Battery-Based Energy Storage at the Consumer Electronics Level

Abstract

An electrical power supply building system including: an electrical power distribution system configured to distribute electrical power to a plurality of receptacles; one or more load sources; and one or more battery systems associated with each receptacle of the plurality of receptacles and each load source of the one or more load sources.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a nonprovisional application of and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 159,851, filed March 11, 2021, entitled “APPLIANCE LEVEL BATTERY-BASED ENERGY STORAGE” and Attorney Docket No. 0105198-034PR0, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety and for all purposes. [Background technology]

[0002] In 2019, the average U.S. household used 25 kWh of electricity per day, or about 10,000 kWh per year. Under the deep electrification scenario required for full decarbonization (including electrification of all spaces and hot water, vehicles, and cooking), this residential electricity usage would nearly double. As the cost of renewable energy continues to plummet, the question of its dominance is no longer one of cost, but rather one of reliability. The key challenge is balancing time-varying supply with time-varying load so that no household is without power when it is needed. This problem is clearly illustrated by the infamous “duck curve,” which shows the times of day when the available solar resource is greater than demand, and the times when demand exceeds supply. It is now widely recognized that significant amounts of energy storage are needed to enable renewable generation penetration rates above 80%. Projecting the levelized cost of storage technologies into the future, lithium-ion batteries are expected to play a major role in storage applications, being the most cost-effective option for all but the longest duration seasonal and multi-year storage, as well as the sub-second storage needed to stabilise the power grid.

[0003] The hardware cost of these lithium battery packs continues to plummet (continuing to outpace forecasts of the rate of decline) to $137 / kWh in 2020 (a ten-fold decrease in ten years), with credible forecasts now implying costs will now be $100 / kWh by 2023. These prices are realized for Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), where prices have come down significantly as production scales up and factories are set up. The battery cells account for about 80% of the cost, with the remainder coming from the hardware packaging (battery management system, cell interconnects and insulation, and packaging).

[0004] Despite these reductions in BEV packs, stationary battery storage costs have not fallen nearly as quickly or as much. Tesla's Powerwall contains 13.5 kWh of storage capacity, not including significant installation costs, and costs about $8,000 for the hardware alone, with a normalized cost of about $600 / kWh. If the home already has adequate electric service, this could be as little as $2,000, but if an upgrade is required, it could cost significantly more, with $7,000 being a typical figure. This brings the total installed cost of storage to about $750-$1,100 per kWh, an order of magnitude higher than the pack cost of an electric vehicle. The installed price of LG's 9.3 kWh RESU residential storage unit is even higher, with estimated figures of $1,000-$1,400 per kWh. Enphase and Sonnen's units both cost $1000 / kWh, not including installation.

[0005] Even in utility-scale situations, installation costs are significantly higher than the price of a BEV. PNNL, in its 2020 Cost and Performance Assessment of Grid Energy Storage Technologies, found that grid installation of approximately 10 MWh capacity was expected to cost approximately $400 / kWh in 2020 and remain at approximately $300 / kWh through 2030. Basic hardware costs accounted for nearly one-third of these costs, with the remainder being for grid integration, control and communications, power equipment support, and development / installation. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] This market situation has put lithium-ion storage on a trajectory similar to solar, where module hardware costs have fallen to the point where further improvements will not materially change the cost of delivered electricity. Instead, improvements in manufacturing and integration hardware have become much more impactful than just installation and permitting costs ("soft costs"). In 2018, NREL calculated that the average installed cost of residential PV was $2.70 / W, but hardware costs were less than $1 / W (PV modules cost only $0.30 / W). The soft costs of solar installations have become a major driver, and that is where programs like the Department of Energy's SUNSHOT and SETO are focused. Similarly, to reduce the cost of installed stationary storage capacity, the costs of supporting (non-cell) hardware and the soft costs of battery storage need to be aggressively addressed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an example of a powered building system that includes a building that can obtain power from a variety of suitable power sources, such as a power grid, one or more solar panels, and / or a battery system. [Diagram 2] 1 illustrates examples of load sources that may be associated with an electrical power supply building system in one embodiment. [Figure 3a] An example of a stove load source is shown that includes a battery system, which may be an internal component of the stove, an integral component of the stove located within the stove housing, or the like. [Figure 3b] FIG. 1 illustrates another example embodiment of a battery system that may be part of a power distribution system and may be located on and / or in a wall of a building and may include a battery and a receptacle configured to receive power from a power line. [Figure 3c]1 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a battery system having a battery and a power cord with a plug, where the battery system may be a unit located between a stove load source and a receptacle that is part of a power distribution system. [Figure 4] 1 illustrates an example embodiment of a battery system that may include one or more batteries, a processor, a memory, a clock, a battery control system, a communication system, an interface, and a power bus. [Diagram 5] 1 illustrates an example embodiment of a battery network including three battery systems, a battery server, and a user device operably connected via a network. [Figure 6a] 1 illustrates an exemplary method for updating a user power profile. [Figure 6b] 1 illustrates an exemplary method for determining power output. [Figure 7] 1 illustrates an embodiment of a powered building system including a battery system set including three battery systems configured to share power over multiple power sharing lines. [Figure 8] 1 illustrates a first state of an exemplary embodiment in which a first load source is drawing power from a circuit breaker through a first receptacle and a first battery of a first battery system is being charged by power from the circuit breaker. [Figure 9] 1 illustrates a second state of the exemplary embodiment in which a second load source draws power from the circuit breaker through a second receptacle and a second battery of the second battery system is charged by power from the circuit breaker. [Figure 10] 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a hot water heater load having an integrated battery system including a power control stage and a battery. [Figure 11]1 illustrates an example of a battery system block that includes multiple battery systems that can be coupled to multiple load sources, the battery systems having a variety of suitable form factors that allow the battery systems to couple to load sources having different shapes, sizes, and configurations, such as heat pumps, electric stoves, refrigerators, water heaters, etc. [Figure 12] 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an elongated battery system including a bundle of multiple batteries disposed within a sleeve, positioned along and around the length of a power cord. [Figure 13] 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of multiple battery systems connected in series and receiving at least power from a power distribution system with one of the battery systems plugged into a receptacle of the power distribution system. [Figure 14] 14 illustrates an example of a battery system as shown in FIG. 13 that may include a removable modular battery. [Figure 15] 1 shows an example of a water heater load source having a circular battery system located at the base of the water heater to match the shape of the water heater. [Figure 16] An example is shown in which the battery system has a relatively thin, planar, rectangular form factor located in the base of the refrigerator, with a power cord extending from the refrigerator that can be plugged into a receptacle on the power distribution system via a power plug. [Figure 17] An example is shown in which the battery system has a rectangular form factor located at the base and rear of the refrigerator, with a power cord extending from the refrigerator that can be plugged into a receptacle on the power distribution system via a power plug. [Figure 18] An example is shown in which the battery system has a relatively thin, planar, rectangular form factor located on a side wall near the base of the refrigerator, with a power cord extending from the refrigerator that can be plugged into a receptacle on the power distribution system via a power plug. [Figure 19] 1 shows an example of a dryer load source having a rectangular battery system located at the base of the dryer to match the shape of the dryer. [Figure 20] An example is shown in which the battery system has a rectangular form factor located at the base and side of the dryer, with a power cord extending from the dryer that can plug into a receptacle on the power distribution system via a power plug. [Figure 21] An example is shown in which the battery system has a rectangular form factor that can be placed in a dryer having a power cord that can be plugged into a receptacle of a power distribution system via a power plug. [Figure 22] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a wall mounted battery system. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 shows a side view of the wall mounted battery system of FIG. [Figure 24a] It shows a histogram of the energy used to cook dinner in over 3000 homes over 365 days of the year, and the battery capacity required to meet this demand. [Figure 24b] The PV capacity factor versus cooking load for a given day is shown for a population of 109 homes spread across the TMY3 locations. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] It should be noted that the figures are not drawn to scale, and that elements with similar structure or function are generally represented by similar reference numbers throughout the figures for purposes of illustration. It should also be noted that the figures are intended only to facilitate the description of the preferred embodiments. The figures do not depict every aspect of the described embodiments, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0009] This disclosure describes embodiments of a system that pushes battery storage from a centralized facility in the home to the point of load (the "edge," by analogy with edge computing). In such a distributed model of energy storage, appliances can be equipped with on-board batteries and can perform the task of self-managing demand on the home and the public power grid. Some embodiments of the battery system can be integrated into the home itself. This can allow, in various embodiments, to store batteries behind various suitable appliances or other load sources without integrating the batteries into the appliance or load source itself. The battery device can be installed behind the wall plug itself, or in front of the plug as an intermediary between the appliance and the wall outlet.

[0010] Having multiple appliances with batteries throughout the home in various examples provides the ability for the batteries and appliances to communicate power usage to one another. For example, if appliance 1 is fully charged or close to being fully charged and appliance 2 desires to power up and take over a portion of the electrical load, it can query appliance 1 to determine if it can do so without interrupting or overloading the circuit.

[0011] Refrigerators, induction stoves, hot water heaters, and washing machines are specific, but not exclusive, definitions of home appliances that may be equipped with battery storage systems in some instances. Power tools may be equipped with such battery storage technology and battery management intelligence to balance how and when electricity is drawn from the power grid. In some embodiments of a (e.g., fully) connected home where the batteries are connected behind a plug, this can be done down to the microscale, optimizing the overall home power usage. Such a system, in some embodiments, can have a variety of advantages, including one or more advantages described in detail below.

[0012] 1 illustrates an example of a power supply building system 100 that includes a building 105 that can obtain power from a variety of suitable power sources, such as a power grid 110, one or more solar panels 115, etc. Such power can power a variety of suitable load sources 200 (e.g., appliances, elements, systems, vehicles, etc.), such as a heat pump 120, an electric stove 125, a refrigerator 130, an electric vehicle 135, a water heater 140, an electric floor heating element 145, etc. Power can be distributed to or among such load sources 200 via a power distribution system 150, which may include power lines 155, electrical sub-elements 160 that provide power to electrical receptacles 165, etc.

[0013] As described in more detail herein, in various embodiments, the load sources 200 may be associated with a battery 305 and / or a battery system 300, respectively (see, e.g., FIGS. 3a, 3b, and 3c). However, in some embodiments, the power supplying building system 100 may include one or more building system batteries 170 that are not directly associated with a particular load source 200 and may be configured to generally store energy for the power supplying building system 100 for distribution to the power grid 110, to the load sources 200 associated with the power supplying building system 100, and the like. In some embodiments, the building system battery 170 may not be present.

