Method and apparatus for power management using distributed generation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016013652-A1
Application number	US-201414770001-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 24, 2014
Priority date	Feb 22, 2013
Publication date	Jan 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Embodiments relate to a method and system for power demand shaping (PDS) so as to manage power generation and use. Specific embodiments relate to data center power demand shaping to achieve high-performance low-overhead data center operation. Specific embodiments can incorporate standard (utility power) energy sources, renewable energy sources, or a combination of standard (utility power) energy sources and renewable energy sources. Embodiments of the subject PDS techniques can incorporate trimming the data center load power so as to allow DG systems to follow the power demand efficiently and/or incorporate two adaptive load tuning schemes that can boost data center performance and enable near-oracle operation during power demand trimming process. To implement a cross-layer power optimization scheme, embodiments of the subject invention relate to a power management module that can reside between front-end distributed generation and back-end computing facilities to provide a coordinated tuning between the supply and load.

First claim

1 . A method for managing a power generation system and at least one load, comprising:
providing a power demand controller; and providing an energy management module, controlling one or more of at least one power usage used by a corresponding at least one load during a control period via the power demand controller, wherein the power demand controller controls the one or more of the at least one power usage such that a total power usage used by the at least one load during the control period is less than or equal to a power generation level for the control period; controlling one or more of at least one power output of a corresponding at least one power generator during the control period via the energy management module, wherein the energy management module controls the one or more of the at least one power output such that a total power output of the at least one power generator during the n th control period is at least the power generation level for the n th control period.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the control period is a n th control period of a plurality of consecutive control periods, (a first control period, a second control period, . . . , a (n−1) th control period, the n th control period, a (n+1) th control period, . . . ), wherein each control period of the plurality of control periods has a time duration of Tcp.

3 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the power generation level for the control period is determined prior to the control period, wherein the power generation level for the n th control period is based on at least a total power usage for the (n−1) th control period, wherein the power demand controller signals the energy management module the power generation level for the n th control period during the (n−1) th control period.

4 . The method according to claim 3 , further comprising determining a power generation level for the (n+1) th control period, wherein the power generation level for the (n+1) th control period is based on at least the total power usage for the n th control period, wherein the power generation level for the next (n+1) th control period is based on at least the total power usage for the n th control period, wherein the power demand controller signals the energy management module the power generation level for the (n+1) th control period at, or before, an end of the n th control period.

5 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one load is two or more loads, wherein the power demand controller controls one or more of a corresponding two or more power usages used by the two or more loads, wherein the total power usage is the total power usage used by the two or more loads, wherein the at least one power generator is two or more power generators, wherein the energy management module controls one or more of a corresponding two or more power outputs of the two or more power generators, wherein the total power output is the total power output of the two or more generators.

6 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein the power generation level for the (n+1) th control period is a greater of a mean value of the total power usage during the n th control period and the total power usage at a point in time during the n th control period, wherein the point in time during the n th control period is an end of the n th control period, further comprising:
monitoring the total power usage during the n th control period; and calculating the mean value of the total power usage during the n th control period.

7 . The method according to claim 2 , further comprising:
providing one or more energy storage elements configured to provide power to at least one of the two or more loads, such that the total power usage is higher than the total power output at at least one point in time during the n th control period.

8 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein the one or more energy storage elements are configured to receive power from the at least one generator.

9 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein the power demand controller controls providing power from the one or more energy storage elements to the at least one of the at least one load.

10 . The method according to claim 5 , further comprising:
monitoring the total power usage at one or more points in time during the n th control period.

11 . The method according to claim 10 , further comprising:
providing one or more energy storage elements configured to provide power to at least one of the at least one load, such that the total power usage can be higher than the total power output.

12 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the control period is a n th control period of a plurality of consecutive control periods, (a first control period, a second control period, . . . , a (n−1) th control period, the n th control period, a (n+1) th control period, . . . ).

13 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising determining a power generation level for the (n+1) th control period.

14 . The method according to claim 13 , wherein the power generation level for the (n+1) th control period is based on at least the total power usage for the n th control period.

15 . The method according to claim 13 , wherein the power demand controller signals the energy management module the power generation level for the (n+1) th control period during the n th control period.

16 . The method according to claim 15 , wherein the power demand controller signals the energy management module the power generation level for the (n+1) th control period at, or before, an end of the n th control period.

17 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein each control period of the plurality of control periods has a time duration of Tcp.

18 . The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one load is two or more loads, wherein the power demand controller controls one or more of a corresponding two or more power usages used by the two or more loads, wherein the total power usage is the total power usage used by the two or more loads.

19 - 80 . (canceled)

81 . A non-transitory computer readable medium containing a set of instructions that when executed cause a computer to perform a method for managing a power generation system and at least one load, comprising:
controlling one or more of at least one power usage used by a corresponding at least one load during a control period, wherein the one or more of the at least one power usage are controlled such that a total power usage used by the at least one load during the control period is less than or equal to a power generation level for the control period; controlling one or more of at least one power output of a corresponding at least one power generator during the control period, wherein the one or more of the at least one power output are controlled such that a total power output of the at least one power generator during the n th control period is at least the power generation level for the n th control period.

82 . A system for managing a power generation system and at least one load, comprising:
a power demand controller; and an energy management module, wherein the power demand controller is configured to control one or more of at least one power usage used by a corresponding at least one load during a control period, wherein the power demand controller is configured to control the one or more of the at least one power usage such that a total power usage used by the

Assignees

• Univ Florida

Inventors

• Li Tao
• Li Chao

Classifications

• H02J3/004 Primary

  Generation forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future energy generation · CPC title

• Y02E70/30

  Systems combining energy storage with energy generation of non-fossil origin · CPC title

• H02J9/061

  for DC powered loads · CPC title

• H02J2101/20

  Dispersed power generation using renewable energy sources · CPC title

• H02J2105/425

  the loads being an Information and Communication Technology [ICT] facility · CPC title