EV Charging Port Curtailment for Facility Demand Tariff Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Facilities with electric vehicle charging stations face increased energy demands that can lead to higher utility tariffs and fees, necessitating effective load management strategies to reduce energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
Implement a facility load management system that monitors and adjusts energy consumption of EV charging stations based on state of charge (SOC) and load distribution strategies, using load management controllers to dynamically curtail energy delivery to EV charging ports, ensuring compliance with utility thresholds and reducing overall energy demand.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If EV charging stations operate at full capacity to meet user demand, then user service quality is improved, but energy consumption increases triggering utility tariffs
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts charging port availability and energy delivery rates based on real-time facility energy consumption levels and utility tariff thresholds. When energy consumption approaches tariff-triggering levels, the system dynamically curtails charging capacity; when consumption is below thresholds, full capacity is restored, creating a dynamic balance between service quality and energy management.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters of EV charging stations including energy delivery rates, charging port availability, and priority levels. These parameter changes are adjusted based on facility energy consumption patterns, time-of-use pricing structures, and predicted energy availability to optimize both service quality and cost management.
2Use of energy by stationary object
If energy consumption is curtailed to avoid utility tariffs, then energy costs are reduced, but charging service availability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments EV charging ports into different priority groups and curtails energy delivery on a per-port basis rather than shutting down entire charging stations. This allows selective curtailment of lower-priority charging ports while maintaining service availability for higher-priority ports, preserving charging service availability while reducing energy costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial curtailment actions rather than complete shutdowns, delivering reduced energy rates rather than zero energy. This partial action approach maintains some charging service availability while achieving sufficient energy cost reduction to avoid utility tariffs, finding an optimal middle ground between full service and cost avoidance.
3Use of energy by stationary object
If dynamic curtailment control is implemented to manage energy loads, then utility tariff avoidance is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback loops that continuously monitor facility energy consumption, compare it against utility tariff thresholds, and automatically adjust EV charging station parameters in response. This closed-loop feedback control enables automatic utility tariff avoidance without requiring complex manual intervention or overly sophisticated control algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables EV charging stations to self-regulate their energy consumption based on pre-configured utility tariff parameters and facility energy management policies. The charging infrastructure autonomously makes curtailment decisions without requiring complex external control systems, reducing overall system complexity while achieving tariff avoidance.
Data Source
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AI summary
Methods and systems for curtailing an electrical load presented by an EV charging station having one or more EV charging ports. The methods and systems may include receiving a curtailment instruction and curtailing energy consumption of an EV charging station by curtailing each of one or more of the EV charging ports of the EV charging station by a corresponding EV charging port curtailment amount. The EV charging port curtailment amount for each of one or more selected EV charging ports may be dependent on a state of charge of the EV that is receiving energy from the corresponding EV charging port. The curtailing of power and/or energy output at an EV charging station may reduce utility tariffs applied by a utility to the facility.