[0014] While FIG. 1 illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a power supply building system 100, such embodiment should not be construed as being limited to the wide variety of load sources 200 that may be powered, associated with a battery and / or battery system, etc. For example, FIG. 2 illustrates further examples of load sources 200 that may be associated with the power supply building system 100 in further embodiments. Additionally, while various embodiments of the power supply building system 100 may relate to a single-family home, it should be apparent that further embodiments may relate to an apartment building, a mixed-use building, a commercial building, a factory, an airport, a farm, or other suitable building, structure, or land. Additionally, some embodiments may be applicable to vehicles or structures, such as cruise ships, offshore platforms, aircraft, buses, etc.

[0015] Also, while the example of Figure 1 illustrates power serving building system 100 associated with a power grid 110, such as a regional power provider providing power to multiple buildings 105 and / or power serving building system 100, in further embodiments power serving building system 100 may not be associated with or connected to power grid 110. Additionally, while the example of Figure 1 illustrates power serving building system 100 obtaining power from one or more solar panels, in further embodiments any suitable additional or alternative power generation systems and methods may be part of power serving building system 100, such as wind turbines, hydroelectric turbines, geothermal generators, nuclear power systems, chemical or combustion generators, etc.

[0016] First, such an approach allows energy storage to be installed in the home more cost-effectively than it currently is. As the order of magnitude disparity in the price of EVs and home batteries shows, it can be much cheaper to factory install batteries in appliances rather than in the home, as testing or custom electrical work may not be required. As homeowners replace their appliances at the end of their life, the additional storage capacity comes into the home by default with the new appliances, which in various embodiments may not require customization or electrical work. In this way, in various examples, the home can naturally acquire the ability to shift demand and meet a larger portion of its energy needs using renewable energy via standard technology upgrade cycles - for example, the homeowner does not have to choose to purchase a $10,000 home battery at any point and hire an electrician to install it.

[0017] Moreover, various embodiments of such approaches can eliminate the significant upgrade costs required to replace fossil fuel appliances. Many appliances (e.g., induction ranges and electric dryers) require the installation of dedicated, high-capacity circuits, but can only draw on their full capacity for a short period of time. This electrical work can significantly increase the cost of such upgrades and can be a significant barrier to entry, negating any value proposition that the increased efficiency of these more advanced appliances may offer. As an example, a four-burner induction cooktop with its own oven can cost $1,000-$2,000 and can be installed by the homeowner or general contractor for $150-$200 (if the homeowner is fortunate enough to have a suitable 240V circuit already available). However, if this range is replacing a natural gas stove, it is highly unlikely that a suitable unused circuit will be available in the correct location, and the cost to install the required 30-40 amp appliance circuit will be nearly $800-1,000, plus another $380-460 if the routing from the circuit breaker to the stove is long or inconvenient. Furthermore, in the vast majority of cases, the available electric service is designed assuming fossil fuel use and is inadequate for this large additional circuit. Upgrading the service panel in this situation will add another $1,500-$4,000 to the project cost, making the total cost of replacing a natural gas stove two to six times higher than the basic new appliance cost.

[0018] In various embodiments, an appliance with an integrated battery or associated battery as described herein can provide the high current required during use while drawing only a small average power from an existing 110v electrical outlet to recharge, eliminating the need to upgrade electrical service. For induction stoves, the vast majority of dinner cooking needs can be met by the 0.75-1.5 kWh integrated battery shown in FIG. 1a, where the modeled dinner cooking demand of 3000 homes over 365 days of the year is aggregated in a histogram. This battery would only add $100-$200 to the appliance cost if factory installed at current EV prices, and less as costs continue to fall due to the scale of this industry. As a result, the total project cost for homeowners to eliminate this residential emission source remains predictable and low, and dinner cooking loads that occur primarily outside of solar energy production hours can be cost-effectively shifted to be powered by renewable energy.

[0019] Figures 24a and 24b show modeling time-resolved residential solar energy potential and residential cooking demand. Figure 24a shows a histogram of energy used to cook dinner for over 3000 homes, 365 days a year, and the battery capacity required to meet this demand. Figure 24b shows the PV capacity factor versus cooking load for a given day for a population of 109 homes spread across the TMY3 location. The mismatch between demand and supply is shown. Drawn from the NASA MERRA-2 dataset and the NREL ResStock model.

[0020] Additionally, a centralized home main battery may require a large dedicated inverter to provide AC power, even though many appliances (such as induction stoves) use internal rectification to convert the power back to DC. Placing batteries at these load points allows direct DC powering of the appliances, and in various embodiments draws only a small amount of AC from the electrical outlet. At a system level, in various embodiments, this can eliminate the inverting rectification cycle for power drawn and deferred from the grid, significantly reducing the power requirements for the inverters providing power from rooftop solar arrays. This can result in reduced system costs and increased efficiency due to the elimination of power conversion.

[0021] Also, large battery packs, which may be required for home main batteries, are often spoiled by just one bad cell. In contrast, commercialized packs of around 1 kWh that can be used to power home appliances may be easier to manage than centralized batteries, and in various embodiments, may be easier to replace in case of failure. In some embodiments, having fewer cells under the battery management system (BMS) allows for better management of charging cycles, mechanical and thermal stresses, and more robust health checks, leading to a longer battery life. The battery management system and supporting power electronics may be a price point, so that their increased number does not become a cost barrier. As an added benefit of this approach, in some embodiments, smaller battery packs used at the point of load storage may be better suited for second-life applications of plug-in EV batteries - the supply of which is expected to increase rapidly in the next decade. Such cells are expected to have 70% of their initial capacity after use in an EV and be usable for another decade in second-life applications.

[0022] 3a, 3b, and 3c, various exemplary embodiments of a battery system 300 including one or more batteries 305 are shown. Although the exemplary embodiments of Figures 3a, 3b, and 3c show a load source of a stove 125 associated with or having an internal battery system 300, it should be apparent that various other suitable load sources 200 may be applicable in various embodiments.

[0023] 3a illustrates an example of a load source 200 of a stove 125 including an embodiment 300A of a battery system 300 having a battery 305. For example, the battery system 300A may be an internal component of the stove 125, an integral component of the stove 125 disposed within a housing of the stove 125, or the like. For example, in some embodiments, a portion of the battery system 300A and / or the battery 305 may be an integral part of the stove 125 such that such portions cannot be removed or cannot be easily removed from the stove 125, which in some examples includes such portions, which are enclosed within a housing of the stove 125 such that such portions are not externally accessible to a user. However, in some examples, the battery 305 may be removable, replaceable, and / or modular, as described herein.

[0024] 3a, the stove 125 can include a power cord 310 with a plug 315 configured to mate with a power receptacle 165 of a power distribution system 150. For example, the power distribution system 150 can provide power to the receptacle 165 via a power line 155, the receptacle 165 being located in a wall of the building 105 (FIG. 1) through which the power line 155 passes, or the like. The stove 125 can be plugged into the receptacle 165, which can provide power to the stove 125 and a battery 305 of a battery system 300, which can be configured to store power and / or provide power to the stove 125, as described herein.

[0025] In some embodiments, the battery(s) 305 and / or the battery system 300 may be integrated into the load source 200 at the factory where the load source is manufactured (e.g., into the appliance housing) or into the aftermarket of the load source. For example, the load source 200 (e.g., an appliance) may be specifically designed to allow for the integration of an appropriate number of the batteries 305 and / or other elements of the battery system 300 into its normal housing. This may allow such a load source 200 or appliance to be placed in a home without any changes to the way appliances are integrated into standardized fixtures, such as counters. In various embodiments, the electrical connections to the batteries 305 and / or other elements of the battery system 300 are made at the factory and are fully integrated into the appliance circuitry. This may allow a load source 200, such as an appliance that utilizes DC current (e.g., an induction stove), to draw power directly from the battery(s) 305 without the added cost of a high-power inverter.

[0026] In some embodiments, the battery can be designed to be integrated into the load source (e.g., an appliance) in an aftermarket factory setting. For example, a company that is not an original equipment manufacturer of an appliance purchases a new appliance, installs the battery system 300 in its own facility, and resells the appliance as new. A retrofitter in some examples installs one or more batteries 305 and / or elements of the battery system 300 within the appliance housing and wires them directly into the appliance's integrated electrical system. This may be desirable in some embodiments where high voltage connections are required, given the danger of such high voltage connections not being handled by a professional. Also, in some embodiments where the load source 200 (e.g., an appliance), such as an induction stove, has an internal rectification circuit that is converting 60 Hz AC current to DC, in some examples it may be desirable to connect the battery system 300 directly to the internal circuitry of the load source (e.g., to avoid the expensive addition of high power inversion).

[0027] The battery system 300 can be disposed within the load source in a variety of suitable ways. For example, Figures 16, 17, and 18 show three exemplary embodiments of the battery system 300 disposed within the load source 200 of the refrigerator 130. Figure 16 shows an example in which the battery system 300 has a relatively thin, planar, rectangular form factor disposed at the base of the refrigerator 130, with a power cord 310 extending from the refrigerator 130 that can plug into a receptacle 165 of the power distribution system 150 via a power plug 315. Figure 17 shows an example in which the battery system 300 has a rectangular form factor disposed at the base and rear of the refrigerator 130, with a power cord 310 extending from the refrigerator 130 that can plug into a receptacle 165 of the power distribution system 150 via a power plug 315. FIG 18 illustrates an example where the battery system 300 has a relatively thin, planar, rectangular form factor that is positioned on a sidewall near the base of the refrigerator 130 with a power cord 310 extending from the refrigerator 130 that can plug into a receptacle 165 of the power distribution system 150 via a power plug 315. FIG 20 illustrates an example where the battery system 300 has a rectangular form factor that is positioned on the base and side of the dryer with a power cord 310 extending from the dryer that can plug into a receptacle 165 of the power distribution system 150 via a power plug 315. FIG 21 illustrates an example where the battery system 300 has a rectangular form factor that can be positioned on a dryer with a power cord 310 that can plug into a receptacle 165 of the power distribution system 150 via a power plug 315.

[0028] 10 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a hot water heater 140 load source 200 having an integrated battery system 300 including a power control stage 1050 and a battery 305. In this example, the power control stage 1050 obtains AC 120V power by being plugged into a receptacle 165 of a power distribution system 150. The power control stage 1050 can be configured to output AC 120V / 240V power to the hot water heater 140 load source 200, which may be based on power obtained from the battery 305 and / or the power distribution system 150, in various examples. The battery 305 can be operably coupled to the power control stage 1050 and configured to receive and provide power (e.g., direct current (DC)) to the power control stage 1050.

[0029] 3b illustrates another exemplary embodiment 300B of battery system 300 having battery 305 and receptacle 165. For example, battery system 300B may be part of power distribution system 150, may be located on and / or in a wall of building 105, and may include receptacle 165 and battery 305 configured to receive power from power line 155. In various embodiments, receptacle 165 and / or battery 305 may be internal components of battery system 300B, integral components of battery system 300B located within a housing of battery system 300B, etc. For example, in some embodiments, a portion of the receptacle 165 and / or the battery 305 may be an integral part of the battery system 300B such that such portions cannot be removed or easily removed from the battery system 300B, and the battery system 300B may, in some examples, include such portions, which are enclosed within the housing of the battery system 300B such that such portions are not externally accessible to a user in addition to the receptacle's interface plug. However, in some examples, the battery 305 may be removable, replaceable, and / or modular, as described herein.

