Proxy Controller Aggregation for Utility Grid Scalability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current utility services infrastructure lacks the provisioning and flexibility to effectively manage a large number of distributed energy resources, particularly those connected behind the customer meter, necessitating more sophisticated control mechanisms for electric utilities.
Innovation Solution
A two-level hierarchical control and communication system is introduced, where proxy controllers located at the edge of the utility network aggregate and process data from client devices, reducing redundant communications with the central controller and enabling localized control decisions while maintaining centralized coordination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a centralized control system is used to manage distributed energy resources, then centralized coordination is maintained, but the processing load on central controllers increases and scalability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into hierarchical levels: central controllers that provide overall coordination and edge controllers that handle local processing. This segmentation distributes the processing load away from central controllers to edge controllers, reducing the processing burden on central systems while maintaining centralized coordination through the hierarchical structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Edge controllers serve as intermediary devices between client devices and central controllers. These intermediaries aggregate data from multiple client devices and perform local processing, thereby reducing the number of direct communications required with central controllers and decreasing their processing load while preserving centralized coordination capabilities.
2Reliability
If direct communication between central controller and all client devices is maintained, then centralized control is ensured, but redundant communications increase and data transmission volume grows
Solution Approach 1:
Edge controllers act as intermediaries that aggregate data from multiple client devices before transmitting to central controllers. This intermediary layer consolidates communications, eliminating redundant data transmissions while maintaining centralized control through the hierarchical communication structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple data streams from client devices are merged and aggregated at the edge controller level before being transmitted to the central controller. This combining of data reduces the total volume of communications required while preserving the centralized control function through the hierarchical architecture.
3Adaptability or versatility
If more distributed energy resources are connected behind the customer meter, then energy management flexibility increases, but the infrastructure lacks provisioning and scalability
Solution Approach 1:
The control infrastructure is segmented into hierarchical levels with edge controllers deployed at distribution points. This segmentation enables the system to scale by adding more edge controllers and client devices without requiring proportional increases in central controller capacity, thereby supporting increased energy management flexibility while maintaining infrastructure scalability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds a hierarchical dimension by introducing edge controllers between client devices and central controllers. This dimensional change in the system architecture enables better scalability and infrastructure provisioning for managing distributed energy resources behind customer meters while maintaining centralized coordination.
Data Source
AI summary
A system of communicating data to and between a client device in a residence and a utility network is provided. The system includes a proxy controller located at the residence and a first network configured to transmit and receive data between a central controller associated with the utility network and the proxy controller. The system further includes a second network configured to transmit and receive data between the proxy controller and the client device in the residence. The proxy controller is operative to receive data from the client device over the second network, aggregate the received data in a predefined format, store the aggregated data within the proxy controller, and send the aggregated data to a central controller over the first network.