Meshed Storage Unit Control Links for Fault-Tolerant Grid Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complexity and scalability of existing electric power transmission systems with energy storage and STATCOMs make them challenging to monitor and control efficiently, requiring improved redundancy and fault tolerance.
Innovation Solution
A support system with a meshed topology of interconnected energy storage units and STATCOMs, utilizing multiple control signal connections to relay control signals efficiently and autonomously, allowing for redundancy and fault tolerance, and enabling easy extension with additional components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a central controller is used to control all components, then control simplicity is maintained, but system complexity and monitoring difficulty increase with scale
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into a hierarchical structure with a main controller at the top level and multiple storage unit controllers at the unit level. Each storage unit controller independently manages its associated storage units, dividing the control functionality to reduce overall system complexity while improving monitoring capability through distributed intelligence.
Solution Approach 2:
The control architecture transitions from a single-dimensional centralized control model to a multi-dimensional hierarchical control model. This adds the dimension of distributed control at the storage unit level, enabling parallel processing of control signals and improving both scalability and monitoring efficiency without proportionally increasing system complexity.
2Quantity of substance
If more storage units are added to increase system capacity, then energy storage capability improves, but control and monitoring become more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into a hierarchical structure with a main controller at the top level and multiple storage unit controllers at the unit level. Each storage unit controller independently manages its associated storage units, dividing the control functionality to reduce overall system complexity while improving monitoring capability through distributed intelligence.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage unit controllers are designed as universal, modular components that can manage any storage unit with the same interface and functionality. This universality allows the system to scale by simply adding more identical controller units rather than designing custom control logic for each additional storage unit, thereby increasing capacity without proportionally increasing control complexity.
3Reliability
If redundant control paths are implemented, then fault tolerance improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control architecture incorporates redundant control paths and multiple communication channels between controllers and storage units before faults occur. This prior cushioning ensures that if one control path fails, alternative paths are already in place to maintain system operation, thereby improving fault tolerance without requiring complex real-time switching logic.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage unit controllers act as intermediary devices between the main controller and individual storage units. These intermediaries manage control signals locally and can operate autonomously if communication with the main controller is interrupted, providing fault tolerance while simplifying the overall control architecture through distributed intelligence rather than requiring complex redundant connections at every level.
Data Source
AI summary
A support system for an AC power transmission system, comprising an energy storage arrangement comprising a plurality of storage units and a main controller configured to control the operation of the energy storage arrangement. Each storage unit comprises at least three control signal connections and is configured to receive a control signal from at least three storage entities via said control signal connections, wherein each of the storage entities is either the main controller or a storage unit controller of an adjacent storage unit. The storage units are arranged to forward a control signal received via a first one of said control signal connections to all adjacent storage units that are connected via the remaining ones of said control signal connections.