.
[0054] The PMD has an optional DC to AC inverter 16 to cater to AC
appliances as well. According to the invention, the internal
storage can be any rechargeable battery pack 7 as the DC-DC
converter 36 takes care of converting the input grid voltage to the
appropriate battery voltage for charging and/or creating an output
voltage to run appliances. The PMD-controller 17 can be programmed
to charge the particular battery 7 that is used in the PMD. The
controller 17 also switches between charging, storing and
discharging the battery 7 based on its communication with the grid.
An example of this communication is a 2-bit input stream that the
grid sends to the PMD.
[0055] One bit determines whether the PMD can be charged or not and
the other bit determines the priority to charge this PMD's storage
as opposed to the storage of other PMDs in the grid. Based on the
state of the battery 7 and this input stream, the PMD controls the
battery switches and allows the battery 7 to charge or maintain its
state. Depending on the state of the battery, the PMD also controls
if the battery 7 should be allowed to discharge or not in order to
ensure that the battery 7 does not over-discharge. An alternate
example for how the communication for switching the battery 7 could
work is that the grid could just send a signal that determines how
much of a PMD's battery 7 should be charged. Thus, if the grid
sends a signal representing 40%, all the PMDs would set a charging
rate (allow more or less current into the battery) to get their
batteries 7 to reach 40% of their charged state. Since a
programmable microcontroller 28 in the PMD interfaces with the grid
communication and controls the internal storage, the PMD can
interface and adapt to any communication system/protocol that the
grid designer or operator might want to use to manage its storage
loads.
[0056] The DC output voltages and input voltage are connected in
parallel to two different stacking connectors placed on the PMD.
This allows two or more PMD units to be stacked on top of each
other. Since input voltage is stacked, a single input cable can
charge/monitor the associated storage of all stacked PMDs
simultaneously, and the meter 4 of the PMD that is directly
connected to the grid will measure the total power going into all
PMDs and communicate that back to the grid. By stacking the
outputs, one can draw more power from a single output connector of
the PMD stack as all the stacked PMDs can now provide power to the
load connected to the specific PMD. Thus, if one PMD can supply 15
W through the 5 VDC output, three PMDs can supply 45 W through the
same 5 VDC output after stacking.
[0057] The limit to how many PMDs can be stacked is determined by
the power rating of the output connector based on which the power
rating of the rest of the circuitry in the PMD is decided.
Alternately, stacking can be implemented by disintegrating the
controller 17, circuit breaker 2, meter 4, and DC-DC converter 36
into one unit and the rest of the power management (storage 7,
different DC and AC output voltages 8, 9, 10, A/D Comparator 21,
switches 11, 15) into another `less intelligent storage unit`. Then
a stack can comprise of one of the former unit that connects to the
grid and does the safety and metering, whereas the other units can
act as the latter storage devices that are centrally controlled
with this former unit. This can reduce the cost of stacking excess
storage devices as the additional devices will have less
functionality, which is being supplemented by the central
controller.
[0058] In another embodiment of the invention, as can be seen in
FIG. 3, the PMDs are enabled to operate under multiple power
generation sources generating both AC and DC power and the
consumption is both AC and DC. In this case, the
PMD-microcontrollers 17 are configured to perform the following
additional functionalities:
[0059] The main meter 37 still meters total DC power going through
the PMD to serve loads through the different DC outputs 8, 9 or the
DC-AC inverter 16 to serve AC loads 10 when AC power is not
available. In addition, there is an AC meter 32 in the PMD that
meters the AC power coming into it. This meter 32 is useful because
if the load needs AC power and the supply is also AC, then the
power can flow straight to the appliance through the 240 VAC output
10 and the inverter switch 16 can be opened. Whenever AC power is
available and there is an AC load on the PMD, the inverter 16 is
shut down to avoid energy losses and power flows straight from the
AC meter 32 to the load.
[0060] The main converter used in this PMD is a DC-DC+AC-DC
converter 36 that can convert both kinds of power to a single 13
VDC output 8 that is used to charge the local storage 7 and power a
5 VDC output 9 and the inverter 16.
[0061] The inventive PMDs are configured with an optional stacking
feature as well. The PMDs have male/female stacking connectors,
which allow multiple PMDs to be physically and electrically
connected together. Once stacked, the DC and AC outputs 8, 9, 10 of
one PMD get connected to the other stacked PMDs. This allows the
user to draw more power from the stacked outputs. To stack DC
outputs, the DC voltages on the respective PMDs are connected
together in parallel with each other. To stack AC outputs, each PMD
has a `phase syncor`. This phase synchronization, in one
embodiment, is implemented by introducing delays in the AC wave
such that the phase of the AC waves of the new PMD entering the
stack is the same as those already existing on the stack before
turning on the connection between the AC outputs.