[0030] As shown in Figure 3b, the stove 125 can include a power cord 310 with a plug 315 configured to mate with a power receptacle 165 of the battery system 300B. For example, the battery 305 of the battery system 300B and / or the power distribution system 150 can provide power (via power lines 155) to the receptacle 165, which is located in the building 105 (Figure 1) where the power lines 155 run through a wall, such as between an outlet and an appliance. The power lines 115 can be configured to provide power to the battery 305, which can be stored by the battery 305 as described herein.

[0031] In some embodiments, the battery 305 and elements of the battery system 300 are designed to nest with a load source (e.g., an appliance), such as either as a scaffold or backing. Such nesting can be done by a customer in various examples. The battery 305 and / or elements of the battery system 300 can be designed to nest directly outside the appliance, such as by taking into account the appliance's shape and intended location in the home 105. One or more batteries 305 and elements (e.g., power control stage) of the battery system 300 are packaged to be placed directly alongside the appliance, in various examples. The appliance can be plugged into the battery system 300, which is then plugged into the wall.

[0032] For example, the battery 305 and / or elements of the battery system 300, in some embodiments, may be packaged as a flat plate sized to be the same as, similar to, not exceeding, or slightly smaller than the footprint of a conventional refrigerator, which is often standardized in width and depth to match the depth of a counter. Such a refrigerator in some instances would be placed on top of a low profile battery pack, effectively combining the appliance with added storage without significantly interfering with the application, appearance, or placement of the appliance.

[0033] The battery 305 and / or battery system 300 can be designed to be installed on the faceplate of an electrical outlet in various embodiments. For example, the battery 305 and / or battery system 300 can be packaged in a flat plate that plugs directly into a standard wall outlet. These plates can be designed to be low-profile, allowing the appliance to be pushed up against the wall as it is typically intended. The battery 305 and / or battery system 300 can be mounted on the wall directly behind an appliance, such as a dryer, refrigerator, or hot water heater, with little or no change to the placement of the machine.

[0034] For example, Fig. 11 shows an example of a battery system block 1100 including multiple battery systems 300 that can be coupled to multiple load sources 200, with the battery systems 300 having various suitable form factors that allow the battery systems 300 to be coupled to load sources 200 having different shapes, sizes, and forms, such as a heat pump 120, an electric stove 125, a refrigerator 130, a water heater 140, etc. For example, as shown in the example of Fig. 11, the battery system block 1100 can include one or more thin, planar, rectangular battery systems 300 that can be coupled to the bottom of the stove 125, the side of the refrigerator 130. The battery system block 1100 can further include a circular, planar battery system 300 that can be coupled to the top of the water heater 140. The battery system block 1100 may further include an elongated embodiment 1200 of a battery system 300 that may operate similarly to or in addition to a power cord, which may be coupled to various load sources 200, such as a heat pump 120, as shown in the example of Figure 11. Figure 12 shows an exemplary embodiment of an elongated battery system 1200 including multiple bundles 1220 of batteries 305 disposed within sleeves 1240 along and around the length of the power cord 310.

[0035] 3c illustrates another exemplary embodiment 300C of a battery system 300 having a battery 305 and a power cord 310 with a plug 315. For example, the battery system 300C may be a unit disposed between a load source 200 of a stove 125 and a receptacle 165 that is part of a power distribution system 150. The receptacle 165 may be located on and / or in a wall of the building 105 and may be configured to receive power from a power line 155.

[0036] In various embodiments, the battery 305 may be an internal component of the battery system 300C, an integral component of the battery system 300C disposed within a housing of the battery system 300C, etc. For example, in some embodiments, the battery 305 may be an integral part of the battery system 300C such that such parts cannot be removed or cannot be easily removed from the battery system 300C, and the battery system 300C may, in some examples, include such parts that are enclosed within a housing of the battery system 300C. However, in some examples, the battery 305 may be removable, replaceable, and / or modular, as described herein.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 3c, the battery system 300C can include a power cord 310 with a plug 315 configured to mate with a power receptacle 165 of the power distribution system 150. For example, the power distribution system 150 (via the power line 155) can provide power to the receptacle 165, which is located in a wall of the building 105 (FIG. 1) through which the power line 155 passes, or the like. The receptacle 165 can be configured to provide power to the battery 305, which can be stored by the battery 305 as described herein, and which can provide power to the load source 200 of the stove 125. Further, in various embodiments, the receptacle 165 can be configured to provide power to the load source 200 of the stove 125 via the battery system 300C. The stove 125 can be electrically coupled to the battery system 300C in a variety of suitable manners, including directly via a power cord 310 or via a power cord 310 that is removably plugged into the battery system 300C via a plug 315 or other suitable element.

[0038] For example, FIG. 15 shows an example of a water heater 140 load source 200 having a circular battery system 300 located at the base of the water heater 140 to match the shape of the water heater 140. The battery system 300 plugs into a wall receptacle 165A of the power distribution system 150 via a first plug 315A and a first power cord 310A. The water heater 140 load source 200 plugs into a battery system receptacle 165B of the battery system 300 via a second power cord 310B and a plug 315B of the load source 200 of the water heater 140. In another example, FIG. 19 shows an example of a dryer load source 200 having a rectangular battery system 300 located at the base of the dryer to match the shape of the dryer. The battery system 300 plugs into a wall receptacle 165A of the power distribution system 150 via a first plug 315A and a first power cord 310A. The dryer load source 200 plugs into the battery system receptacle 165B of the battery system 300 via a second power cord 310B and a plug 315B of the load source 200 of the dryer 140.

[0039] Moreover, it should be apparent that the power supply building system 100 may include any suitable number and type of battery systems 300, including one or more of the battery systems 300 shown in Figures 3a, 3b, and 3c, although in some examples one or more of the one or more of the battery systems 300 shown in Figures 3a, 3b, and 3c may not be specifically present.

[0040] One exemplary embodiment includes a first battery system that is an integral component of a first load source of the multiple load sources and is disposed within a housing of the first load source of the multiple load sources, the first load source including a first power cord plugged into a first receptacle of the multiple receptacles, the first battery system including a first battery configured to obtain and store power from the first receptacle, the first load source configured to be fully powered by power stored by the first battery, and the first load source configured to receive and store power from the first receptacle. a first battery system configured to be fully powered by power obtained from the power distribution system and configured to be partially powered by both the first battery and the first receptacle; and a second battery system including a second battery and a second receptacle of the plurality of receptacles, the second battery system being disposed within a wall of the building, the second load source including a second power cord plugged into the second receptacle of the plurality of receptacles, the second battery drawing power from the power distribution system. and a third battery system electrically disposed between the third load source and a third receptacle of the plurality of receptacles, the third battery system including a third power cord plugged into the third receptacle, the third load source including a fourth power cord plugged into a fourth receptacle of the third load source, the third battery system including a third battery configured to obtain and store power from the third receptacle, the third load source configured to be powered entirely by power stored by the third battery, the third load source configured to be powered entirely by power obtained from the third receptacle via the third battery system, the third battery,and a third battery system that is powered in part by both the first battery system and power obtained from the third receptacle via the third battery system.

[0041] Battery system 300 may include various suitable elements. For example, Figure 4 illustrates one example embodiment of battery system 300 that may include one or more batteries 305, a processor 410, a memory 420, a clock 430, a battery control system 440, a communication system 450, an interface 460, and a power bus 470.

[0042] For example, in some embodiments, battery system 300 may include a computing device that may be configured to perform the methods and portions thereof described herein. Memory 420 may include a computer-readable medium for storing instructions that, upon execution by processor 410, cause battery system 300 to perform the methods or portions thereof described herein, or other suitable functions. Clock 430 may be configured to determine a date and / or time (e.g., year, month, day of the week, time of day, etc.) and may be used to configure power storage and / or power discharge of battery 305 based on time, as described in more detail herein, in some examples.

[0043] The battery control system 440 in various embodiments can be configured to control power storage and / or power discharge of the battery 305 based on instructions from a processor or the like. Additionally, in some embodiments, the battery control system 440 can determine various aspects, characteristics, or conditions of the battery 305, such as a state of charge (e.g., percent charged or discharged), battery charge capacity, battery health, battery temperature, etc. For example, in various embodiments, the battery system 300 can include various suitable sensors to determine such aspects, characteristics, or conditions of the battery 305, or aspects, characteristics, or conditions of other elements of the building system 100, which may include environmental conditions, such as temperature, humidity, etc., inside or outside the building 105.

[0044] In various embodiments, the communication system 450 can be configured to enable the battery system 300 to communicate over one or more communication networks, as described in more detail herein, and in some embodiments the communication networks can include wireless and / or wired networks and can include communication with one or more other battery systems 300, user devices, servers, and other devices.

[0045] Interface 460 can include various elements configured to receive input and / or present information (e.g., to a user). For example, in some embodiments, the interface can include a touch screen, a keyboard, one or more buttons, one or more lights, a speaker, a microphone, a tactile interface, etc. In various embodiments, interface 460 can be used by a user for various purposes, such as to configure battery system 300, to view aspects, features, or status of battery system 300, to configure network connections for battery system 300, etc.

[0046] The power bus 470 can be configured to obtain power from one or more power sources and / or provide power to one or more load sources 200. For example, in various embodiments, the power bus 470 can obtain power from one or more power receptacles 165 (see, e.g., FIGS. 3a and 3c) or other suitable interfaces with the power distribution system 150, or directly from a power source such as the power grid 110, a solar panel 115, etc. The power thus obtained may be stored via one or more batteries 305 or may be directed to one or more load sources 200 connected to the battery system 300. The power thus obtained may be directed to such one or more load sources 200 via one or more batteries 305 or by bypassing the one or more batteries 305.

[0047] The battery(s) 305 may be any suitable system configured to store and release energy. For example, in some embodiments, the battery(s) 305 may include rechargeable nickel-cadmium lead acid (NiCd), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium ion (Li-ion), lithium ion polymer (LiPo), rechargeable alkaline batteries, etc. As described herein, rechargeable in various embodiments may be defined as having the ability to store and release energy multiple times for multiple cycles (e.g., 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, 1000, 10k, 100k, 1M, 10M, 100M, etc.) without significant degradation in the ability to store and release energy. While various preferred embodiments may include chemical storage of electrical energy, in further embodiments, the battery(s) 305 may be configured to store energy in various suitable ways, such as mechanical energy, compressed fluid, thermal energy, etc.

