Behind-the-Meter Branch Loads for Curtailment-Tolerant Power Use

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Solution Overview

Problem

Generation stations, particularly wind and solar farms, face inefficiencies due to their inability to quickly adjust operations in response to fluctuating market prices, leading to power being sold at low or negative prices, and curtailment results in wasted energy and reduced operational efficiency.

Innovation Solution

Implementing behind-the-meter (BTM) loads, such as flexible datacenters, that can utilize power received behind-the-meter at a generation station, allowing the station to selectively supply power to the grid or these loads based on market conditions, thereby avoiding unfavorable pricing and reducing transmission and distribution costs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If generation stations supply power to the grid continuously, then power generation capacity is utilized, but power is sold at low or negative prices during unfavorable market conditions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower generation capacity utilizationVSAvoideconomic loss from unfavorable pricing

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic power distribution that adjusts in real-time based on market conditions. The generation station selectively supplies power to either the grid or behind-the-meter loads depending on pricing signals, enabling adaptive response to fluctuating market prices and avoiding economic losses from unfavorable pricing conditions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the operational parameter of power destination based on market price parameters. When grid prices are unfavorable, the system switches power allocation to behind-the-meter loads, effectively using price parameter changes to optimize economic outcomes while maintaining generation capacity utilization

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Loss of energy

If generation stations curtail power supply to the grid, then unfavorable pricing is avoided, but energy is wasted and operational efficiency is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveavoidance of unfavorable pricingVSAvoidoperational efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the power supply decision from binary curtailment options and creates a third pathway: behind-the-meter loads. Instead of simply curtailing or supplying to the grid, the system can selectively supply power to on-site loads, thereby avoiding curtailment losses while maintaining operational efficiency and profitability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system converts the potential harm of forced curtailment into benefit by redirecting power to behind-the-meter loads. This transforms what would be wasted energy during curtailment events into productive, economically beneficial power consumption, effectively converting a negative situation into a positive outcome

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Ease of operation

If generation stations use traditional grid power supply, then power is delivered to consumers, but transmission and distribution costs are high

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower delivery to consumersVSAvoidtransmission and distribution costs

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the power supply system into two distinct pathways: traditional grid supply and behind-the-meter supply. This segmentation allows the generation station to selectively use the lower-cost behind-the-meter pathway for on-site loads, thereby reducing transmission and distribution costs while maintaining ease of power delivery to consumers

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The behind-the-meter infrastructure acts as an intermediary between the generation station and behind-the-meter loads. This intermediary pathway provides a direct, lower-cost power delivery route that bypasses traditional transmission and distribution infrastructure, reducing associated costs while maintaining operational simplicity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS12434586B2Behind-the-meter branch loads for electrical vehicle charging field

Publication Date: 2025.10.07 LANCIUM LLC

AI summary

Examples relate to flexible datacenters or other power loads tolerant of intermittent operation and configured to use power received behind-the-meter. A system may include a transportation hub electrically coupled to a BTM power source via a branch line. The transportation hub may receive behind-the-meter (“BTM”) power from the BTM power source. The system may also include a datacenter control system configured to modulate power delivery to the transportation hub based on a set of monitored conditions. The set of monitored conditions may include BTM power availability at the transportation hub. In some examples, the datacenter control system is a remote master control system positioned remotely from the transportation hub.