[0062] According to an advantageous aspect of the invention, the
PMD allows the consumers to purchase power using a prepaid model.
For example, the consumers purchase energy credits to recharge
their meters. These credit data can be transferred into the PMD
using various options--wired communication, wireless communication
using GSM, Bluetooth, infrared, or any other medium that allows
data transfer into the PMD. The meter 37 calculates the amount of
power being consumed and keeps counting down these energy credits.
When the PMD runs out of energy credits, the PMD-controller turns
off the main switch/relay 2, 31 to avoid any further power
consumption.
[0063] As soon as the PMD is recharged with credits, the switch 2,
31 turns back on and power starts flowing again. This prepaid
purchase model has the following advantages:
[0064] It allows the users to pay for exactly the amount of power
consumed; it eliminates payment defaults; and it makes the users
aware of their power consumption, which tends to reduce energy
wastage
[0065] In another advantageous feature of the present invention,
the smart microgrid that uses the power management device (PMD) on
the consumer's end and a central controller 39 on the generation
side, is enabled to implement the process of maximum power point
tracking in a distributed fashion. MPPT, as depicted by FIGS. 5A-C,
is a technique commonly used to maximize the power output of
variable power generation sources 43 by modifying load creating
conditions for the generation source that force it to output the
maximum power that can be derived based on the available sunlight
or wind speed respectively. For example, solar panels have a
maximum power point for a particular amount of solar radiation. If
a consumer tries to draw more current from the panel than what is
available at the maximum power point, then the voltage across the
panel drops significantly and the total power from the panel also
drops down.
[0066] Similarly, if the current drawn is reduced too much, then
the voltage of the panel approaches its open circuit voltage, which
also reduces the product of voltage and current and hence reduces
power output. To prevent these conditions, the prior art uses
expensive maximum power point trackers to control the output
voltage and current of the panels in order to maximize the power
output. Typically, these maximum power point trackers are current
controlled DC-DC converters that control the output current of the
system to maximize output power. MPPTs are also known to be
installed centrally where a system has its central storage or from
where it sells back power to the grid.
[0067] As opposed to the prior art, in the disclosed invention, use
of expensive maximum power point tracker is eliminated and MPPT is
implemented in a distributed manner through intelligent
communications between the central controller 39, the fanouts 38
and the PMDs, which, inter alia, makes the inventive system more
efficient. In one embodiment, the maximum power point tracking for
solar arrays is implemented as:
[0068] The central controller 39 measures the DC voltage and DC
current of the array of solar panels. By multiplying the voltage
and current, the central controller 39 measures the power output of
the solar array.
[0069] The central controller 39 then sends a signal to the fanouts
38 to increase their power consumption by a small amount. This
signal is typically in the form of a percentage.
[0070] Each fanout 38 then transmits this signal to all the PMDs
that it is controlling.
[0071] The PMDs, based on the state of charge of their batteries 7
and the signal describing the percent (%) increase in power, tune
their built-in digital potentiometer to increase the power going
into their local storage 7. If their storage 7 is full, then they
can also directly control power going into devices such as heaters,
air conditioners, refrigerators, etc. which inherently have
slack.
[0072] The fanout 38 collects information from the PMDs on how much
power consumption has been increased and relays this information
back to the central controller 39. If the total power increased is
less than what the central controller 39 warranted, then the fanout
38 sends a further increase signal to the PMDs and does this till
the power is increased to the same amount that the central
controller 39 required.
[0073] The central controller 39 now again measures the total power
output of the panels. If the load increased is much more than the
panels could handle, then the voltage of the panels is likely to go
down significantly, and this would lead to an overall fall in power
output. In this case, the central controller 39 transmits commands
to the fanouts 38 to reduce power consumption till the panels start
outputting the same levels of higher power as earlier. Conversely,
if the power output went up, the central controller 39 asks the
fanouts 38 to further increase their power consumption till it
detects the peak power position of the solar array.
[0074] To ensure grid stability, a central storage (battery) 42 may
also be installed in the system. The size of this storage 42
depends on the size of the microgrid and the time it takes to
receive data from all the fanouts 38 and PMDs. With the central
storage 42, the peak power can easily be detected by adding a meter
to measure the power coming out of the central storage 42. As long
as there is no power coming out of the central storage 42 and all
power is coming out from the panels, the central controller 39
continues to command the fanouts 38 to increase their consumption.
The moment the central storage 42 starts supplementing the power
output of the panels, the central controller 39 asks the fanouts 38
to reduce power. The object of this MPPT process is to always allow
maximum power to flow out of the generation source 43, which
implies that minimum or zero power should be supplied from the
central storage 42, thereby reducing the capacity vis-a-vis cost on
central storage 42.