[0048] In some embodiments, the battery(s) 305 may include or be defined by a removable cartridge that allows the battery(s) 305 to be expanded or replaced. Some example battery packs may be comprised of smaller sub-packs that can be easily removed. This may allow for replacement of old or defective cells in some examples. Furthermore, in some examples, such configurations allow for fine tuning of pack sizes within a network of battery systems 300, as described herein. For example, the battery(s) 305 may be initially sized and co-located with the anticipated load source 200.

[0049] As the battery system 300 (or powered building system 100 or battery network 500) monitors and learns the particular behavior of the load source 200, the user's behavior with respect to the load source 200, etc., a determination can be made whether one or more batteries 305 of the battery system 300 are oversized or undersized. Similarly, another battery system 300 on the network of the battery system 300 may determine whether its pack is too large or too small, or another device may make such a determination as described herein. In some embodiments, the battery system 300 can indicate via the interface 460 that a sub-pack (e.g., one or more batteries 305 of a plurality of batteries) would be better utilized if it were moved from one load source 200 to the other load source (e.g., by moving one or more batteries 305 from a first battery system 300 to a second battery system 300 within the powered building system 100). Methods for determining the configuration of one or more batteries 305 of the powered building system 100 or battery network 500 (see FIG. 5) are described in more detail herein.

[0050] It should be clear that the example of FIG. 4 is merely an exemplary embodiment of the battery system 300, and that a battery system 300 having fewer or more elements or greater or less complexity is within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. For example, one or more of the elements of FIG. 4 may not be explicitly present in some embodiments, may be present in any suitable plurality, etc. In some embodiments, the communication system 450 may not be present, and the battery system 300 may be inoperative for wired and / or wireless communication with other devices. In some embodiments, elements such as the processor 410 and the clock 430 may not be present. The interface 460 may include multiple interface elements or a complex interface in some examples, or may be a simple interface 460 or may not be present in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the interface of the battery system 300 may be embodied in a separate device, such as a user device (e.g., a smartphone, a laptop, a home automation system, or other suitable device). Additionally, the battery system 300 may be of a variety of suitable sizes, including systems weighing between 1 and 5 pounds, between 10 and 30 pounds, between 50 and 100 pounds, between 150 and 500 pounds, between 500 and 1,500 pounds, and the like.

[0051] In targeting which loads to best address in some embodiments, data from the EIA Residential Energy Consumption Survey can be consulted. Assuming that residential energy use is electrified, the current electricity use can be combined with the natural gas and propane used in the home (assuming commonly available coefficients of performance, if applicable) to calculate the total energy. Of the residential applications, the largest user (HVAC) will require professional installation anyway and prove to be a better candidate for thermal storage. Other users (e.g., lighting) are widely distributed across many devices throughout the home and may not be good initial targets for battery integration in some embodiments. The remaining applications are large enough to be significant in the overall picture of residential energy use (>100 kWh per household per year) and are packaged as single commodity appliances. These include refrigerators, televisions, clothes dryers, ranges, freezers, dehumidifiers, microwaves, etc. Of these, clothes dryers and induction ranges may be of particular interest in some embodiments as they typically require dedicated, high-capacity 240V circuits, which can be avoided in various embodiments by battery integration (e.g., battery system 300 described herein). Some embodiments may include a (e.g., small) battery integrated directly into a light bulb that automatically switches on when there is a power outage, or when grid demand is at its highest, or when time-of-use (TOU) rates are high. [Table 1-1] [Table 1-2]

[0052] Table 1: Comparison of all-electric residential energy by end use. Some larger users (HVAC) may require professional installation in some embodiments and may not be better candidates for thermal storage. In some embodiments, some users are too small to warrant battery integration. A non-exclusive list of candidates in the exemplary embodiment shown in Table 1 includes refrigerators, televisions, clothes dryers, ranges, freezers, dehumidifiers, and microwaves. Data from RECS. *Estimates of peak hourly load to average hourly load ratios derived from the ResStock model. This exemplary embodiment should not be construed as limiting or as an indication that the exemplary appliances listed are or are not part of various embodiments. Indeed, in further embodiments, any of the appliances described above, herein, or otherwise may or may not be part of some embodiments, and the inclusion or exclusion of a given system or appliance in a given embodiment may be for a variety of suitable reasons or grounds.

[0053] Taking the electrification of domestic cooking appliances as a case study, data shows that the majority of residential cooking loads may be during the evening hours, which may be well outside the hours of peak solar generation. Each year, 112 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 211 million gallons of propane are used for cooking, representing 6 megatons and 1.2 megatons of CO2e emissions, respectively. Furthermore, gas cooking is still seen as “high-end” compared to electric resistance stoves, which make up the majority of the existing appliance inventory, so saturation of gas stoves is increasing, not decreasing. Comparing the 2009 and 2015 Residential Energy Consumption Surveys, the percentage of households using natural gas or propane as their primary cooking fuel increased by 5%. To effectively decarbonize the residential sector, this trend needs to be reversed. In addition to the carbon emissions impacts of this trend, there is a growing body of scientific literature documenting the adverse health effects of indoor air pollution from fossil fuel cooking, including inflammation for respiratory diseases such as asthma.

[0054] 5, an exemplary embodiment of a battery network 500 is shown including three battery systems 300A, 300B, 300C, a battery server 510, and a user device 520 operably connected via a network 530. In various embodiments, the network can include various suitable wired and / or wireless networks, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, wired connections, cellular networks, the Internet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), wired connections, and the like. In various embodiments, the battery systems 300A, 300B, 300C can communicate with each other and / or with the battery server 510 and the user device 520 via a communication system 450 (see FIG. 4).

[0055] In some embodiments, the battery system 300 may obtain data from, transmit data to, or be controlled by the battery server 510 and / or the user device 520, as described in more detail herein. In some embodiments, the battery server 510 and / or the user device 520 may be remote from the battery system 300 of the battery network 500 or may be proximate to the battery system 300 of the battery network 500. For example, in some embodiments, the battery system 300 may be located within or associated with a load source 200 of a home, and the user devices 520 may be used to individually or collectively configure the battery system 300. The user devices 520 may be smartphones in some examples and may be used by a user in or around the home or when the user is away from the home. In some examples, the battery server 510 may be a remote physical or cloud-based server or server system that can store data related to the battery system 300, store data provided by the battery system 300 and / or the user device 520, or be configured to configure the battery system 300 and / or the user device 520 as described in more detail herein.

[0056] While the embodiment of the battery network 500 in FIG. 5 illustrates an example, it should be apparent that numerous suitable additional configurations of the battery network 500 are within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. For example, in further embodiments, any suitable number of battery systems 300 may be part of the battery network 500, including 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 20, 50, 100, 1k, 10k, 100k, 1M, 5M, 10M, 50M, etc. Similarly, there may be any suitable number of battery servers 510 and user devices 520, or one or both of the battery servers 510 and user devices 520 may be absent. Furthermore, in some examples, the battery server 510 and / or the user devices may be part of one or more battery systems 300 and need not be separate elements as shown in the example of FIG. 5. For example, in some embodiments, there may be a network of multiple battery systems 300 with one or more of such battery systems having the capabilities, functionality, elements, etc. of one or both of the battery server 510 and the user device 520. For example, a mesh network of multiple battery systems 300 may have a central hub battery system 300 that controls, stores data for, or provides data to the entire network.

[0057] In various embodiments, there may be different sets of batteries associated with a given user or administrator of the battery network 500. For example, in some embodiments, there may be multiple separate powered building systems 100 (see, e.g., FIG. 1 ), each including multiple battery systems 300, and each of these separate powered building systems 100 may be associated with a different user or administrator and each controlled by a different user device 520 associated with the different user or administrator. However, in some embodiments, all of such separate powered building systems 100 may communicate with the same battery server 510, which may be configured to store data associated with the different user or administrator accounts associated with the different powered building systems 100. Such pooled data may be used to configure or provide information to multiple different powered building systems 100, including network-wide, world-wide, country-wide, state-wide, county-wide, town-wide, block-wide, as described in more detail herein.

[0058] Despite the enumerated advantages of the appliance-integrated batteries and appliance-associated batteries described herein (e.g., battery system 300), the described approach of various embodiments may be significantly disruptive to the status quo in some instances and may entail several risks. For example, a simple implementation of point-of-use batteries may increase the total storage capacity required for a home. If the appliance battery 305 or the appliance-associated battery 305 is not sized appropriately to match the energy demand pattern, some of the capacity may remain unused, resulting in wasted reserves. Strategies to mitigate this risk may include one or more of the following:

[0059] For example, sizing of the batteries 305 in some embodiments may be based on data analysis and predictive models of usage to enable best correlation between load transfer estimates and performance in the field. In some embodiments, such sizing may include determining the size of one or more batteries 305 to be integrally installed within a given load source 200 based on expected usage within a given power supply building system 100, location within the power supply building system, geographic location, etc. Similarly, in some embodiments, suggestions may be provided to a user for a size of a battery 305 to associate with a given load source 200, and the suggestions may include suggestions regarding the size of a modular battery 305 to associate with the load source 200 (e.g., internally, externally, in a wall receptacle, etc.).

[0060] Further, as described herein, the powered building system 100 or battery network 500 may include multiple battery systems 300 associated with respective load sources 200, each of the battery systems 300 including one or more modular batteries 305. In various embodiments, the powered building system 100 or battery network 500 may monitor the multiple battery systems 300 to determine whether a modular battery 305 should be removed from the battery system 300, added to the battery system 300, moved from one battery system 300 to another battery system 300, removed and replaced with a larger or smaller modular battery 305, removed and replaced with a healthier battery 305, etc. In some embodiments, such monitoring may be performed by one battery system 300 of the multiple battery systems 300, by a battery server 510, by a user device 520, etc.

[0061] For example, a method for determining a configuration of the plurality of batteries 305 of the plurality of battery systems 300 in the power supply building system 100 or battery network 500 may include obtaining data regarding a current configuration of the plurality of batteries 305. For example, in some embodiments, the battery 305 plugged into the battery system 300 may have an identifier indicating characteristics of the battery 305 (e.g., a unique battery identifier, a battery model identifier, etc.), or information regarding the battery configuration may be input by a user. In some embodiments, such configuration data may be obtained directly from an integration of the plurality of battery systems 300, may be stored in a user power profile indicated by a user, etc.

[0062] The method may further include monitoring the usage and / or performance of the plurality of batteries 305 and / or the battery system 300. For example, such usage and / or performance data may be stored in a user power profile. A determination may be made whether a change should be made to the current battery configuration based on the usage and / or performance data, the current battery configuration, desirable and / or undesirable performance characteristics of the batteries 305, the battery system 300, the power supply building system 100, the battery network 500, etc. If a determination is made that a change should be made to the current battery configuration (e.g., it would be desirable to make a change), then the user may be presented (e.g., via the interface 460, the user device 520, etc.) with one or more suggested changes. Such a determination may be made based on available additional capacity (e.g., open battery slots that allow additional batteries to be coupled to the one or more battery systems 300), the ability to replace batteries of different sizes (e.g., battery slots that allow larger and / or smaller batteries to be replaced), etc.

