Distributed DER Control With Aggregated Feedback for Demand Response
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Solution Overview
Problem
Managing decentralized distributed energy resources (DERs) in a power grid during demand response events is challenging due to the lack of effective local control mechanisms that consider individual household feedback, leading to potential overloads and inefficiencies in energy management.
Innovation Solution
A power grid management system with a central controller and edge controllers that communicate via two-way communication to adjust energy usage of DERs such as air conditioners and electric water heaters, sending uniform messages to households to modify energy consumption and aggregate feedback for optimal grid load management, while maintaining user privacy and reducing communication bandwidth.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If individualized control messages are sent to each household to manage DERs, then energy management precision is improved, but communication bandwidth consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by allowing each edge controller to independently process the uniform message and adjust its local DERs based on household-specific conditions. Each household's edge controller autonomously determines the optimal control strategy for its own appliances while receiving the same aggregate signal, thus achieving localized adaptive control without requiring individualized communication for each household.
2Measurement precision
If detailed appliance usage data is collected from each household, then grid management accuracy is improved, but user privacy is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential aggregate information needed for grid management while leaving detailed household-level data local to each edge controller. The central controller sends an aggregate power adjustment signal without requiring detailed appliance usage data, and each edge controller independently determines the specific appliance control strategy, thus extracting only the necessary information for grid stability while preserving user privacy.
Solution Approach 2:
The edge controller acts as an intermediary between the central controller and household appliances. It receives the aggregate control signal from the central controller and translates it into specific appliance control decisions without exposing detailed usage data to the central controller, thus mediating between grid management needs and privacy preservation.
3Reliability
If real-time feedback aggregation is implemented, then grid stability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the feedback aggregation function into the uniform message transmission mechanism. All edge controllers receive the same aggregate signal that already incorporates feedback from all households, eliminating the need for separate feedback aggregation channels. This combining of control and feedback functions reduces system complexity while maintaining real-time grid stability through the aggregate signal.
Data Source
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AI summary
Power grid management systems and methods include determining a power reference, and sending a first message from a first controller to each of a plurality of second controllers based on the power reference. Each of the plurality of second controllers is configured to control a plurality of associated distributed energy resources (DERs). Energy usage of the associated DERs is modified by each of the plurality of second controllers based on the first message. Each of the second controllers sends feedback data to the first controller message based on the modified energy usage of the associated DERs. The feedback data is aggregated by the first controller, and the aggregated feedback data is compared to the power reference. The first controller sends a second message to each of the plurality of second controllers based on the comparison.