Autonomous Demand Response Control Device for Power System Frequency Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
The construction of communications infrastructure is a significant barrier for Demand Response (DR) providers to enter the DR control market, as it is expensive and necessary for performing DR control, which can lead to economic losses and destabilization of the power system due to communication failures.
Innovation Solution
A supply and demand control device that communicates with electrical devices via a communication network and controls power consumption based on the frequency of the power system, determining start times for reducing or increasing power use without relying on a communications infrastructure, by observing frequency changes and adjusting accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If DR control is performed using conventional methods with service aggregator communication, then power supply and demand can be adjusted according to aggregator commands, but expensive communications infrastructure is required which creates a barrier to entry
Solution Approach 1:
The DR control device autonomously monitors power system frequency and independently determines when to request power consumption reduction, eliminating the need for continuous communication with service aggregators. The device serves itself by using local frequency measurements to trigger control actions, thereby removing the requirement for expensive communications infrastructure while maintaining reliable power system stabilization
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the essential DR control function from the communication-dependent framework and implements it using only local frequency measurement and processing. By taking out the communication component entirely and relying solely on local frequency monitoring, the system achieves power system stability without requiring any communications infrastructure
2Reliability
If DR control starts immediately when frequency drops below threshold, then power system stability is improved, but unnecessary power reduction occurs when frequency recovers quickly
Solution Approach 1:
When frequency drops below the threshold, the device performs preliminary observation for a predetermined period before initiating power consumption reduction. This preliminary action allows the system to distinguish between temporary frequency fluctuations and sustained deviations, ensuring that control is only activated when truly necessary, thereby preventing unnecessary energy loss while maintaining power system stability
Solution Approach 2:
The device continuously monitors frequency during the observation period and uses this feedback to determine whether to activate DR control. If frequency recovers to within the permissible range during observation, the control action is cancelled; if frequency remains below threshold, control is activated. This feedback mechanism eliminates unnecessary power reduction while ensuring timely response to actual power system issues
3Loss of energy
If observation period is extended to avoid unnecessary control, then energy loss is reduced, but response time to actual power system issues is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The observation period is set to a specific predetermined duration that optimizes the balance between avoiding unnecessary control and responding timely to actual issues. This parameter change transforms the frequency threshold trigger into a time-dependent decision process, where the fixed observation period ensures consistent, predictable response behavior that prevents both premature and delayed control actions
Data Source
AI summary
A supply and demand control device includes: a first communication unit which communicates, via a communication network, with an electrical device which belongs to a customer and consumes power from a power system; and a control unit which obtains a frequency of the power system, and start observation control if the obtained frequency falls below a lower limit of a predetermined frequency range, in which in the observation control, the control unit determines start time for reducing power consumption by the electrical device via the first communication unit, based on a rate of change in frequency obtained after the observation control is started, and starts reducing the power consumption at the start time if the obtained frequency does not return to within the predetermined frequency range within an observation duration which is a duration from start of the observation control to the start time.