[0075] In a further embodiment of the invention, a process for
detection of power theft in the smart microgrid interfaced with a
cluster of PMDs is provided. Firstly, the inventive PMDs are
configured to be tamper-proof. In one embodiment of the invention,
the PMDs have a light sensor and this sensor is covered with the
casing of the PMD. As soon as an unauthorized person opens the
casing, the PMD shuts itself off and sends a tamper signal to its
fanout 38, which in turn relays this signal to the central
controller 39. The central controller 39 through GSM informs the
grid operator which meter has been tampered with, so that the grid
operator can then take appropriate action. Alternatively, a touch
sensor, electrical contact or any other form of sensing device that
can identify when a meter casing is opened, can be used to detect
meter tampering after which the tamper signal is propagated in the
system through communication.
[0076] However, the second type power theft which is known as
"Distribution Line Tampering", constitutes stealing power directly
from the lines or externally tampering the PMD's meter without
opening the casing. The current invention is capable, as depicted
in FIGS. 6A-B, of detecting and curbing this form of theft as well.
The smart microgrid of the invention typically has more than one
distribution line and each line covers multiple consumers. In one
embodiment, during a no-tamper condition, the central controller 39
communicates with the PMDs through the fanout 38 to measure the
voltage drop on the distribution wire between the generation 43 and
the PMD. This voltage drop allows the central controller 39 to
measure the line resistance between the central controller 39 and
each PMD under normal conditions.
[0077] Through measurement data of the line resistance, the central
controller 39 determines how much power can be consumed based on
generation and line losses on the microgrid. The central controller
39, through communication with the PMD and fanout 38, also
determines the consumption by each fanout 38 and their PMDs. If the
sum of line losses and consumption of the PMDs/fanouts is more than
the total power coming out of the central controller 39, then the
central controller 39 generates a tamper flag, and informs the grid
operator via text message (e.g., through GSM or any other form of
communication to the grid operator's monitoring system) which of
the distribution lines has been tampered with and, if required,
turns off power supply on that distribution line. The central
controller 39 can keep power off for a while and start supply again
to see if the tamper condition has been removed. If it still
exists, the central controller 39 continues to keep the power
supply off.
[0078] As shown in FIG. 4, a smart microgrid comprises one or more
energy generation sources 43, 44. If it is a DC microgrid and one
of the generation sources produces AC power, then this generation
source is connected to a rectifier that converts the AC power into
DC power corresponding to the distribution voltage of the
microgrid. If the generation source is DC, then no rectifier or
voltage converter is necessary as the distribution voltage can be
made to match the generation voltage to avoid any energy losses due
to additional conversions. Conversely, if it is an AC microgrid and
generation is in DC, then an inverter 40 is needed to convert the
DC power into the AC voltage used for power distribution.
[0079] If there is also an AC generator generating power at a
voltage different than the distribution voltage, then a transformer
and phase synchronizer (not shown) are used before supplying power
to the microgrid. The power generated, AC or DC then flows through
a central controller 39 using an electrical wire. The output of the
central controller 39 is connected to a plurality of fanouts 38
each assigned for a group of PMDs (A,B,C) using distribution wiring
through which power flows between the central controller 39 and the
fanouts 38. The fanouts 38 are then connected to all the PMDs
(A,B,C) using distribution wiring to distribute power to all the
PMDs to run the loads. To allow the central controller 39 to
communicate with the fanouts 38 and the fanouts 38 to communicate
with the PMDs, a communication link is setup between these devices.
This link can be wired or wireless. The central controller 39,
fanout 38 and PMD (A,B,C) have communication hardware inside them
to which this wired or wireless link is attached. For example, if
the link is wired, then in one embodiment the central controller
39, fanouts 38, and PMDs (A,B,C) can have RS485 transceivers. If
the link is wireless, the central controller 39, fanouts 38, and
PMDs (A,B,C) can have wireless modems such as radio transceivers,
Zigbee modems, Wi-Fi modems, or anything else that allows wireless
data transfer.
[0080] The central controller 39 can also be connected to a long
distance wireless transceiver 45 such as GSM modem which allows
remote monitoring of the microgrid as the central controller 39 can
now send data collected in the microgrid to a remote central server
(not shown) from where this data can be easily accessed. The smart
microgrid may be provided with a central storage 42, and a charge
controller 41.
