Base Station Battery Dispatch Across CSPs for Grid Stability

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

The intermittency of renewable energy sources like solar and wind, combined with fluctuating energy demand, poses challenges for maintaining a constant energy supply in power grids, necessitating effective energy storage solutions.

Innovation Solution

An apparatus and method for selecting and managing groups of base stations from multiple communications service providers for charging or discharging batteries based on agreed-upon capacity, allowing for the optimization of energy storage and release to stabilize the power grid, involving a VPP broker that coordinates energy transfer between different CSPs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If energy storage solutions are implemented using base station batteries, then the stability of energy supply is improved, but the device complexity increases due to coordination across multiple communications service providers

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestability of energy supplyVSAvoidcoordination complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a coordination entity that acts as an intermediary between multiple communications service providers and the energy storage system. This intermediary manages the selection of base stations for charging/discharging operations based on agreements with multiple CSPs, centralizing the complex coordination tasks and simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining reliable energy supply across the network

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables base station batteries to serve multiple functions: they act as both backup power sources for individual base stations and as distributed energy storage units for grid stabilization. By coordinating multiple base stations from different CSPs, the system creates a universal energy management platform that handles both communication network reliability and power grid stability simultaneously

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If base station batteries are used for energy storage, then the intermittency of renewable energy is mitigated, but the loss of energy increases during charging and discharging cycles

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconstant energy supplyVSAvoidenergy loss during charging/discharging
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary charging of base station batteries during periods of low energy demand and high renewable energy availability. By proactively storing energy in advance of peak demand periods, the system reduces the need for frequent charging-discharging cycles, thereby minimizing energy losses while ensuring constant energy supply when needed

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The coordination entity dynamically adjusts operational parameters such as charging/discharging rates, state of charge thresholds, and cycle frequencies based on grid conditions, renewable energy availability, and demand patterns. By optimizing these parameters, the system minimizes energy losses during battery operations while maintaining reliable energy supply

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP4346048A1Base station battery control
Publication Date: 2024.04.03 NOKIA SOLUTIONS & NETWORKS OY
  • EP4346048A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4346048A1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP4346048A1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

Disclosed is a method comprising transmitting one or more requests for charging or discharging batteries of a plurality of base stations, wherein the plurality of base stations comprise at least a first group of base stations associated with a first communications service provider, and a second group of base stations associated with a second communications service provider different to the first communications service provider.