[0063] For example, a determination may be made that the powered building system 100 or battery network 500 could store and / or use more renewable energy (e.g., from solar panels 115) by increasing the size of one or more batteries 305 instead of using power from the power grid 110. In some examples, it may be appropriate to increase the total battery storage capacity of the powered building system 100 or battery network 500 regardless of the location of the battery system 300 (e.g., regardless of the load source 200 associated with the battery system).

[0064] However, in some instances, it may be desirable to increase the capacity of a battery system 300 associated with a particular load source 200 that frequently consumes an amount of energy that exceeds the capacity of the battery or batteries 305 of the battery system 300. In other words, it may be determined that increasing the storage capacity in a given battery system 300 may allow a sufficient amount of renewable power to be stored such that normal use of the load source 200 associated with that given battery system 300 when renewable power is not directly available requires less (or less) use of power grid power to power that load source 200, which may be desirable from a cost and / or environmental standpoint.

[0065] In some examples, a decision may be made to reduce the capacity of a battery system 300 associated with a particular load source 200, such as when the energy storage capacity of one or more batteries 305 of the battery system 300 is minimally or rarely used (e.g., a maximum of 5%-10% of the battery storage capacity is used at any one time). In such examples, it may be desirable to relocate one or more batteries 305 to another battery system 300 that can better utilize the storage capacity, or to reduce the physical size of the battery system 300, which may be desirable to reduce the visibility of the battery system 300 or to allow for more desirable placement of load sources 200 (e.g., appliances) around the battery system 300.

[0066] In another example, a determination may be made that the performance of one or more batteries 305 of the battery system is deteriorating over time, which may indicate that one or more batteries have failed, and it may be desirable for such one or more batteries 305 to be indicated for replacement or removal (e.g., due to insufficient performance, fire hazard).

[0067] In a further example, a determination may be made that a different type of battery 305 may be desirable to couple with the battery system 300 associated with a given load source 200, given how such load source 200 is used or operates. For example, if a given load source 200 is typically used for short periods of time at high power, then a determination may be made to replace the first battery 305 with a second battery that has better performance for such power usage. Similarly, if the load source 200 is always on at low power, then a determination may be made to replace the first battery 305 with a second battery that has better performance for such power usage.

[0068] While some examples of determining a battery configuration may relate to a powered building system 100 or battery network 500 having multiple battery systems 300, in some embodiments such battery configuration determination may relate to a powered building system 100 or battery network 500 having only a single battery system 300, or may be applied at the level of a single battery system 300 (e.g., regardless of, and without awareness of, whether there are other battery systems 300 present within the powered building system 100 or battery network 500).

[0069] Also, while various embodiments relate to determining a battery configuration for long-term use to support typical usage of the load source 200, some embodiments may identify atypical or acute power needs and suggest temporary battery configurations. For example, in exceptional circumstances, one or more batteries 305 may be moved between end uses (e.g., between different battery systems 300) when usage patterns deviate from the norm. In some examples, sub-packs may be brought from one load source 200 to another to facilitate this need. In another example, suggestions may be made to add batteries 305 to the battery system 300 or replace modified batteries 305 to accommodate temporary or atypical power needs (e.g., during a power grid outage, during holidays when more cooking may be done, during a heat wave, etc.).

[0070] In various embodiments, removal, insertion, or replacement of the battery 305 may be performed manually by a user, however, some embodiments may include mobile autonomous devices that transfer power between appliances via portable batteries or battery swapping.

[0071] Further, in some embodiments, on-board or networked control laws can adapt to patterns of usage, thereby allowing a given battery capacity to match anticipated demand. Furthermore, these laws in various embodiments can be configured to match local time-of-use rates, allowing for covert energy arbitrage. The implementation of these control laws may be based on reinforcement learning and control techniques, with a best practice user interface that allows for homeowner monitoring and adjustment. For example, FIG. 6a illustrates an exemplary method 600 for updating a user power profile, beginning at block 605, where user power data is obtained. At block 610, power cost data is obtained, and at block 615, the user power profile is updated. The method 601 cycles back to block 605 so that the updating of the user power profile can continue, which may include real-time updates or periodic updates at various suitable intervals (e.g., seconds, minutes, hours, days, etc.).

[0072] For example, in some embodiments, user power usage data may be acquired by one or more battery systems 300 of the battery network 500, such data stored at one or more of the battery systems 300, the battery server 510, and the user devices 520. Such data may include the time and duration of one or more power usage sessions, the identity of the load source associated with such power usage sessions, the type of power usage session (e.g., cooking dinner, cooking breakfast, running a dishwasher, washing clothes, drying clothes, watching television, playing a video game console, operating a computer, heating a home, cooling a home, etc.), and the efficiency or problems associated with such power usage sessions (e.g., power shortages, inability to output enough power to meet demand, etc.). Additionally, such data may include information about power consumed by one or more batteries 305 of one or more battery systems 300, power consumed from the power grid energy source 110, power consumed from a solar energy source, etc.

[0073] The power cost data may be obtained from a variety of suitable sources, such as a public or private utility server, or directly via a server (e.g., the battery server 510) that collects data from multiple sources that provide energy cost data. Such data may include real-time changes in energy costs, scheduled cost changes based on time of day, day of week, season, etc. Such power cost data may be related to the location where a given battery system 300, powered building system 100, etc. is located (e.g., data that affects the cost of power consumed at the location where such battery system 300 and / or powered building system 100 is located). Additionally, the power cost data in some embodiments may include the price paid for energy provided to the power grid 110, which may include real-time, time-of-day, day-of-week, and seasonal prices.

[0074] In various embodiments, a user power profile may be associated with one or more power supply building systems 100 and may include data at a building level, a battery system level 300, a battery level, a load source level, etc. For example, a power profile may include the location of the building 105, the location and type(s) of the battery system 300 within the building 105, along with real-time and historical data regarding power used, stored, or provided by one or more batteries 305, load sources 200, battery systems 300, grid sources 110, solar power sources 115, etc. As described herein, such data may include data regarding power usage along with the health, capacity, etc. of one or more batteries 305, battery systems 300, load sources 200, solar energy sources 115, grid sources 110, etc. Such user power profiles may be stored in a variety of suitable locations, including one or more battery systems 300, a battery server 510, a user device 520, etc.

[0075] 6b, an exemplary method 601 for determining a power output configuration is shown, including block 620 where current power usage data is obtained, and block 625 where current power output capacity data is obtained. At block 630, the power output configuration is determined, and at 635, a determination is made whether the determined output configuration differs from the current power output configuration. If so, then at 640, the current power output configuration is modified (e.g., to the determined output configuration). However, if not, then the current power output configuration is maintained at 645. The method 601 returns to 620 regardless of whether the current power output configuration is changed or modified, which may enable monitoring of whether a change in the power configuration is necessary, desirable, etc. Such monitoring may be in real time or periodically at various intervals (e.g., seconds, minutes, hours, days, etc.).

[0076] In some embodiments, such method 601 may be performed individually and / or separately by one or more battery systems 300, or may be performed by one or more battery systems 300, user devices 520, or battery servers 510 to configure one or more battery systems 300. For example, using FIG. 5 for illustrative purposes, in some embodiments, each of the battery systems 300A, 300B, 300C may individually control its own configuration (e.g., via method 601) and / or one or more of the battery systems may be configured by another device (e.g., another battery system 300, battery server 510, user device 520, etc.). In other words, in some embodiments, an individual battery system 300 may be self-controlled and / or a set of battery systems 300 may be controlled individually or as a group by another device or one of the battery systems 300 (e.g., the primary battery system 300). Thus, power usage data and power output capacity data may be obtained from multiple battery systems 300 or from a single battery system 300, which may or may not include communication of such data over a network (e.g., network 530).

[0077] Determining the output configuration may be for a variety of suitable purposes, such as to maximize the use of renewable energy sources (e.g., solar panels 115), to maximize storage of power from renewable energy sources, to maximize storage of power from the power grid 110 when such power is low cost or lower cost, to maximize performance of the load sources 200, to maximize energy efficiency of the load sources, to maximize energy storage by one or more batteries 305, to minimize charging time of one or more batteries 305, etc. For example, in some examples, shorter nighttime cooking sessions may be fully covered by on-board or associated batteries 305 that have been charged with sufficient solar resources during the day, while longer, more demanding nighttime cooking sessions may be jointly powered by the batteries 305 and low-capacity outlets (e.g., receptacles 165). In this manner, the charging and discharging control laws of the system and / or network may, in some examples, maximize the use of renewable generated electricity without impacting the user's experience.

[0078] In various embodiments, the batteries 305 of the one or more battery systems 300 need not be sized to completely cover a appliance load shift (e.g., 24 hours) to be effective in extending renewable energy coverage or for other suitable purposes. Based on energy usage statistics, a small decrease in allocated battery capacity can significantly increase average utilization while minimizing increases in power draws during off-peak generation hours.

[0079] While various embodiments include a single battery 305 and battery system 300 serving a single load source 200, in further embodiments a given battery 305 and / or battery system 300 can provide power to multiple load sources 200 or can provide power to one or more other batteries 305 and / or battery systems 300. For example, FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a power supply building system 100 including a battery system set 705 including three battery systems 300A, 300B, 300C configured to share power via multiple power sharing lines 710. In some embodiments, some or all of the power sharing lines may be unidirectional or bidirectional. For example, in some embodiments, a first battery system 300A can provide power to a second and a third battery system 300B, 300C, and the first battery system 300A can receive power from the second and the third battery systems 300B, 300C. However, in some embodiments, the first battery system 300A can provide power to the second and third battery systems 300B, 300C, but the first battery system 300A can only receive power directly from the second battery system 300B (but not from the third battery system 300C). However, in various embodiments, even if a given battery system 300 cannot receive power directly from another particular battery system 300, the given battery system 300 can be configured to receive power from that battery system indirectly via the other battery system 300.

[0080] Sharing power between the battery systems 300 via the power sharing line 710 can be done in a variety of suitable ways, including a bidirectional power sharing line 710 in the wall, or via power lines running between the battery systems through a room, in or above the ceiling, in or above the HVAC elements, in or under the floor, in or below the ground, etc.

[0081] In various embodiments, edge storage, including the use of bidirectional power converters at the plugs and dedicated wired connections, can enable strategies of load sharing between appliances. For example, during a marathon Thanksgiving cooking session, the battery capacity of the clothes dryer (e.g., battery system 300A associated with the clothes dryer) can be called upon to supplement the battery capacity of the stove (e.g., via battery system 300B associated with the stove). Additionally, when power from the clothes dryer battery system 300A is depleted and it is not desirable to use power from the power grid 110, or when renewable energy (e.g., from solar panel 115) is not available based on time of day or conditions, battery capacity from other sources can be drawn upon as needed, such as battery capacity from a water heater (e.g., battery system 300C associated with the water heater) drawn upon to further power the stove and / or power the clothes dryer late at night.

