Power Controller Trimming via Broadcast Medium
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional demand response systems in electricity grids face challenges in achieving precise and fair power consumption reduction, often resulting in overshooting, user discomfort, and unfair distribution of load changes due to lack of individual appliance control and unknown status, leading to inefficient 'see-saw' effects and uniform shedding.
Innovation Solution
An automatic load shedding method that uses a broadcast medium to send 'trim' commands to appliances based on current and target power consumption, allowing for stepwise, fast, and precise power adjustments without 'see-saw' effects, prioritizing reduction of high consumption loads, and allowing for relaxation of consumption levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If uniform shedding or stepwise shedding to pre-programmed levels is used via broadcast command, then power consumption reduction can be achieved, but precision and fairness of power reduction deteriorates due to overshooting and see-saw effects
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by measuring the actual power consumption after each trim command and using this information to calculate the next trim level. The controller continuously monitors power consumption and adjusts trim levels dynamically, preventing overshooting and see-saw effects by basing decisions on actual measured values rather than pre-programmed levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial action by implementing gradual trim levels rather than immediate maximum reduction. Each trim command reduces power consumption by a controlled amount, and multiple incremental steps are used to reach the target level, avoiding excessive reduction that would cause overshooting and user discomfort.
2Device complexity
If all appliances receive the same command, then simplicity of control is maintained, but fairness of load distribution deteriorates due to uniform shedding
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by calculating individual trim levels for each appliance based on its specific power consumption characteristics. Each appliance receives a customized trim command proportional to its contribution to total consumption, ensuring fair distribution of load reduction while maintaining broadcast-based control simplicity.
3Measurement precision
If individual appliance status information is available, then precise control capability is improved, but system complexity and information requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves universality by using a single broadcast communication channel that serves multiple functions: transmitting trim commands to all appliances and collecting power consumption information from all appliances. This eliminates the need for individual addressing and separate communication channels for each appliance, reducing information requirements while maintaining precise control.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for controlling power distribution by a control system that only requires a broadcast medium between a controller (30) and appliances or loads (20-1 to 20-n) and information about the current total power consumption of the system to precisely reach a target consumption level in a stepwise, fast converging way without “seesaw” effects and with “fair distribution” of any power reduction.