[0081] As shown in FIG. 1, the Power Management Devices, at the
user's end comprises at least one circuit protection 1, a switch 2,
and a DC meter 4. At the user end, the PMD(A) comprises, a local
storage 7 controlled by a battery manager 6, and an on-off switch
5. Each PMD(A) has a controller 17 for monitoring and controlling
communication with the grid central controller 39, ensuring maximum
generation and equitable distribution of the power including
metering, theft prevention, distributed maximum power point
tracking, and revenue management. As shown in FIG. 2, PMD(B)
interfaced to a AC-grid similarly comprises a circuit protection
30, a switch 31, and a main meter 37 at grid operator end, and a
local storage 7 with a battery manager 6, a battery charger 33, a
DC-AC inverter 16, at least one DC-DC converter 14, 29, and on-off
switches 34 at the user end, including the microcontroller 17. As
shown in FIG. 3, PMD(C) interfaced to hybrid grid (AC+DC) comprises
two sub-meters 32, 4, two circuit protection 30, 1, switches 31, 2,
a main meter 37, and one DC-DC and AC-DC converter 36, a battery
pack 7 with battery manager 6, a DC-DC converter 14, a DC-AC
inverter 16, a plurality of switches 11,12,15 including a
microcontroller 17.
[0082] The micro controller section 17 of the PMD(A,B,C) collects,
processes, and stores power data, displays relevant information to
the user, communicates with the outside world (such as the utility
grid and activation device), controls actuators such as relays 20
on the PMD, and interfaces 21, 22, 23 with auxiliary devices such
as tamper detectors 26. The central element of the controller 17 is
the processor 28, with peripheral circuitry to supplement the
functionality of the microcontroller 17. The major components of
the controller section, which may be internal to the
microcontroller or implemented in the peripheral circuitry,
are:
[0083] Analog-to-Digital Converter 21 to sample the voltage and
current waveforms of the power signal and transmit them to the
microcontroller 17. The ADC 21 also may be used to sample other
useful signals such as temperature, backup battery voltage, light
levels, etc.
[0084] Digital Inputs and Outputs (I/O) to control external devices
(such as relays, switches) and receive external signals (such as
those from pushbuttons or tamper detection devices);
[0085] Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) to store relevant parameters and
for datalogging. This includes EEPROM (generally used for parameter
storage), flash memory (generally used for datalogging), or any
other memory technology which stores data in the long term;
[0086] Grid Communication Interface 18 to allow the microcontroller
17 to communicate with the utility grid. This may be implemented as
a wired interface (i.e., RS-485, Ethernet, etc.), power-line
interface, or wireless interface (i.e., Zigbee, optical, etc.);
[0087] Activation and Debugging Interface 27 to allow the
microcontroller 17 to communicate with credit recharge devices and
in-field debugging devices. This may be implemented as a wired
interface (i.e., RS-232, USB, etc.) or wireless interface (i.e.,
Bluetooth, infrared, etc.); and
[0088] Real Time Clock 19 to keep track of the time and date.
Grid Communication Interface
[0089] The GCI 18 relays information to and from the utility grid.
Information sent to the utility grid from the PMD may include
self-identification information, power and energy usage, tamper
information, and other relevant data. Information sent to the PMD
from the utility grid may include requests for data, control
commands (such as those for distributed load management
algorithms), time synchronization commands, etc.
Activation and Debugging Interface
[0090] The activation and debugging interface 27 allows further
interaction with the meter than the user interface 22 provides. In
one embodiment, it is a close-range communication interface used by
devices in direct proximity to the PMD. In this embodiment, the
activation and debugging interface 27 comprises an infrared
transceiver on the PMD, which can communicate with an external
device called the Activation Dongle. Activation Dongles contain
power credits and are used by grid operators to recharge the meters
with additional credits for users with pre-paid accounts. As the
name implies, this interface 27 may also be used to gain additional
information about or debug PMDs.
User Interface
[0091] The user interface 22 informs the users of relevant power
usage and account information. This information is displayed on a
screen, with additional indicators such as LEDs if necessary. In
one embodiment, the screen is a twisted-nematic (TN) numeric LCD
screen, with several LEDs to indicate various things.
[0092] Conventionally, this interface 22 would display information
such as power usage in watts and energy usage in kilowatt-hours.
However, since these are pre-paid meters and to improve consumer
understanding of power consumption, the power and energy
information can be displayed in unconventional units related to
money and time rather than absolute engineering units. According to
one embodiment of the invention, the screen alternates between
three quantities: current power usage, expressed as credits/hour;
total running time remaining, taking into consideration current
power usage and credits remaining in the account; and finally,
credits remaining in the account.
[0093] Also, an LED is provided which blinks at a rate proportional
to power consumption to supplement the credits/hour information
displayed on the screen. Finally, LEDs may be provided which
indicate fault conditions such as meter overload or tampering.