[0082] Control of power sharing within the battery system set 705 may occur in a variety of suitable manners. For example, in some embodiments, multiple battery systems 300 may function as separate equal nodes and negotiate among themselves for sharing of power. In further embodiments, one battery system 300 of the battery system set 705 may be the primary battery system 300 and may control power sharing and / or power sharing and may be controlled by another device, such as the battery server 510, user device 520, etc.

[0083] In some embodiments, the battery 305 can be used in conjunction with the battery system 300 to allow the load sources 200 (e.g., appliances) to share a single circuit breaker. This may be a 120v 15 amp circuit, or a 208v / 240v 30 / 40 / 50 amp circuit in some embodiments. For example, Figures 8 and 9 show an example embodiment 800 of a battery network 500 including a power supply building system 100 and a power distribution system 150 including a 40A circuit breaker 820 associated with a 100A service that transfers power via power line 155 to first and second receptacles 165A, 165B. First and second load sources 200A, 200B are coupled to the respective receptacles 165A, 165B. The first and second load sources 200A, 200B are associated with respective first battery systems 300A, 300B including respective batteries 305A, 305B configured to provide power to and receive power from the load sources 200A, 200B. The battery systems 300A, 300B may be part of the first and second load sources 200A, 200B (see, e.g., FIG. 3a), although in further embodiments other configurations may exist (see, e.g., FIGS. 3b and 3c).

[0084] In some embodiments, the control algorithm can use various factors, such as state of charge, expected demand, potential TOU savings, and other suitable factors, to determine an optimal or appropriate time for each appliance 200 to use the circuit 820, while in some examples ensuring that both appliances 200 will never draw power from the shared circuit 820 at the same time (e.g., to keep current draw below the maximum rating of the circuit breaker 820 at all times, for safe use of wiring as permitted by relevant codes, etc.).

[0085] In various embodiments, use of the circuitry 820 may be negotiated by the battery systems 300A, 300B as peers, controlled by the main battery system 300, controlled by the battery server 510, the user device 520, etc. In some embodiments, the battery systems 300A, 300B (and / or the load sources 200A, 200B) may communicate with each other or with other devices (e.g., the battery server 510 or the user device 520) over a network 530, such as a Wi-Fi network as shown in the non-limiting examples of FIGS.

[0086] 8 illustrates a first state of the exemplary embodiment 800 in which the first load source 200A is drawing power from the circuit breaker 820 via the first receptacle 165A and the first battery 305A of the first battery system 300A is being charged by power from the circuit breaker 820. In contrast, the second load source 200B is not drawing power from the circuit breaker 820 via the second receptacle 165B and the second battery 305B of the second battery system 300B is discharging power to power the second load source 200B.

[0087] 9 illustrates a second state of the exemplary embodiment 800 in which the second load source 200B is drawing power from the circuit breaker 820 via the second receptacle 165B and the second battery 305B of the second battery system 300B is being charged by power from the circuit breaker 820. In contrast, the first load source 200A is not drawing power from the circuit breaker 820 via the first receptacle 165A and the first battery 305A of the first battery system 300A is discharging power to power the first load source 200A.

[0088] While allowing multiple load sources 200 (e.g., appliances) to utilize the same circuit 155 and circuit breaker 820, such battery system control methods in some embodiments can allow for the addition / use of electrical appliances that would otherwise require a full service upgrade (e.g., increasing the allowable current through the home's main electrical panel). In various embodiments, any suitable number of appliances 200 can utilize the same home circuit at different times to power the operation of the circuit or to charge the circuit's battery 305, while in some embodiments the battery 305 can enable simultaneous use of the appliances 200 and a control switch can prevent the appliances 200 from always using the home circuit simultaneously.

[0089] In various embodiments, the batteries 305 and / or the battery systems 300 can be plugged into one another for expansion. Furthermore, in various examples, the powered building system 100 or the battery network 500 is unlimited in size and new nodes, storage / load combinations, etc. can be added without disrupting the network or system. This can be done, in various examples, via a shared network protocol that allows for expansion of the network. For example, FIG. 13 illustrates an example embodiment 1300 of multiple battery systems 300 connected in series and receiving at least power from the power distribution system 150 with one of the battery systems 300 plugged into a receptacle 165 of the power distribution system 150. In some embodiments, the battery systems 300 can provide power to the load sources 200 or other suitable devices in various suitable ways. FIG. 14 illustrates an example of the battery system 300 shown in FIG. 13, which may include removable modular batteries 305.

[0090] In various embodiments, a fully scalable network of batteries 305 and / or battery systems 300 allows small networks to be developed, expanded individually, and partially or temporarily combined with others, or fully combined to form a larger network. The battery network 500 and / or powered building system 100 of various embodiments can be created and controlled by an individual within a shared living situation. For example, an individual who owns several network-connected battery appliances may move into a room in a shared home situation. This individual may choose to combine his or her network with others in the home to form a larger network, allowing the connected batteries 305 and / or battery systems 300 to communicate via a shared wireless network and / or via an electrical network already installed in the home or building (e.g., via network 530 of FIG. 50). The appliances of various examples can then share power, sharing constrained circuit space without overloading it and otherwise optimizing the electrical load of the home.

[0091] In various embodiments, different power networks associated with different users in a shared living, working, or operating environment may allow for the allocation of power costs and / or credits to each given user. For example, power consumed by each user's load source may be tracked along with shared load sources 200 or overhead load sources 200, and along with credits for power generated by renewable energy sources (e.g., solar panels 115) that are provided to or used by other users' power networks.

[0092] These networks can then be combined to form even larger networks, such as an entire apartment building, neighborhood, school, university, or town network. Various example network protocols can enable sharing and optimization of storage while maintaining an understanding of ownership and allowing trading of electricity as in a normal market.

[0093] A second potential risk of this approach in some examples may be effectively managing the thermal requirements of the battery in the context of the appliance. Due to the high energy density, thermal runaway of lithium batteries may be a safety concern in various examples and needs to be prevented in various examples. Additionally, at less catastrophic levels, batteries operating at elevated temperatures may impact life span. Due to these factors, the battery management system may have integrated temperature sensing and thermal interlocks. Thus, various embodiments may include such a battery management system along with careful thermal design to isolate the battery compartment from areas of the appliance or the local environment that may have unsafe operating temperatures. For example, an effective design strategy for thermal management in various embodiments is to build a high aspect ratio pack adjacent to the ambient environment. An additional strategy may be to incorporate fire suppression at the level of the appliance within the individual battery system 300. For example, in some embodiments, the battery system 300 may include a fire suppression system that includes sensors operable to determine if a fire has occurred within the battery and, if so, to perform fire suppression measures, such as releasing foam, liquid, gas, creating a vacuum, etc., to extinguish the fire.

[0094] A third potential risk involves obtaining appropriate safety certifications for placing batteries directly in appliances and obtaining sufficient buy-in from appliance manufacturers to adopt this technology. Mitigation strategies may include one or more of the following: First, some embodiments may include data analysis and software modeling to estimate the most effective appliance targets and quantify the value proposition. For example, some examples may include localized estimates of value per watt-hour capacity for each appliance based on time-of-use electricity prices, grid size, and enabled distributed renewable energy, as well as avoided electrical upgrade costs. Second, some embodiments may include hardware units that can be placed between existing appliances and electrical outlets prior to integration with the appliances. These hardware units can validate the value proposition in terms of achievable demand response during real-world use, test the robustness of the hardware, networking, and control electronics, and can be used in place of the battery-integrated appliances, such as with the battery-integrated appliances and with conventional appliances prior to replacement with the battery-integrated appliances. Third, various embodiments may include safety certification by UL or another organization, and green certification, such as through the emerging ENERGY STAR Connected Functionality program.

[0095] In many implementations (see, e.g., FIG. 3a), the battery can reside within the appliance itself, whether the appliance is a stove, refrigerator, HVAC system, clothes washer, clothes dryer, television, game console, tools, barbecue, lighting, lawn mower, grass trimmer, vacuum cleaner, blender, juicer, food processor, basement freezer, speaker, audio equipment, cooling fan, or other appliance. These batteries, in some implementations, can be installed at the factory and directly integrated with the appliance's control electronics. In other implementations, the battery can be installed between the appliance and its power source (see, e.g., FIG. 3c). Examples of this form can include a typical "extension cord" or "power strip" with built-in storage that makes this an effective retrofit for the appliance. Other examples can include a typical "in-wall plug" with power storage (see, e.g., FIG. 3b). This can be or be in place of a plug or receptacle that is typically installed in the wall between the studs behind the drywall. For example, in one embodiment, there may be about 50 of these battery receptacles in a home, each of which, at 1 kWh or more, would cover nearly all of the power storage requirements of the home.

[0096] In various embodiments, the control scheme for such appliances may operate in several modes, including one or more of the following examples: First, such appliances may effectively share the load between the wall plug and the battery based on estimated usage requirements without disrupting the user's experience. This scheme may be used in some examples to maximize the energy used from a solar installation or other alternative energy source, or to enable the use of large capacity devices operating from a 110v socket, or to enable the use of time-of-use power rates. Another control scheme may operate when the appliance is not being used or is not expected to be used in the near future, and the appliance provides an energy arbitrage service that can enable the home to absorb and store cheap electricity from the power grid for later use.

[0097] In some examples, battery-integrated appliances can be coordinated through a network to minimize peak power draws at a whole-house level. This may be via wireless networking (e.g., 802.11 or mesh networking) or wired (e.g., Ethernet). Fourth, in some examples, battery-integrated appliances can enable load sharing between appliances, either through external wiring (AC, low-voltage DC, PoE, etc.) or through existing wiring. Existing wiring can be used in some examples by adding an air-gap switch to the plug box that can isolate the wire string from the circuit breaker and change / pass DC on it. Power can also be transmitted through existing wiring with DC shifted AC.

[0098] In various embodiments, the control strategy for a battery-integrated appliance may function using several levels of data, including one or more of the following examples: First, the control strategy may rely solely on the calendar and time of day to predict load and supply. Second, the control strategy may incorporate historical usage data to tailor the algorithm to the user's habits. Third, the control strategy may report data to a central system where the data is aggregated and used to provide control laws. Fourth, the central system may accept user input to switch control modes (e.g., a user may press a button to prime the stove to cook a large meal while the stove pre-charges to full capacity and / or load shares between the battery and plug during operation). Fifth, the control strategy may use data about electricity rates (e.g., time-of-use rates) from the utility company to adjust the control laws to use the cheapest electricity from the power grid. Sixth, the control strategy may use data from a rooftop solar array to forecast and maximize use of available solar electricity.

