Shared Battery Control for Fair Energy Community Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing energy community management systems fail to efficiently manage shared energy resources, particularly electrical batteries, due to non-optimal control of charging and discharging, lack of consideration for collective self-consumption and ancillary services, and inefficient distribution of storage systems, leading to suboptimal battery health and unfair remuneration.

Innovation Solution

A method and system for managing shared energy resources that decouples real-time control of storage from user remuneration, optimizing energy management through centralized virtualization, ensuring fair distribution and utilization of energy resources based on collective objectives, and implementing a control logic that balances energy behavior within the community.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If cloud computing-based virtualisation is used to manage energy communities, then individual user access to energy resources is improved, but collective control and optimisation of shared resources deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveindividual user access to energy resourcesVSAvoidcollective self-consumption efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments energy resources into individual virtual shares assigned to each user, while maintaining a centralized management layer that coordinates collective actions. Each user receives a virtual share of production plants and storage systems, enabling individual control while the centralized system optimizes overall community efficiency and collective self-consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Adaptability or versatility

If individual energy management is prioritized, then user autonomy is improved, but community-wide optimisation and ancillary service provision deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser energy management autonomyVSAvoidcommunity-wide energy optimisation

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

A centralized management system acts as an intermediary between individual users and the energy infrastructure. This intermediary coordinates user energy needs with community-wide optimization goals, managing shared storage systems and production plants to maximize collective self-consumption and enable ancillary service provision while respecting individual user autonomy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Productivity

If shared battery storage is used for collective self-consumption, then energy sharing efficiency is improved, but battery state of health management becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenergy sharing efficiencyVSAvoidbattery management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple individual battery storage systems are merged into a single virtual shared storage system. The centralized management system consolidates control of these distributed batteries, optimizing their collective operation for energy sharing while managing their combined state of health through unified monitoring and control strategies.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Speed

If real-time control of shared batteries is implemented, then energy distribution responsiveness is improved, but system complexity and computational requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenergy distribution responsivenessVSAvoidcontrol system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The shared battery system implements self-service control mechanisms where the centralized management system autonomously manages charging and discharging operations based on real-time community energy needs. The system automatically adjusts battery operations without requiring complex real-time calculations for each individual user, simplifying control while maintaining responsiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS20250323510A1Method and system for managing shared energy resources in an energy community

Publication Date: 2025.10.16 ENERGY SPA

AI summary

A method and system for managing shared energy resources in an energy community, wherein said energy community comprises a plurality of users (20) having one or more items of electrical equipment to be powered. Said energy community defining a DER system and comprising shared batteries (2) for storing electrical energy/power and an apparatus (30) for the production of electrical energy/power, preferably renewable, connected with said batteries (2) so that the electrical energy/power produced can be stored in said batteries (2); said method being characterised in that a control step is carried out in the following manner:discharging into the grid (100) the energy/power stored in the batteries (2) so as to decrease the value of energy/power stored in the batteries (2) (Ebatt) in order to increase the total energy/power exchanged (Egrid_community);charging the batteries (2) by means of said apparatus (30) for the production of electrical energy/power so as to increase the value of energy/power stored in the batteries (2) (Ebatt) in order to lower the total energy/power exchanged (Egrid_community).