[0094] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the known
technique of distributed storage is implemented without the use of
any additional structural device, for de-centralizing energy
storage in the grid, which, inter alia, allows extending the power
storage to the end nodes (e.g., homes, businesses, etc.) and only
retaining a very small amount at the central storage 42 for grid
stability. Each end node (PMD) contains a battery 7 and an inverter
16, allowing it to use its own battery power under the command of
the central controller 39. This technique utilizes a reliable, fast
communication means throughout the grid to execute distributed load
management algorithms and ensure judicious energy distribution on a
low-generation day. Distributed storage also allows a more scalable
grid infrastructure as the amount of storage in the grid scales
directly with the number of users.
[0095] According to the invention, the batteries 7 are placed at
all end nodes (PMDs) of the grid and controlling the PMDs through
communication between the microcontrollers 17 and the central
controller 39, a precise control is exercised over the amount of
power that the grid is consuming from the generation sources 43, 44
at any given time. Not only can the charging of the batteries 7 be
turned on and off, but an entire PMD can be seamlessly switched
from grid power to battery power, thereby temporarily eliminating
its consumption of power from the grid. This is especially useful
in microgrids with limited, non-scalable generation sources such as
solar power. This form of backup capability although can be
provided by the centralized storage 42, however, the distributed
storage adds to the capability of automatically alternating grid
usage between different end nodes, thereby fairly rationing a
limited amount of energy between all of the different end nodes of
the grid.
[0096] In order to implement the distributed storage technique, a
battery 6, a battery charger 3, 33, 36, and an inverter 16 are
provided at the end node including a communication means to control
these devices in the end node (PMD) from the central controller 39.
In one embodiment of the present invention RS-485 communication
protocol is used on the microgrid to connect all of the end nodes
(PMD) with the controllers 17 in the grid. Different forms of wired
communication, power line communication, or a wireless network is
also possible. Additionally, a central controller 39 is provided in
the grid which keeps track of the power, energy, and general state
of all of the nodes in the grid.
[0097] The method of operating the invention can be described with
reference to the drawings as under:
[0098] FIG. 1, when the PMD receives high voltage DC, the power
goes through the Circuit Protection 1, the Switch 2, and the
Isolated DC/DC Converter 36, which are connected using wire or
through traces on a PCB. The DC-DC converter 36 outputs a low
voltage DC, which, inter alia, powers the micro controller 17 and
another parallel trace on the PCB or a wire goes through the main
meter 37. The main meter 37 is connected to the controller 17 which
sends voltage and current readings to the Analog to Digital
Interface 21 of the controller 17. These readings are used by the
processor 28 inside the controller 17 to meter the power going
through the PMD (A).
[0099] After the main meter 37, power goes into the loads through
various AC and DC outputs 8, 9, 10. Power going into these outputs
is controlled by the controller 17 through a switch driver 20 that
turns switches 11,12,15 on or off. If the switches are on, power
goes into the load.
[0100] If the load requires 13 VDC it goes directly into it through
an output DC connector 8 since the output of the isolated DC-DC
converter 36 is 13 VDC as well. If the load requires 5 VDC (as
necessary for USB powered loads), a DC-DC converter 14 is used to
convert 13 VDC to 5 VDC and then through an output DC connector
power goes into the load. If the loads require AC input, then power
goes through a DC-AC inverter 16 that converts 13 VDC to the
appropriate AC voltage (240 VAC in one embodiment) and then power
goes into the load through an output AC connector.
[0101] The DC output voltages are attached to separate voltage
dividers that are in turn connected to the analog pins of the
controller 17. The controller 17 senses changes in the output
voltage and whenever there is an overload state, the output voltage
falls since the DC-DC converters 14 in the PMD are current limited.
When this voltage falls below a threshold, the appropriate switches
11, 15 are shut down through a signal that goes from the switch
driver 20 to the switch 11, 15. After the main meter 37, power also
goes in parallel to the local storage 7 through a switch 5 and a
battery manager 6. This battery manager 6 is connected to the local
storage 7 and it sends data on battery's state of charge, input and
output current to the controller 17, which helps the controller 17
to evaluate how much power should be sent into the battery 7. The
switch 5 is again controlled by the controller 17 through its
switch driver 20 to turn battery charge/discharge on or off.
[0102] In another embodiment the method of working the invention,
when the PMD(B) is receiving AC-input, as depicted in FIG. 2, is
that the power after the main meter 37 goes into the battery
charger 33 and/or to the 240V output. The power from the battery
manager 6 goes into switches 11,12 from where through the DC-DC
converter 29, 14 the PMD (B) provides DC outputs to the loads. The
remaining steps of operation are substantially similar to that
performed by PMD(A).
[0103] In a still another embodiment, when the PMD (C) is receiving
hybrid power (AC+DC), as depicted in FIG. 3, from the grid,
different forms of input power AC or DC come into the PMD (C)
through different input connectors. They pass through circuit
protection 1, 30 and they get metered separately. After metering,
the AC power goes directly into the AC output 10 through a switch
31 or it goes into the combined converter 36 to generate different
DC outputs. When the switch 35 is open, the switch 15 is closed and
when the switch 15 is open, the switch 35 is closed.
