Modular Smart Electrical Panel for Peak Load Scheduling
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing demand for higher power electrical panels due to rising electricity consumption, particularly from electric vehicles, leads to increased resource usage and carbon footprint from larger and more expensive infrastructure.
Innovation Solution
A modular construction approach for smart electrical panels using a limited number of insulating panel types and power control modules, with communication cables connecting these modules to a controller, allowing for flexible and economical control of power delivery to dominant loads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If electrical panels are designed with higher power capabilities to meet increasing electricity consumption, then power delivery capacity is improved, but resource usage and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical panel is divided into modular components: bus bar modules, breaker modules, and insulating panel modules. Each module can be independently manufactured and assembled. This segmentation allows manufacturers to produce standardized components at scale, reducing per-unit costs while maintaining high power delivery capacity through strategic module combinations.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulating panels are designed as universal components that can accommodate different configurations of bus bar modules and breaker modules. A single type of insulating panel can support multiple panel power ratings by simply changing the arrangement and number of modules, eliminating the need for different insulating panel designs for each power level and reducing manufacturing complexity.
2Power
If electrical panels are designed with higher power capabilities to meet increasing electricity consumption, then power delivery capacity is improved, but resource usage increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the panel into reusable modules (bus bar modules, breaker modules, insulating panel modules), the same physical components can be redistributed and reconfigured to create panels of different power ratings. This reduces the total quantity of materials needed compared to building entirely new panels for each power level, as modules are shared across multiple configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular design allows smaller power capacity configurations to be nested within larger power capacity configurations. For example, a 100-amp panel can be formed by selecting and arranging specific modules that could also be part of a 200-amp panel configuration, enabling efficient material utilization across different product tiers.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional electrical panel designs are used with vertically stacked breakers, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but flexibility in configuration and modular construction is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The panel is segmented into standardized modules (bus bar modules with specific connection points, breaker modules with uniform mounting interfaces, insulating panel modules with consistent dimensions). This segmentation maintains manufacturing simplicity through standardization while enabling unlimited configuration flexibility by allowing modules to be arranged in various patterns to meet different power and space requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
Each module type is designed with universal interfaces and standardized dimensions, allowing the same bus bar module or insulating panel module to function in multiple positions and configurations. This universality enables a single module design to serve multiple functions across different panel layouts, simultaneously simplifying manufacturing and maximizing configuration adaptability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This modular system enables the manufacture of variously configured electrical panels with reduced tooling and waste, while controlling power demand by scheduling large loads sequentially, thus reducing the need for higher power panels and minimizing environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
A current sensor, either a shunt in the branch circuit or relay or a current transformer before or after the breaker or relay
Implementation Method 2
Relays are connected in series with some of the circuit breakers in the panel. The controller for the panel switches the relays on and off depending on whether power is to be provided to the loads
Implementation Method 3
By scheduling large loads to be connected sequentially to the panel rather than simultaneously, panels with smaller power capabilities may be installed and used in preference to higher power panels
Data Source
AI summary
Electrical panels sometimes need to be upgraded or new ones installed to cope with increased power demands, and new buildings often require differently configured panels. The smart electrical panel herein has a modular construction that allows for numerous panel configurations using a relatively smaller number of distinct components or modules. Power control modules control groups of circuit breakers and a current monitoring module measures total current to the panel. Other circuit breakers may be uncontrolled. A serial digital interface communication cable connects the modules to a controller. The control of power to at least some of the loads allows for a lower power panel to be installed than would otherwise be needed.