Grid Emissions Quantification Using Sub-Hourly Nodal Carbon Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems lack the ability to accurately quantify and optimize greenhouse gas emissions from electricity grids, particularly at a sub-hourly level, and fail to provide true carbon offsets that account for variations in renewable energy generation due to weather and time of day.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented system and method that utilizes processor-based calculations to determine energy supply characteristics of generator nodes, incorporating weather data and differential analysis to provide hourly or sub-hourly carbon offset scores, optimizing carbon offset by correlating nodal and grid-level emissions with renewable energy generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If current systems monitor greenhouse gas emissions at daily/monthly/yearly levels, then reporting and permitting processes are simplified, but the precision and usefulness for real-time optimization are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments emissions monitoring into hierarchical levels (facility-level, grid-level, regional-level) and time granularities (sub-hourly, hourly, daily, monthly, yearly). This allows precise sub-hourly measurements for optimization while maintaining simplified aggregate reporting for regulatory compliance, resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs multiple functions simultaneously: it provides real-time sub-hourly emissions data for optimization, generates aggregate reports for permitting, enables carbon offset matching, and supports both facility-level and grid-level analysis. This multi-functionality allows a single system to deliver precision where needed while maintaining simplicity for regulatory reporting.
2Ease of operation
If renewable energy generation is offset at any time (e.g., daytime generation offset with nighttime generation), then offset accounting is simplified, but true carbon offset is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by matching carbon offsets locally in time and space - daytime generation offsets daytime consumption, nighttime generation offsets nighttime consumption. This temporal and spatial matching ensures that renewable energy actually displaces fossil fuel generation when needed, achieving true carbon offset while maintaining operational simplicity through automated sub-hourly matching.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses sub-hourly emissions data to provide real-time feedback on carbon offset performance, enabling dynamic adjustment of offset strategies. This feedback loop ensures that offset accounting accurately reflects actual emissions displacement while maintaining simplicity through automated calculations based on measured data.
3Measurement precision
If power flow studies are used to determine carbon intensity, then comprehensive grid analysis is achieved, but processing is intensive and results are delayed or incomplete
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-calculating and storing carbon intensity factors for different grid conditions and generator types. When real-time emissions calculation is needed, the system retrieves and applies these pre-computed factors rather than performing full power flow studies, achieving both precision and speed by combining offline preparation with online application.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates simplified copies of complex power flow analysis results in the form of lookup tables and emission factors that can be quickly applied without repeating the intensive calculations. These copies capture the essential relationships between generator output, grid conditions, and emissions, enabling fast real-time computation while maintaining accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer implemented system and method for quantifying and/or optimizing intended greenhouse gas emission offsets to an electrical power grid are provided. Preferably, the method may include the steps of: instantiating, via a processor of a computing platform, a first system stress data point from a generator node with a first time stamp in a database; instantiating, via the processor of the computing platform, a second system stress data point from the generator node with a second time stamp in the database; calculating, via the processor of the computing platform, a differential object, the differential object describing a differential between the first system stress data point and the second system stress data point; and determining, via the processor of the computing platform, an energy supply characteristic object of the generator node based on the differential between the first system stress data point and the second system stress data point.