[0104] The high voltage DC power goes into the combined converter
36 to get converted into usable low voltage DC. The remaining steps
of the method to be performed by the PMD(C) are identical to that
of PMD (A).
Best Mode and Exemplary Means of Use
[0105] An example as to of how the different elements of the
invention combinedly and synchronously operate the inventive
power-management device in a smart microgrid system, is provided
herein below:
[0106] A plurality of Solar panels 43 are provided for generation
of energy say total 2 kWp capacity;
[0107] A central storage 42 of capacity of at least 500 Wh is
located to provide 15 minutes of backup for grid stability during
which the distributed storage procedure optimizes power generation
from the panels 43 and ensures grid stability;
[0108] A DC-DC converter 41 provides a constant voltage to the
inverter, which is equivalent to the battery voltage;
[0109] A Central inverter 40 converts DC power from the solar
panels 43 and/or batteries 42 into 240 VAC;
[0110] A central controller 39 is installed in the power generation
station enabled to meter total power transmitting into the grid and
communicates with different devices of the smart microgrid,
including the PMDs.
[0111] Main distribution line carrying 240 VAC.
[0112] At least one Fanout 38 from where the wires branch out to
reach a cluster of consumers, the number forming the cluster can be
increased/reduced based on population density and power
consumption,
[0113] User-end of the PMD (B) is provided to each consumer being
connected through the fanout 38,
[0114] A Local storage device 7 inside every PMD is arranged at
user-end being connected to the PMD with a battery charger 33,
[0115] An Optional inverter 16 may be placed at consumer-end to
provide AC backup power when microgrid power is unavailable, and
connected to the PMD through a switch 34,
[0116] Appliances are connected to the power coming through the
PMD, and
[0117] A Communication medium, for example, twisted pair wires to
implement RS485 communication protocol, from the central controller
39 to the fanout 38 and from the fanout 38 to every user-end.
[0118] In the inventive smart microgrid system having the Power
Management devices as disclosed herein, the generated power flows
in following sequences:
[0119] Solar Panels 43, 44 to DC-DC converter 41 to Battery 42
and/or Inverter 40 to Central Controller 39 to Fanout 38 to
Individual PMDs to Appliance and/or local battery 7 and/or inverter
16.
[0120] Similarly, the communication commands/information can flow
between the following devices:
TABLE-US-00001 Sender Receiver Central Controller Fanout DC-DC
converter Fanout PMD Central Controller DC-DC Converter Central
Controller
[0121] This is only one example of how communication can flow. It
is possible for every element in the grid to interact with each
other directly as well if necessary. This hierarchical
communication technique makes the grid more modular and scalable.
For instance, if a PMD (B) has to be added to the grid, it only
needs to indicate its presence to the fanout 38. If a full fanout
38 has to be added, the addition of the fanout 38 is communicated
to the central controller 39 by sending an appropriate command.
Possible Technical Solutions Provided by the Invention Under
Different Conditions:
Condition A
[0122] This condition assumes that Power consumed by the appliances
used by the consumers is less than the solar panel's total
generation. Without the PMD and central controller, the solar panel
is disabled to operate at its maximum power point (MPP) leading to
wastage of power. Alternatively, the PMD and the central controller
39, when operating together, shall be enabled to implement the
solutions as follows:
[0123] The central controller 39 communicates with the DC-DC
converter 41 to measure the total power output of the solar array
43.
[0124] If historical generation data is available, the system is
enabled to predict the total likely generation of the solar array
at a location, and at that time. A step climbing technique is then
used to reach the maximum power point.
[0125] If the central controller 39 detects that the PMD is not
operating at MPP, a command is transmitted to the fanout 38 to
increase its total power consumption.
[0126] Every fanout 38 has a pre-allocated energy capacity based on
the total number of PMD (A,B,C,) to be supplied with power. Based
on the total energy that a fanout 38 has already consumed at a
particular time of the day, from its daily quota/ration, the
central controller 39 prioritizes the fanouts 38 in order of least
consumption of their daily quota. For example, if there are three
fanouts 38 that have a quota of 3000 Wh, 1500 Wh and 5000 Wh and
they have consumed 20%, 50%, and 70%, respectively, of their
assigned capacities, the central controller 39 commands for
example, fanout 1 to increase its power consumption with a higher
priority than fanout 2. Similarly, fanout 2 is provided power with
a higher priority than fanout 3. This technique ensures an
equitable power distribution.
[0127] Similar to the fanouts 38, the PMDs (A,B,C) are allocated
energy capacities as well. Using the same priority technique, as
described in above, the fanouts 38 ask the PMDs (A,B,C) to increase
their power consumption by specific percentage, or by an absolute
amount.
