US 11,990,753 B1Granted

Use of distributed generator (DG) inverters as STATCOMs for decreasing line losses

OwnerRajiv Kumar Varmainventor

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Abstract

The invention provides systems, methods, and devices relating to the provision of system-wide coordinated voltage regulation support in power transmission and distribution networks using multiple inverter-based based power generation or absorption facilities, which are coupled to the power transmission and distribution networks for minimizing transmission and distribution line losses and for performing Conservation Voltage Reduction. The invention uses a novel control method of inverter-based based Distributed Generators as Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM) in a way that provides a dynamic voltage regulation/control with the inverter capacity remaining after real power generation or absorption, thereby decreasing line losses, performing Conservation Voltage Reduction (CVR), reducing load demand, decreasing peak demand, and reducing energy consumption.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A method for use in a power network, said method comprising:

(a) performing, by a power utility energy control center, acquisition of operating conditions of said power network, said power network having inverter-based facilities operatively coupled thereto;
(b) determining, by said power utility energy control center, reference voltages for specific inverter-based facilities in said power network, said specific inverter-based facilities being facilities that are participating in performing at least one of a specific set of functions in said power network, said reference voltages being voltage levels that perform at least one of said specific set of functions within said power network when implemented at said specific inverter-based facilities:
(c) communicating, by said power utility energy control center, said reference voltages to said specific inverter-based facilities,
(d) regulating, by each of said specific inverter-based facilities, a voltage level at a point of common coupling with said power network, said voltage level being regulated towards a corresponding said reference voltage by either of:
(i) injecting controlled reactive power into said power network;
and
(ii) absorbing controlled reactive power from said power network;
(e) repeating steps (a)-(d) after a set time interval to ensure that at least one of said specific set of functions is achieved, said time interval being determined by said power utility energy control center;
wherein said specific inverter-based facilities include at least one of:
(i) a photovoltaic solar farm;
(ii) a photovoltaic solar farm with energy storage system;
(iii) a wind farm;
(iv) a wind farm with energy storage system,
(v) an energy storage system;
(vi) an electric vehicle battery charging system;
and
(vii) a voltage source inverter-based facility;
and wherein said specific inverter-based facilities execute said injecting of controlled reactive power or said absorbing of controlled reactive power using inverter capacities that are not being used for real power generation or real power absorption;
and wherein said specific set of functions includes:
(i) reduction of line losses;
(ii) Conservation Voltage Reduction (CVR);
(iii) reduction of load demand,
(iv) reduction of peak demand;
and
(v) reduction of energy consumption;
and wherein said power network is one of:
(i) a power transmission network;
(ii) a power distribution network;
and
(iii) a combination power transmission and distribution network.

27 more elements

A method for use in a power network, said method comprising:

(a) performing, by a power utility energy control center, acquisition of operating conditions of said power network, said power network having a single inverter-based facility operatively coupled thereto;
(b) communicating, by said power utility energy control center, operating conditions of said power network to said single inverter-based facility,
(c) determining, by said single inverter-based facility, a reference voltage, said reference voltage being a voltage level that performs at least one of a specific set of functions in said power network when implemented at said single inverter-based facility;
(d) regulating, by said single inverter-based facility, a voltage level at a point of common coupling with said power network, said voltage level being regulated towards said reference voltage by either of:
(i) injecting controlled reactive power into said power network;
and
(ii) absorbing controlled reactive power from said power network;
(e) repeating steps (a)-(d) after a set time interval to ensure that at least one of said specific set of functions is achieved, said time interval being determined by said power utility energy control center;
wherein said single inverter-based facility is one of:
(i) a photovoltaic solar farm;
(ii) a photovoltaic solar farm with energy storage system;
(iii) a wind farm;
(iv) a wind farm with energy storage system;
(v) an energy storage system;
(vi) an electric vehicle battery charging system;
(vii) a voltage source inverter-based facility;
and
(viii) any combination of (i)-(vii),
and wherein said single inverter-based power facility executes said injecting of controlled reactive power or said absorbing of controlled reactive power using inverter capacity that is not being used for real power generation or real power absorption;
and wherein said specific set of functions includes:
(i) reduction of line losses;
(ii) Conservation Voltage Reduction (CVR);
(iii) reduction of load demand;
(iv) reduction of peak demand;
and
(v) reduction of energy consumption.

23 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/159,534Filed 25 Jan 2023 · continuation
Priority: 9 Aug 2012
Granted: 21 May 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification22 codes

G05F 1/66
Automatic systems in which deviations of an electric quantity from one or more predetermined values are detected at the output of the system and…:…
G05B 19/042
Program control other than numerical control, i.e. in sequence controllers or logic controllers: using digital processors
G05B 19/0426
Using digital processors: programming the control sequence
H02J 3/16
Arrangements for adjusting voltage in AC networks by changing a characteristic of the network load: by adjustment of reactive power

Family

Application61/681,335Us provisional application · filed 9 Aug 2012
Application13/836,276Parent of this continuation · filed 15 Mar 2013
Application15/229,980Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 5 Aug 2016
US 9,436,200 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 6 Sep 2016
Application15/796,555Parent of this continuation · filed 27 Oct 2017
US 9,841,778 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 12 Dec 2017
Application16/745,509Parent of this continuation · filed 17 Jan 2020
US 11,586,236 B2Parent of this continuation
US 10,571,948 B2Parent of this continuation
Application15/796,555Parent of this continuation-in-part
Application15/229,980Parent of this continuation
US 2014/0046500 A1Published application
US 2017/0031379 A1Published application
US 2018/0052478 A1Published application
US 2020/0150707 A1Published application
US 11,990,753 B1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.