Wind farm energy storage device for curtailment and auxiliary loads use

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10697432-B2
Application number	US-201816054393-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2018
Priority date	Aug 3, 2018
Publication date	Jun 30, 2020
Grant date	Jun 30, 2020

Abstract

A method for operating at least one energy storage device of a renewable energy facility connected to a power grid in multiple operational modes includes providing an operational threshold for the renewable energy facility. Further, the method includes comparing an operational parameter of the renewable energy facility with respect to the operational threshold. The method also includes controlling the renewable energy facility based on the comparison. As such, when the operational parameter is below the operational threshold, the controller communicates to the energy storage device(s) to increase its state of charge (SOC) in anticipation of the renewable energy facility transitioning from producing power to consuming power. In contrast, when the operational parameter is at or above the operational threshold, the controller communicates to the energy storage device(s) to decrease its state of charge (SOC) in anticipation of a curtailment event of the power grid to prevent the renewable energy facility from releasing and sending power to the power grid.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for operating at least one energy storage device of a renewable energy facility connected to a power grid in multiple operational modes, the method comprising:
providing, via a controller, a power threshold for the renewable energy facility, the power threshold being equal to a power value greater than zero;
comparing, via the controller, a power output of the renewable energy facility with respect to the power threshold; and,
controlling, via the controller, the renewable energy facility based on the comparison,
wherein, when the power output is below the power threshold, the controller communicates to the at least one energy storage device to increase a state of charge (SOC) of the at least one energy storage device in anticipation of the renewable energy facility transitioning from producing power to consuming power, and
wherein, when the power output is at or above the power threshold, the controller communicates to the at least one energy storage device to decrease the SOC of the at least one energy storage device in anticipation of a curtailment event of the power grid to prevent the renewable energy facility from releasing and sending power to the power grid, and
wherein, when the power output is below the power threshold, the controller communicates to the at least one energy storage device to increase the SOC of the at least one energy storage device to a high SOC in anticipation of the renewable energy facility transitioning from producing power to consuming power, the method further comprising maintaining, via the at least one energy storage device, the high SOC until a wind speed at the renewable energy facility drops below a wind speed that causes the renewable energy facility to transition from producing power to consuming power.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the power threshold is equal to a predetermined percentage of a total power generated by the renewable energy facility, the predetermined percentage comprising up to about 10% of the total power generated by the renewable energy facility.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a forecasting input for the renewable energy facility;
calculating an available energy to be produced before the renewable energy facility transitions from producing power to consuming power and an expected energy to be consumed for the duration that the renewable energy facility is consuming power; and
maintaining, via the at least one energy storage device, a low SOC until the time that the available energy is deemed sufficient to partially or fully overcome the expected energy and then increasing the low SOC to a high SOC such that the at least one energy storage device is at the high SOC before the renewable energy facility transitions from producing power to consuming power.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a filtering time delay when the power output falls below the power threshold before the at least one energy storage device begins to increase the SOC of the at least one energy storage device.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing power, via the at least one energy storage device, to one or more auxiliary loads or losses until the renewable energy facility transitions from consuming power back to producing power again.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the power threshold is a fixed threshold.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the power threshold varies based on at least one of a time of day, season, a forecasted power, a forecasted irradiance, or forecasted auxiliary loads and/or losses.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the renewable energy facility comprises at least one of a wind farm or a solar farm.

9. An energy storage system for a renewable energy facility connected to a power grid, the energy storage system comprising:
at least one energy storage device capable of being operated in multiple operational modes for the renewable energy facility; and,
a controller communicatively coupled to the at least one energy storage device, the controller configured to perform one or more operations, the one or more operations comprising:
providing a power threshold for the renewable energy facility;
comparing a power output of the renewable energy facility with respect to the power threshold; and
controlling the renewable energy facility based on the comparison,
wherein, when the power output is below the power threshold, the controller communicates to the least one energy storage device to increase a state of charge (SOC) of the at least one energy storage device in anticipation of the renewable energy facility transitioning from producing power to consuming power, and
wherein, when the power output is at or above the power threshold, the controller communicates to the least one energy storage device to decrease the SOC of the at least one energy storage device in anticipation of a curtailment event of the power grid to prevent the renewable energy facility from releasing and sending power to the power grid, and
wherein, when the power output is below the power threshold, the at least one energy storage device increases the SOC of the at least one energy storage device to a high SOC in anticipation of the renewable energy facility transitioning from producing power to consuming power, the one or more operations further comprising maintaining, via the at least one energy storage device, the high SOC until a wind speed at the renewable energy facility drops below a wind speed that causes the renewable energy facility to transition from producing power to consuming power.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the power threshold is equal to a predetermined percentage of a total power generated by the renewable energy facility, the predetermined percentage comprising up to about 10% of the total power generated by the renewable energy facility.

11. The system of claim 9 , further comprising:
receiving a forecasting input for the renewable energy facility;
calculating an available energy to be produced before the renewable energy facility transitions from producing power to consuming power and an expected energy to be consumed for the duration that the renewable energy facility is consuming power; and
maintaining, via the at least one energy storage device, a low SOC until the time that the available energy is deemed sufficient to partially or fully overcome the expected energy and then increasing the low SOC to a high SOC such that the at least one energy storage device is fully charged before the renewable energy facility transitions from producing power to consuming power.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the one or more operations further comprise providing power, via the at least one energy storage device, to one or more auxiliary loads or losses until the renewable energy facility transitions from consuming power back to producing power again.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the renewable energy facility comprises at least one of a wind farm or a solar farm.

14. The system of claim 9 , wherein the at least one energy storage device comprises at least one of a battery, a fuel cell, a supercapacitor, pumped storage, compressed gas storage, or a flywheel.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Venkitanarayanan Vaidhya Nath
• Arsuaga Santos Pedro
• Dewitt Megan Ann

Classifications

• H02J2101/28

  Wind energy · CPC title

• H02J2105/12

  supplying households or buildings · CPC title

• F03D7/048 Primary

  controlling wind farms · CPC title

• H02J3/28 Primary

  Arrangements for balancing of the load in networks by storage of energy · CPC title

• H02J3/14

  by switching loads on to, or off from, the networks, e.g. progressively balanced loading · CPC title