Control Entity for Consumer Power Reserve Activation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for managing power reserves on an electric grid are costly and difficult for consumers to implement, especially for primary and secondary reserves, which require quick reaction times and are primarily handled by electricity producers, limiting consumer participation.
Innovation Solution
A method and control entity that allow preselected consumers to reduce power consumption quickly and cost-effectively by transmitting consumption data regularly, computing and transmitting maximum power reduction values and durations, and receiving commands from a grid manager to implement power reductions, enabling rapid activation of power reserves without requiring the grid manager to perform computations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If consumers participate in primary and secondary reserves with very short reaction times, then grid stability is improved, but implementation cost and difficulty increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a control entity as an intermediary between consumers and the grid manager. This control entity automatically manages the complex real-time control operations, while consumers simply provide power consumption data. The intermediary handles the technical complexity of rapid response implementation, making consumer participation feasible without requiring consumers to manage complex control systems themselves.
Solution Approach 2:
The control entity automatically performs real-time analysis of power consumption data and executes control operations without requiring continuous human intervention. The system self-manages the complex tasks of monitoring, analyzing, and controlling power consumption in real-time, reducing the operational burden on consumers while maintaining rapid response capabilities for grid stability.
2Reliability
If excess production capacities are integrated and mobilized as power reserves, then grid equilibrium is maintained, but significant costs are incurred for producers and distributors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional approach by having consumers provide power reserves through reduction of their consumption rather than requiring producers to maintain excess generation capacity. Instead of producers keeping idle generators running to provide reserves, consumers can voluntarily reduce their consumption to create reserves, fundamentally reversing who provides the reserve capacity and at what cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of who provides power reserves from producers to consumers. By enabling consumers to participate in providing power reserves through consumption reduction, the system transforms the source of reserve capacity from expensive producer-side excess generation to potentially lower-cost consumer-side consumption management.
3Speed
If real-time power consumption monitoring and control is implemented, then rapid response to grid imbalances is achieved, but system complexity and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex real-time computational and control functions from the consumer side and concentrates them in a dedicated control entity. Consumers only need to provide power consumption data, while the control entity handles all the complex real-time analysis, decision-making, and control execution. This separation reduces the complexity burden on consumers while maintaining rapid response capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The control entity serves as an intermediary that specializes in handling the complex real-time monitoring and control operations. By introducing this intermediary layer, the system can achieve rapid response to grid imbalances without requiring each consumer to implement complex control systems, as the control entity centralizes and manages the computational complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
According to the inventive method, the power consumed on an electric grid (10), by preselected consumers (42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52) being able to accept a predetermined decrease in power over a predetermined time range, is regulated. This method comprises the following successive steps: sending a control entity, regularly and by each preselected consumer (42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52), a message (M1) containing the power consumed by said preselected consumer (42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52); using the control entity (60) to compute a maximum power reduction value for all of the preselected consumers (42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52) and a maximum duration of that power reduction; transmitting, using the control entity (60) and to a grid manager (62), computed values and maximum power durations; and sending, from the grid manager (62) to the control entity (60), a command order (79) commanding a power reduction for a selected duration.