Renewable Energy Variability Control for Grid-Load Matching
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Solution Overview
Problem
The variability in energy generation from renewable energy systems (RES) often mismatch the variability in energy demand from electrical grids, leading to inefficiencies and challenges in energy distribution.
Innovation Solution
The system partitions energy delivery to an electrical load from a RES by establishing a prioritization order between the grid and auxiliary processes, setting power receiving thresholds, and adjusting energy delivery to match the energy requirements of the loads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If energy is delivered directly from RES to grid without adjustment, then the system is simple, but the variability mismatch between generation and demand causes inefficiency
Solution Approach 1:
An energy management system acts as an intermediary between the RES and the grid, receiving energy from the RES and selectively delivering adjusted amounts to the grid based on demand conditions. This mediator resolves the variability mismatch by decoupling the direct connection, allowing independent control of energy flow to improve distribution efficiency while maintaining manageable system complexity through centralized management.
2Reliability
If energy delivery is adjusted to match demand variability, then the matching of supply and demand improves, but the control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The energy management system implements feedback control by continuously monitoring grid demand conditions and adjusting the amount of energy delivered from the RES accordingly. The system receives information about demand variability and uses this feedback to dynamically modulate energy delivery, improving supply-demand matching reliability while keeping control complexity manageable through automated closed-loop regulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts energy delivery parameters based on varying demand conditions rather than maintaining fixed delivery rates. The energy management system modifies delivery amounts in real-time according to grid needs, allowing the system to adapt to changing conditions and improve reliability without requiring overly complex static control structures.
3Reliability
If the RES is oversized to meet peak demand, then demand satisfaction improves, but energy waste increases during low demand periods
Solution Approach 1:
The energy management system applies partial action by delivering only the amount of energy currently needed by the grid rather than continuously delivering maximum available energy. During low demand periods, the system selectively withholds excess energy that would otherwise be wasted, while still satisfying peak demand when needed. This partial delivery approach improves demand satisfaction reliability while reducing energy waste through demand-responsive control.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of adjusting energy delivered by a renewable energy system to an electrical grid and an energy-consuming load is disclosed. The method may comprise determining a production schedule of a renewable energy system (RES) and establishing a prioritization order between the electrical grid and the energy-consuming load. The method may further comprise setting a power receiving threshold for the electrical grid or the energy-consuming load based on the prioritization order, and adjusting the energy delivered by the RES by controlling a first amount of energy delivered to the electrical grid and a second amount of energy delivered to the energy-consuming load. A variability schedule of at least one of the first amount of energy or the second amount of energy can be amplified or dampened over a time period relative to the natural variability energy production schedule of the RES.