[0099] Additional benefits may be provided to appliances by batteries according to further embodiments. For example, many conventional appliances are performance limited by the peak power provided by the wall outlet. Batteries can allow for much higher peak power that can be used to improve the appliance's performance. For example, induction stoves may have a much faster temperature rise, higher peak power, and lower noise. On-demand hot water may have a higher capacity, allowing for a higher power, storage-free water heater. Electric kettles can boil faster. For devices with motors, these motors can run at higher peak power and, if desired, at an optimal voltage than AC from the wall. In some cases, battery thermal management may be synergistic with appliance performance. For example, heat from a battery pack can increase the coefficient of performance of a heat pump device, such as an electric dryer.

[0100] In a home electrical system, many costs can be proportional to peak power. Installing a battery in the end application can reduce the peak power and therefore reduce these costs. By enabling hybrid AC / DC systems, battery-integrated appliances can also enable the use of more efficient solid-state power conversion, including inverters and DC / DC voltage conversion.

[0101] Battery-integrated appliances of various embodiments can provide flame retardant features to protect against thermal runaway of lithium batteries and can include fire alarms to warn of emergency situations. Additional device health monitoring may be incorporated to monitor the health of the battery pack. This can be implemented by capacity monitoring, internal resistance measurements, or impedance spectroscopy. Such devices may also be waterproofed to protect the battery and electronic circuitry. These devices can also provide voltage regulation services to the home's electrical system.

[0102] In various embodiments, the battery can enable high powered appliances to be used with receptacles at 110 as opposed to having to install 220. In some examples, the battery may have a storage capacity of 4-24 hours.

[0103] Some embodiments may capture real-time or historical usage data for a room, house, building, block, city, state, and so on.

[0104] In various examples, it may be beneficial to minimize reversals (eg, an inverter in a battery module located on the DC bus can prevent multiple reversals).

[0105] Some embodiments can have power sharing between appliances (eg, via extension cords, existing or new in-wall wiring, Ethernet, etc.).

[0106] Some embodiments may have a battery module in other locations, such as within the wall receptacle, between the receptacle and the appliance, etc.

[0107] Some examples may include suggestions to the user regarding where to install the battery modules.

[0108] Some examples may have a battery module that is integrated or replaceable within the appliance. Such a battery module may be configured to be a self-contained unit that is waterproof, heat resistant, etc., and may provide shallow battery cycling, fire suppression, battery monitoring, etc. Since the control system may be inexpensive compared to the battery, the entire module including the control system may be a replaceable unit.

[0109] Battery modules in various examples can obtain and use different types of data to control battery usage. This may depend on network connectivity or system complexity. A simple battery module may simply include a clock and a lookup table, and the battery module operates based on time of day, day of the week, season, etc. Another more complex version may store usage history from the battery module itself or only the local battery module and use the clock to control battery operation. Another more complex version may have network connectivity (e.g., to the Internet), provide access to data from the power grid, can use data from remote modules, etc.

[0110] Various embodiments can be configured to predict usage based on the data described above, etc. Some embodiments can be configured to operate based on user input (e.g., a user indicates that they are about to cook a meal or will cook a meal later or at a later date). Predictions may be based on data such as a user calendar, a user-defined schedule, etc.

[0111] In some instances, the house can operate as a hybrid AC / DC bus.

[0112] The receptacle 165 can have an air gap breaker in some embodiments, and various devices can turn the receptacle on / off (e.g., a battery system 300 coupled to the receptacle 165, a battery system 300 not coupled to the receptacle 165, a battery server 510, a user device 520, etc.). Such control of the air gap breaker can be via wired and / or wireless communication (e.g., network 530).

[0113] Some devices may have large ramp-up requirements and may have a local battery 305 to reduce this and produce faster and better appliances (faster heating). Appliances can be configured to dial up the voltage as needed to provide improved appliances. Other benefits may include less static on washer / dryer, quieter operation from ultrasonic induction, increased efficiency of inverters, etc.

[0114] Although specific examples are described herein, these examples should not be construed as limiting various alternative and additional embodiments that are within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. For example, an appliance, device, or system that can be associated with one or more batteries described herein can include one or more of the examples in the following table. Also, while a residential example is the focus of some examples herein, further embodiments may include apartment buildings, commercial buildings, vehicles, and the like. [Table 2-1] [Table 2-2] [Table 2-3] [Table 2-4] [Table 2-5] [Table 2-6] [Table 2-7]

[0115] Embodiments of the present disclosure can be described in view of the following provisions. 1. An electricity supply building system comprising: A building having a power distribution system that receives power from a power grid and / or one or more solar panels, the power distribution system comprising a number of power lines passing through a wall of the building and distributing power around the building to a number of receptacles at different locations around the building; a plurality of load sources located at different locations around the building, the load sources comprising one or more of a heat pump, an electric stove, a refrigerator, and a water heater; a plurality of battery systems disposed at the different locations around the building, each of the battery systems being associated with a different respective one of the plurality of receptacles and with one of the load sources, the plurality of battery systems comprising: a first battery system that is an integral component of a first load source of the plurality of load sources and that is disposed within a housing of the first load source of the plurality of load sources, the first load source comprising a first power cord plugged into a first receptacle of the plurality of receptacles, the first battery system comprising a first battery configured to obtain and store power from the first receptacle, the first load source being configured to be fully powered by power stored by the first battery, configured to be fully powered by power obtained from the first receptacle, and configured to be partially powered by both the first battery and power obtained from the first receptacle; a second battery system including a second battery and a second receptacle of the plurality of receptacles, the second battery system being disposed within a wall of the building, a second load source comprising a second power cord plugged into the second receptacle of the plurality of receptacles, the second battery being configured to obtain and store power from the power distribution system, the second load source being configured to be fully powered by power stored by the second battery, configured to be fully powered by power obtained from the power distribution system, and configured to be partially powered by both the second battery and power obtained from the power distribution system; the plurality of battery systems including: a third battery system electrically disposed between a third load source and a third receptacle of the plurality of receptacles, the third battery system comprising a third power cord plugged into the third receptacle, the third load source comprising a fourth power cord plugged into a fourth receptacle of the third load source, the third battery system comprising a third battery configured to obtain and store power from the third receptacle, the third load source configured to be fully powered by power stored by the third battery, configured to be fully powered by power obtained from the third receptacle via the third battery system, and configured to be partially powered by both the third battery and power obtained from the third receptacle via the third battery system; Equipped with each of the first, second, and third battery systems A processor; Memory, A battery control system; An interface; Power bus and Further comprising: said power supply building system;

[0116] 2. The first, second, and third battery systems are, respectively, communicating with each other via a wireless network; communicating with a remote battery server; Communicating with at least one user device 2. The power supply building system of claim 1, further comprising a communication system configured to enable:

[0117] 3. The first, second, and third battery systems are a first battery configured to provide stored power to the second and third battery systems; the second battery configured to provide stored power to the first and third battery systems; a third battery configured to provide stored power to the first and second battery systems; and 3. A power supply building system as described in clause 1 or 2, configured to share stored power with each other via the power distribution system.

[0118] 4. The battery control systems of the first, second, and third battery systems each include obtaining current power usage data associated with each of the load sources associated with the battery system; obtaining a current power output capacity of each battery of the battery system; determining a new power output configuration that prioritizes the use and storage of energy from the one or more solar panels over the use of electricity from the power grid; replacing a current power output configuration with said new power output configuration; Stopping the use of electricity from the power grid; causing storage of power obtained from the one or more solar panels in the battery of the battery system and / or causing the load source associated with the battery system to be powered by power obtained from the one or more solar panels. 4. An electricity supply building system as described in any one of clauses 1 to 3, configured as follows:

[0119] 5. An electricity supply building system comprising: A building having an electrical power distribution system that receives electrical power from an electrical grid and one or more renewable electrical sources, the electrical power distribution system distributing the electrical power around the building to a number of receptacles at different locations around the building; a plurality of load sources disposed at different locations around the building; a plurality of battery systems disposed at the different locations around the building, each of the battery systems being associated with a different respective one of the plurality of receptacles and with one of the load sources; The power supply building system comprising:

[0120] 6. The plurality of battery systems, a first battery system that is an integral component of a first load source of the plurality of load sources and is disposed within a housing of the first load source of the plurality of load sources, the first load source comprising a first power cord plugged into a first receptacle of the plurality of receptacles, the first battery system comprising a first battery configured to obtain and store power from the first receptacle, the first load source being configured to be fully powered by power stored by the first battery, configured to be fully powered by power obtained from the first receptacle, and configured to be partially powered by both the first battery and power obtained from the first receptacle; 2. An electricity supply building system as described in clause 5, including:

[0121] 7. The plurality of battery systems, A first battery system including a first battery and a first receptacle of the plurality of receptacles, the first battery system being disposed within a wall of the building, a first load source comprising a first power cord plugged into the first receptacle of the plurality of receptacles, the first battery being configured to obtain and store power from the power distribution system, the first load source being configured to be fully powered by power stored by the first battery, configured to be fully powered by power obtained from the power distribution system, and configured to be partially powered by both the first battery and power obtained from the power distribution system. 5. An electricity supply building system as described in clause 5 or 6, comprising:

[0122] 8. The plurality of battery systems, a first battery system electrically disposed between a first load source and a first receptacle of the plurality of receptacles, the first battery system comprising a first power cord plugged into the first receptacle, the first load source comprising a second power cord plugged into a fourth receptacle of the first load source, the first battery system comprising a first battery configured to obtain and store power from the first receptacle, the first load source configured to be fully powered by power stored by the first battery, configured to be fully powered by power obtained from the first receptacle via the first battery system, and configured to be partially powered by both the first battery and power obtained from the first receptacle via the first battery system. 2. An electricity supply building system as described in clauses 5 to 7, including:

[0123] 9. Each of the plurality of battery systems A battery; A processor; Memory, A battery control system; An interface; Power bus and An electricity supply building system as described in clauses 5 to 8, comprising:

[0124] 10. A power supply building system as described in any of clauses 5 to 9, wherein each of the battery systems further comprises a communication system configured to enable the battery systems to communicate with each other via a wireless network.