[0128] The PMDs increase their power consumption by storing this
extra power in their local storage 7 by changing their battery
charging current. The PMDs can also use this extra power by
operating additional appliances (e.g., refrigerators, air
conditioners, and raising water through a pump) at the consumer's
end.
[0129] The central controller 39 then measures the new power
consumption.
[0130] The central controller 39 also measures the power being
drawn from the central storage 42.
[0131] If power is not drawn from the central storage 42, then that
would indicate that the consumption is still less than the
potential power generation. So the central controller 39 once again
asks the fanouts 38 to further increase power consumption.
[0132] The process is repeated till some power is drawn from the
central storage 42, at which point the central controller 39 ask
the fanouts 38 to marginally reduce their consumption to avoid
draining out power from the central storage 42.
[0133] The fanouts 38 periodically rotate between different PMDs to
ensure equitable distribution of power to all the PMDs connected to
it.
Condition B
[0134] This condition assumes that Power consumed by the appliances
through the PMDs is more than what the power generators can
generate.
[0135] This situation indicates that a significant amount of power
is drawn from the central storage 42.
[0136] The central controller 39 asks the fanouts 38 to reduce
power consumption using the priority technique as described in
Condition A hereinabove.
[0137] The fanouts 38 then ask the PMDs to stop charging their
batteries 7.
[0138] If the reduction in power is still not sufficient, the
fanouts 38 shut down power supply to the PMD's (A,B,C) using a
priority scheme described in Condition A.
[0139] The PMDs, having no or less power supply, automatically
switch over to use their local storage 7 to continue power supply
to the appliances.
[0140] This condition is maintained until the central controller 39
asks the fanouts 38 to increase their power consumption
[0141] The fanouts 38 periodically rotate between different PMDs to
ensure equitable distribution of power to all the PMDs connected to
it.
Condition C
[0142] This condition presumes that a PMD is tampered to steal
electricity.
[0143] As disclosed earlier, the PMD has a tamper detector on it
which can be in the form of a light sensor, which is connected to
the PMD's controller 17.
[0144] As soon as the PMD casing is opened to tamper the internal
circuitry, the tamper detector/light sensor detects an unauthorized
access and sends a signal to the micro controller 17.
[0145] The micro controller 17 shuts down the main switch 2, 31
stopping power supply to the appliances.
[0146] The micro controller 17 also sends a tamper flag to the
central controller 39 indicating that the PMD (A,B,C) has been
tampered with.
[0147] The central controller 39 communicates a notification to the
grid operator about this tampering.
[0148] In the case that the tampering is done by
disconnecting/corrupting the communication between the PMD and
central controller 39, the central controller 39 communicates a
notification to the grid operator for the same.
Condition D
[0149] This condition applies when power is stolen by tampering the
distribution lines (see FIGS. 6A and 6B).
[0150] The central controller 39 communicates with the fanouts 38
and the PMD (A, B, C) to measure the transmission wire resistance
between the generation station 43, 44 and every connection.
[0151] This combined resistance allows the central controller 39 to
evaluate how much power is consumed on the distribution lines for a
certain amount of power drawn by the entire grid.
[0152] The central controller 39 meters the total power drawn by
each fanout 38 on the microgrid.
[0153] For example, the total power going into the microgrid from
the central controller 39 to a fanout 38 is 1.5 kW. The total power
loss due to resistance on the distribution lines for this load is
105 W (7% as calculated by the central controller 39 based on wire
resistance calculations). Now, say, the fanout 38 indicates that it
is drawing only 1 kW by calculating the combined power drawn from
each PMD. Thus, the central controller 39 detects that 395 W of
power are being stolen on the distribution line.
[0154] The central controller 39 then communicates this tamper
message to the grid operator who inspects the line to detect
theft.
[0155] The central controller 39 can also be programmed to turn
power supply off for this entire line and periodically check if the
tamper condition is removed by briefly turning the power supply
back on.
An Example of Distributed Storage Technique Used by the
Invention:
[0156] Consider a 2 kW solar-powered smart microgrid serving 10
homes. On an average on a clear sunny day, assume that the solar
panels generate a total of 10 kWh. Each of the 10 homes has a PMD
that is attached to a local storage 7. These PMDs have an energy
quota, which is decided based on the type of connection the
consumer selects, consumer preferences, or it can also be set based
on historical data of the consumer's power consumption.
[0157] Since renewable sources of power such as wind and solar have
variable and substantially unpredictable generation levels, a
distributed storage technique and a maximum power point tracking
technique (see FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C) makes power distribution equitable
and more reliable for such sources.
[0158] The energy quota of all the consumers when added up is say,
10 kWh, which the microgrid is likely to generate and sell on an
average day of full sunshine. The problem arises when the
generation levels increase or decrease, which is what this
invention addresses.
