Energy Storage Battery Selection for Minimum Operating Cost

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional energy storage system control methods focus on improving power efficiency and battery performance but fail to effectively minimize long-term operation costs, including grid power and battery replacement costs.

Innovation Solution

An operation control apparatus and method that includes a processor and memory to collect battery information, derive optimal battery combinations, calculate operation costs, and generate recommendations for minimizing overall costs by optimizing grid power and battery purchases, considering constraints such as power balance, battery state of charge, and EV charger usage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional control methods focus on improving power efficiency and battery performance, then battery performance is improved, but operation cost is not minimized

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebattery performanceVSAvoidoperation cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The system changes operational parameters dynamically by adjusting charge/discharge schedules based on electricity price signals, battery state of charge, and forecasted power generation to minimize operation costs while maintaining battery performance requirements

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The control method transitions from static performance optimization to dynamic cost optimization by continuously adjusting operational parameters based on real-time and forecasted conditions including electricity prices, power generation forecasts, and load demands

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Ease of manufacture

If multiple battery combinations are evaluated to minimize operation cost, then operation cost is minimized, but calculation complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperation costVSAvoidcalculation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The evaluation process is segmented into discrete steps: generating battery combinations based on capacity requirements, calculating operation costs for each combination using standardized formulas, and selecting the optimal combination, which simplifies the overall complex optimization problem

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses forecasted data (copies of future conditions) for power generation, electricity prices, and load demands to evaluate battery combinations, allowing cost calculation without requiring actual future operational data, thus reducing computational complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentEP4712292A1Operation support apparatus and method for energy storage system
Publication Date: 2026.03.18 LG ENERGY SOLUTION LTD
  • EP4712292A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4712292A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4712292A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An operation support apparatus, according to an embodiment of the present invention, is an operation support apparatus for an energy storage system and may comprise at least one processor, and a memory storing at least one instruction that is executed by the at least one processor. The at least one instruction may include the instructions of: collecting information about batteries that can be applied to the energy storage system; deriving, on the basis of the structure of the energy storage system, a plurality of combinations, each including one or more batteries that can be applied to the energy storage system; calculating an operating cost of the energy storage system for each of the combinations; and generating recommended combination information including information about a combination that, among the combinations, represents the minimum operating cost.