[0125] 11. The plurality of battery systems, a first battery of a first battery system configured to provide stored power to the second and third battery systems; a second battery of the second battery system configured to provide stored power to the first and third battery systems; a third battery of the third battery system configured to provide stored power to the first and second battery systems; and 11. The power supply building system of any of clauses 5 to 10, comprising the first, second, and third battery systems configured to share stored power with each other via the power distribution system, comprising:

[0126] 12. At least one battery system of the plurality of battery systems is obtaining current power usage data associated with a load source associated with the at least one battery system; Obtaining a current power output capacity of a battery of the at least one battery system; determining a new power output mix that prioritizes the use and storage of energy from the one or more renewable energy sources over the use of electricity from the power grid; replacing a current power output configuration with said new power output configuration; Stopping the use of electricity from the power grid; causing storage of power obtained from the one or more renewable energy sources in the batteries of the at least one battery system and / or causing the load source associated with the at least one battery system to be powered by power obtained from at least one of the one or more renewable energy sources. 12. An electricity supply building system as described in any one of clauses 5 to 11, configured as follows:

[0127] 13. An electricity supply building system comprising: a power distribution system configured to distribute power to a plurality of receptacles; one or more load sources; each receptacle of the plurality of receptacles; each load source of the one or more load sources; one or more battery systems associated with The power supply building system comprising:

[0128] 14. The one or more battery systems, a first battery system disposed within a first load source of the one or more load sources, the first load source comprising a first power cord plugged into a first receptacle of the plurality of receptacles, the first battery system comprising a first battery configured to obtain and store power from the first receptacle, the first load source being configured to be fully powered by power stored by the first battery, configured to be fully powered by power obtained from the first receptacle, and configured to be partially powered by both the first battery and power obtained from the first receptacle. 13. An electricity supply building system as described in clause 13,

[0129] 15. The one or more battery systems, A first battery system including a first battery and a first receptacle of the plurality of receptacles, the first battery system being disposed within a wall of a building, a first load source comprising a first power cord plugged into the first receptacle of the plurality of receptacles, the first battery being configured to obtain and store power from the power distribution system, the first load source being configured to be fully powered by power stored by the first battery, configured to be fully powered by power obtained from the power distribution system, and configured to be partially powered by both the first battery and power obtained from the power distribution system. 15. An electricity supply building system as claimed in clause 13 or 14, comprising:

[0130] 16. The one or more battery systems, a first battery system comprising a first power cord plugged into the first receptacle, the first load source comprising a second power cord plugged into a fourth receptacle of the first load source, the first battery system comprising a first battery configured to obtain and store power from the first receptacle, the first load source being configured to be fully powered by power stored by the first battery, fully powered by power obtained from the first receptacle via the first battery system, and partially powered by both the first battery and power obtained from the first receptacle via the first battery system. An electricity supply building system according to any one of clauses 13 to 15, comprising:

[0131] 17. A power supply building system as described in any of clauses 13 to 16, wherein the one or more battery systems each include a plurality of battery systems each including a communication system configured to enable the plurality of battery systems to communicate with each other via a network.

[0132] 18. The one or more battery systems, a first battery of a first battery system configured to provide stored power to a second battery system; a second battery of the second battery system configured to provide stored power to the first battery system; 18. A power supply building system as described in any of clauses 13 to 17, comprising the first and second battery systems configured to share stored power with each other, comprising:

[0133] 19. At least one battery system of the one or more battery systems: Varying a power output configuration of the at least one battery system; Stop using electricity from the grid, causing storage of power obtained from a renewable energy source in batteries of the at least one battery system and / or causing the load source associated with the at least one battery system to be powered by power obtained from a renewable energy source. 19. An electricity supply building system according to any one of clauses 13 to 18, configured as follows:

[0134] The described embodiments are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific examples of which are shown by way of example in the drawings and described in detail herein. However, the described embodiments should not be limited to the specific forms or methods disclosed, but on the contrary, it should be understood that the present disclosure includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives. Furthermore, elements of a given embodiment should not be construed as being applicable only to that example embodiment, and thus elements of one example embodiment may also be applicable to other embodiments. Furthermore, in some embodiments, elements specifically shown in some embodiments may not be explicitly present in further embodiments. Thus, the description of an element present in an example should be construed as supporting some embodiments in which such element is not explicitly present.

Claims

1. A stove appliance, Stove housing and four induction cooking zones disposed on an upper surface of the stove housing; an oven having an oven door disposed on a front surface of the stove housing; a plurality of at least five knobs located on a front surface of the stove housing above the oven door and below a top surface of the stove housing, the plurality of knobs configured to operate the four induction cooking zones and the oven; a power cord with a plug configured to connect to a 120V, 15A power receptacle of a residential electrical distribution system; a battery system integrally configured within the stove appliance, the battery system being disposed within the stove housing; the battery system includes one or more lithium batteries configured to store power obtained from the plugged power cord connected to the power receptacle of the power distribution system of the residence; and configured to fully power the four induction cooking zones located on the top surface of the stove housing; and configured to fully power the oven of the stovetop appliance; the battery system further comprising: a communication system configured to enable the battery system to communicate over one or more communication networks, including the Internet and a Wi-Fi network; an interface including touch functionality that presents information that allows a user to configure the battery system, view aspects, characteristics, or status of the battery system, and configure a network connection via a communication system; a processor; a memory; The memory, when executed by the processor, provides to the battery system: storing instructions to obtain current user power usage data; storing instructions for obtaining current power output capacity data; storing instructions for implementing a power output configuration based at least in part on the current power usage data and the current power output capacity data, including outputting power to the stove appliance from one or both of the power receptacle and the one or more lithium batteries; storing instructions for implementing a battery charging configuration based at least in part on the current power usage data and the current power output capacity data, including charging or not charging the one or more lithium batteries with power from the power receptacle; The power output configuration and the battery charging configuration are determined and implemented according to at least one of the following objectives (a) to (f): (a) is determined and implemented with the objective of maximizing the storage of power by the one or more lithium batteries from renewable energy sources; (b) is determined and implemented with the objective of maximizing the storage of power by the one or more lithium batteries from the power grid when power is low or at a lower price; (c) is determined and implemented with the objective of maximizing the performance of the induction cooking zone and / or the oven of the stovetop appliance; (d) is determined and implemented with the objective of maximizing the energy efficiency of the stove appliance; (e) is implemented with the objective of maximizing energy storage by the one or more lithium batteries; (f) a stove appliance characterized by being determined and implemented with the objective of minimizing charging time of said one or more lithium batteries.

2. 10. The stove appliance of claim 1, wherein the battery system further includes an internal rectifier circuit configured to convert 60 Hz alternating current to direct current.

3. 10. The stove appliance of claim 1, wherein the power output configuration and the battery charging configuration are further determined based on at least the time of day and the cost of electricity available from an electrical grid connected to the electrical distribution system of the residence.

4. 10. The stove appliance of claim 1, wherein the stove appliance obtains power generated by solar panels installed in the home through the power distribution system of the home.

5. A stove appliance, Stove housing and one or more induction cooking zones disposed on an upper surface of the stove housing; an oven having an oven door disposed on a front surface of the stove housing; a power cord with a plug configured to connect to a power receptacle of a building's power distribution system; a battery system integrally configured within the stove appliance, the battery system being disposed within the stove housing; The battery system includes one or more batteries, the batteries including: configured to store power obtained from the plugged power cord connected to the power receptacle of the power distribution system of the building; and configured to fully power the one or more induction cooking zones located on the top surface of the stove housing; and configured to fully power the oven of the stovetop appliance; The battery system further comprises a stove power receptacle disposed on an exterior surface of the stove housing, the stove power receptacle configured to share the power stored in the one or more batteries by connecting one or more household appliances to the stove power receptacle, the stove power receptacle configured to supply power to the one or more household appliances and fully output the household appliances, the household appliances including at least one of a refrigerator, a heat pump, and a water heater.

6. 6. The stove appliance of claim 5, wherein the stove appliance obtains 120V, 15A power from a power receptacle of the building's electrical distribution system.

7. 6. The stove appliance of claim 5, wherein the one or more batteries are lithium batteries.

8. The battery system further comprises: a processor; a memory; The memory, when executed by the processor, provides to the battery system: storing instructions to obtain current user power usage data; storing instructions for obtaining current power output capacity data; storing instructions for implementing a power output configuration, including outputting power to the stove appliance from one or both of the power receptacle and the one or more lithium batteries; 6. The stove appliance of claim 5, further storing instructions for implementing a battery charging configuration, including charging or not charging the one or more lithium batteries with power from the power receptacle.

9. The power output configuration and the battery charging configuration are determined and implemented according to at least one of the following objectives (a) to (f): (a) is determined and implemented with the objective of maximizing the storage of power by the one or more batteries from renewable energy sources; (b) is implemented with the objective of maximizing the storage of power by the one or more batteries from the power grid when power is low or at a lower price; (c) is determined and implemented with the objective of maximizing the performance of the induction cooking zone and / or the oven of the stovetop appliance; (d) is determined and implemented with the objective of maximizing the energy efficiency of the stove appliance; (e) is implemented with the objective determined to maximize energy storage by the one or more batteries; 10. The stove appliance of claim 8, wherein (f) is determined and implemented with the objective of minimizing charging time of the one or more batteries.

10. A stove appliance, Stove housing and one or more cooking zones; a power cord with a plug configured to connect to a power receptacle of a power distribution system; a battery system including one or more batteries; the one or more batteries configured to store power obtained from the plugged power cord connected to the power receptacle of the power distribution system; and 10. A stovetop appliance configured to provide power to the one or more cooking zones.

11. 11. The stovetop appliance of claim 10, wherein the one or more cooking zones are induction cooking zones.

12. 11. The stove appliance of claim 10, further comprising an oven, wherein the one or more batteries are further configured to power the oven of the stove appliance.

13. 11. The stove appliance of claim 10, wherein the battery system is an internal, integral component of the stove appliance with the battery system disposed within the stove housing of the stove appliance.

14. 11. The stove appliance of claim 10, further comprising a stove power receptacle disposed on an exterior surface of the stove housing.

15. the stove power receptacle 15. The stove appliance of claim 14, configured to share power stored in the one or more batteries by connecting one or more other appliances to the stove power receptacle.

16. 15. The stove appliance of claim 14, wherein the stove power receptacle is configured to provide power to and drive one or more appliances, the one or more appliances including at least one of a refrigerator, a heat pump, and a water heater;

17. 11. The stove appliance of claim 10, wherein the stove appliance obtains 120V, 15A power from a power receptacle of the power distribution system.

18. 11. The stove appliance of claim 10, wherein the one or more batteries are lithium batteries.

19. The battery system further comprises: a processor; a memory; The memory, when executed by the processor, provides to the battery system: storing instructions for implementing a power output configuration, including outputting power to the stove appliance from one or both of the power receptacle and the one or more batteries; 11. The stove appliance of claim 10, further storing instructions for implementing a battery charging configuration, including charging or not charging the one or more batteries with power from the power receptacle.

20. The power output configuration and the battery charging configuration are determined and implemented according to at least one of the following objectives (a) to (f): (a) is determined and implemented with the objective of maximizing the storage of power by the one or more batteries from renewable energy sources; (b) is implemented with the objective of maximizing the storage of power by the one or more batteries from the power grid when power is low or at a lower price; (c) is determined and implemented with the objective of maximizing the performance of the cooking zone of the stove appliance; (d) is determined and implemented with the objective of maximizing the energy efficiency of the stove appliance; (e) is implemented with the objective determined to maximize energy storage by the one or more batteries; 20. The stove appliance of claim 19, wherein (f) is determined and implemented with the objective of minimizing charging time of the one or more batteries.

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