[0159] A decrease in generation level from 10 KWh implies that less
than 10 kWh can be sold to the consumers over the day. However, the
essence of the invention is that whatever power is available be
distributed equitably among all the users and simultaneously bar a
small fraction of users from exhausting all the generation by
consuming more power within a short period. To ensure equitable
distribution, according to the invention, the central controller 39
monitors what percentage of energy quota allocated to a PMD is used
up at a certain point of time, and accordingly prioritizes power
supply to those PMDs that have used a lower percentage of their
daily quotas. Below is a hypothetical data snapshot of the daily
quotas of 10 consumers and how much they have used at a particular
time of day:
TABLE-US-00002 PMD Quota (kWh) % Used Up* Energy Left (kWh) 1 1.00
30% 0.70 2 0.50 50% 0.25 3 0.75 10% 0.68 4 2.50 40% 1.50 5 0.50 20%
0.40 6 1.50 80% 0.30 7 1.00 45% 0.55 8 0.25 10% 0.23 9 1.50 40%
0.90 10 0.50 90% 0.05
[0160] This information is automatically recorded in the grid
according to the invention, as the PMDs are metering the amount of
energy consumed and the fanout 38 and central controller 39 can get
this data from them at any point.
[0161] The maximum generation that this hypothetical microgrid can
do is 2 kW. Now, the problem arises on two counts.
Generation is Low & Power Demand is High
[0162] Assuming that instantaneous generation in the grid has
reduced to 1 kW, i.e. 50% of peak capacity which is the maximum
power point of the solar panels at this stage. Hence, if the system
attempts to draw more power, then the panels' voltage vis-a-vis the
total power output shall be reduced because the panels are unable
to operate at their MPP. Further, assuming that the instantaneous
energy demand at this instant is 1.5 kW, the microgrid has to
decide where to channel the available power (1 kw) and how to meet
the excess demand of 0.5 kw.
[0163] Without limiting the scope of the invention, application,
and presuming that all these 10 PMDs are connected to a single
fanout 38, the central controller 39 transmits a signal to the
fanout 38 indicating the amount of power that the fanout 38 can
consume (in this case 1 kW). The fanout 38 then sends commands to
individual PMDs prioritized by decreasing percentage (%) energy
quotas used up by the PMDs, to start switching over from microgrid
supply to their local storage 7 to continue powering their
connected loads. The fanout 38 can also send commands to the PMDs,
in the same priority order as described hereinabove, to reduce the
charging current of their local storage to reduce their overall
power draw. If reducing the charging current reduces the total
power draw to the desired level, then the PMDs don't need to be
turned off from grid supply. Once the fanout 38 measures that the
total power consumption has come down to 1 kW, then it stops
sending `turn off` signals or `reduce charging current` signals to
the PMDs. This process is repeated periodically and the set of PMDs
asked to reduce their power consumption are changed for equitable
energy distribution.
[0164] This simple prioritizing and rationing technique ensures
that available power is always distributed evenly and equitably to
PMDs and also ensures operation of the power generators at their
maximum power point.
Generation is High & Power Demand is Low
[0165] Assume that the instantaneous generation is 1.5 kW which is
the maximum power point of the solar panels at this stage. However,
the demand for power is only 1 kW at this point. Hence, if the
system draws lesser power, then the solar panels' voltage will
increase, current will reduce and the panels will not operate at
their maximum power point, leading to likely wastage of potentially
excess power generation. Since demand is less than supply, the
microgrid has to decide where to channel the available excess
supply.
[0166] In this case, the central controller 39 sends a signal to
the fanout 38 indicating the amount of power consumption that the
fanout 38 must increase. The fanout 38 then sends commands to
individual PMDs, prioritized by increasing percentage (%) of energy
quotas used up to start charging or increase the charging current
of their local storage 7. Once the fanout 38 measures that the
total power drawn has come to the level commanded by the central
controller 39, the fanout 38 stops sending these commands. This
process is repeated periodically to update the set of PMDs that
must start or increase the rate of charging their local storage.
The prioritizing and equitable distribution technique according to
the invention further allows operation of the solar panels at their
maximum power point.
[0167] Although the foregoing description of the present invention
has been shown and described with reference to particular
embodiments and applications thereof, it has been presented for
purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be
exhaustive or to limit the invention to the particular embodiments
and applications disclosed. It will be apparent to those having
ordinary skill in the art that a number of changes, modifications,
variations, or alterations to the invention as described herein may
be made, none of which depart from the spirit or scope of the
present invention. The particular embodiments and applications were
chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the
principles of the invention and its practical application to
thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the
invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as
are suited to the particular use contemplated.
* * * * *