Inverter Cluster Data Alignment via Peer-to-Peer Digests
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for managing clusters of power generators connected to a utility grid face challenges in ensuring synchronized data sets among inverters, leading to misalignment issues that affect power control and export management, particularly in renewable energy systems like photovoltaic plants, which can result in inefficiencies and non-compliance with export limitations.
Innovation Solution
A method where each inverter in a cluster shares and compares data sets, including configuration and quasi-static data, using digests to determine alignment, and initiates a re-alignment process through a connectivity network to ensure all inverters have the same data set, using a publish/subscribe pattern and multicast messages to maintain synchronized configurations and quasi-static data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If each inverter independently stores configuration and quasi-static data locally, then each inverter can operate autonomously, but data misalignment occurs among inverters leading to control inefficiencies
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where inverters periodically exchange data sets through the connectivity network and compare them to detect misalignment. When misalignment is detected, the system triggers a re-alignment process where inverters synchronize their data sets, ensuring consistent configuration and quasi-static data across the cluster while maintaining autonomous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary role through the connectivity network and data exchange protocol that mediates between independently operating inverters. This intermediary mechanism enables automatic data synchronization without requiring centralized control, resolving the conflict between autonomous operation and data alignment through peer-to-peer communication.
2Reliability
If inverters frequently exchange complete data sets to ensure alignment, then data consistency is maintained, but bandwidth consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of exchanging complete data sets frequently, the system implements partial action by exchanging only the necessary portions of data sets. Inverters compare data sets and identify only the specific elements that differ, then exchange only those differing elements for synchronization. This reduces communication bandwidth consumption while maintaining data consistency across the inverter cluster.
3Reliability
If centralized control is used to manage data alignment, then data consistency is ensured, but system complexity and communication overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service through autonomous inverters that independently detect data misalignment and initiate re-alignment procedures. Each inverter compares received data sets with its local data set, identifies differences, and automatically synchronizes without requiring centralized coordination. This distributed self-service approach reduces control architecture complexity while ensuring data synchronization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple functions into the inverter units themselves: data storage, data exchange, data comparison, and synchronization initiation are all integrated within each inverter. This merging of functions eliminates the need for separate centralized control infrastructure, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining reliable data synchronization across the cluster.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for managing an energy generation system is disclosed. The system includes a cluster of power generators connected by a connectivity network. Each power generator includes an inverter having a respective controller, and at least a data set available to the controller for controlling the respective power generator. Each inverter transmits through said connectivity network, to the other inverters of the cluster, information concerning said data set available to it, said information being sufficient to check whether the data sets available to each inverter are aligned. Each inverter receives, through said connectivity network, information concerning the data set available to other inverters of the cluster and checks whether the data set available to it is aligned with the data sets available to the other inverters of the cluster.