Storage Agent Cohort Scheduling for Microgrid Power Balance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current grid management systems face challenges in efficiently coordinating power distribution across multiple microgrids due to the complexity of intercohort protocols, which can lead to destabilization and inefficiencies in managing variable generation and load demands, especially when scaling up to large numbers of interconnected grids.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a Storage Agent (S-agent) cohort that participates in grid power management by scheduling storage components in source, load, or reserve roles, based on time-varying power imbalances and risk-adjusted capacity margins, enabling bi-directional power sharing among microgrids through the GLS-GF protocol, which predicts power and loads over short horizons to avoid NP-hard scheduling problems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If intercohort protocols are used to coordinate power distribution across multiple microgrids, then power management capability is improved, but system complexity and computational burden increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the power management system into distinct agent cohorts (G-agents for generation, L-agents for load, S-agents for storage) that operate semi-independently. Each cohort manages its own resources and communicates through standardized interfaces, dividing the complex coordination task into manageable sub-tasks that can be executed locally rather than requiring centralized control of all microgrids simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces virtualized cohort abstractions as intermediary layers between individual agents and the broader microgrid system. These virtual cohorts aggregate multiple agents of the same type, providing a simplified interface for intercohort communication and reducing the number of direct protocol interactions needed between individual generation, load, and storage agents across different microgrids.
2Adaptability or versatility
If intercohort protocols coordinate power distribution across large numbers of interconnected grids, then system coverage is improved, but destabilization and inefficiencies increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic role assignment for storage agents, which can switch between source, load, and reserve roles based on real-time power imbalance conditions and risk-adjusted capacity margins. This dynamic adaptability allows the system to respond flexibly to changing conditions across interconnected microgrids, maintaining stability as the system scales by adjusting local storage functions rather than requiring rigid centralized control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of storage components based on time-varying power imbalance states and risk policies. By adjusting storage dispatch parameters dynamically according to current system conditions and derived risk metrics, the system maintains reliable operation across expanding numbers of interconnected grids without propagating instability through fixed-parameter control protocols.
3Productivity
If short-horizon power prediction is used in GLS-GF protocol, then computational complexity is reduced, but prediction accuracy may be limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by using short-horizon power and load predictions rather than attempting full long-term forecasting. This limited prediction scope avoids the NP-hard computational complexity of long-term optimization while providing sufficient accuracy for immediate dispatch decisions. The system accepts that long-term predictions would be more accurate but recognizes that short-horizon predictions are sufficient for real-time control and avoid excessive computational burden.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for predicting power and loads over a single, relatively short time horizon. More specifically, a system comprising a Storage Agent (S-agent) Cohort within a grid control society, wherein the system expands G and L intra-cohort protocols to allow the S-cohort to participate in power management of the grid by scheduling storage components in source or load roles as determined by the time-varying state of the power imbalance and by the risk-adjusting capacity margin relationship between the G and L cohorts.