# US 12,119,656 B2 · Hydrogen energy storage for power time shifting > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,119,656 B2 - Document ID: US12119656B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/538,272 - Filed: 2021-11-30 - Published: 2023-06-01 - Granted: 2024-10-15 - Earliest claimed: 2021-11-30 - Assignees: Caterpillar Inc. - Applicants: Caterpillar Inc. - Inventors: Brandon Joseph Mabe; Mark David Anderson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12119656B2 ## CPC - H02J 3/28: Arrangements for balancing of the load in networks by storage of energy - H02J 3/381: {Dispersed generators} - G06Q 50/06: Energy or water supply - H02J 3/38: Arrangements for feeding a single network from two or more generators or sources in parallel; Arrangements for feeding already energised networks from additional generators or sources in parallel - H02J 2101/24: Photovoltaics - H02J 2101/28: Wind energy - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract An energy storage system for power time shifting is described herein. The energy storage system allows for the selection of which energy source to use. The energy storage system further allows for a determination as to whether or not excess energy should be stored, used, or sold. The energy storage system can use historical data to predict energy usage and costs in the future to further refine energy usage, storage, or sale determinations. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An energy storage system, the system comprising: a microgrid for receiving a first source of energy from a plurality of energy sources; a hydrogen generation apparatus operably connected to the plurality of energy sources, the hydrogen generation apparatus configured to use excess energy of the first source of energy from at least one of the plurality of energy sources to create hydrogen; a hydrogen gas storage for storing the hydrogen created by the hydrogen generation apparatus; a hydrogen combustion genset operably connected to the hydrogen gas storage and natural gas, the hydrogen combustion genset being capable of combusting fuel comprising natural gas, diesel, gasoline, or hydrogen to produce a second source of energy; and a hydrogen energy storage controller configured to provide an instruction to a load manager managing a plurality of loads to use the first source of energy or the second source of energy to power at least one of the plurality of loads, the hydrogen energy storage controller comprising: a cost function analyzer to determine the instruction by: receiving, at the hydrogen energy storage controller, first information indicating a first cost to purchase the first source of energy to power the at least one of the plurality of loads using the first source of energy; receiving, at the hydrogen energy storage controller, second information indicating a second cost to produce the second source of energy from the excess energy of the first source of energy and to use the second source of energy generated by the hydrogen combustion genset combusting the hydrogen stored in the hydrogen gas storage or by the hydrogen combustion genset combusting the natural gas; and generating the instruction to the load manager to instruct the at least one of the plurality of loads to use the first source of energy if the first cost is lower than the second cost, generating the instruction to the load manager to use the second source of energy if the second cost is lower than the first cost, or generating the instruction to the load manager to instruct the at least one of the plurality of loads to use the first source of energy if the first source of energy is a renewable source of energy; and a communication interface to transmit the instruction to the load manager. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The energy storage system of claim 1, wherein in addition to the cost to purchase the first source of energy, the first cost further comprises a cost to use the first source of energy based on an efficiency of the at least one of the plurality of loads when using the first source of energy. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The energy storage system of claim 2, wherein generating the instruction to the load manager further comprises instructing the load manager to instruct the at least one of the plurality of loads to use a third source of energy when a cost of using the third source of energy is lower than the first cost and the second cost. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The energy storage system of claim 1, further comprising a hydrogen fuel cell operably connected to the hydrogen gas storage and the natural gas, the hydrogen fuel cell being capable of producing a third source of energy. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The energy storage system of claim 1, wherein the hydrogen energy storage controller further comprises a data change module to detect a change in the first information or the second information. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The energy storage system of claim 5, wherein upon an indication that either the first information or the second information has changed, the hydrogen energy storage controller causes the cost function analyzer to reperform the operation of determining the instruction. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The energy storage system of claim 1, wherein the second cost to use the second source of energy generated by the hydrogen combustion genset combusting the hydrogen stored in the hydrogen gas storage or by the hydrogen combustion genset combusting the natural gas comprises a cost to generate the natural gas. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The energy storage system of claim 7, wherein the second cost comprises a price that an external power consumer will pay to receive the second source of energy, wherein if the first cost is lower than the second cost, the hydrogen energy storage controller instructs the hydrogen combustion genset to produce the second source of energy to sell to the external power consumer. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The energy storage system of claim 1, wherein the renewable source of energy comprises a solar energy source or a wind energy source. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The energy storage system of claim 1, wherein the natural gas comes from a natural gas source provided during drilling operations. ### Claim 11 A method for hydrogen energy storage for power time shifting, the method comprising: loading definitions comprising operational limitations and parameters associated with one or more loads; loading inputs comprising weighting variables associated with one or more power sources; receiving power supply data comprising an identification of the one or more power sources, an availability of the one or more power sources, an amount of power output available for each of the one or more power sources, and a cost associated with a use of each of the one or more power sources; executing a cost function analyzer to determine which of the one or more power sources to use as a selected power source for the one or more loads and how much excess power of the one or more power sources is converted to hydrogen gas and stored for future use; and transmitting an output to a load manager, the output comprising an identification of the selected power source to be used by the one or more loads. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein executing the cost function analyzer further comprises determining that stored hydrogen gas is to be used as a selected power source. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the cost function analyzer uses a cost function analysis, wherein the cost function analysis comprises a determination of a lowest cost power source of the one or more power sources, the lowest cost power source being a selected power source. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the cost function analysis further comprises projecting future cost associated with the use of each of the one or more power sources using historical data. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: receiving updated data for at least one of the one or more power sources; determining that the updated data is different than previously stored data for the at least one of the one or more power sources; and re-executing the cost function analyzer to determine which of the one or more power sources to use as a selected power source for the one or more loads based on the updated data. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the one or more power sources comprises natural gas from a natural gas source during drilling operations. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising initiating a hydrogen generation apparatus to convert excess power to hydrogen gas, wherein the hydrogen generation apparatus comprises an electrolyzer or a steam methane reformer. ### Claim 18 A hydrogen energy storage controller, comprising: a memory storing computer-executable instructions; and a processor in communication with the memory, the computer-executable instructions causing the processor to perform acts comprising: executing a cost function analyzer to determine which of one or more power sources to use as a selected power source for one or more loads, a lowest cost power source being the selected power source, and how much excess power is converted to hydrogen gas and stored for future use, wherein the one or more power sources comprises: a solar energy source; a wind energy source; a power grid source; natural gas; and the hydrogen gas converted from the excess power of the one or more power sources, the hydrogen gas stored in a gas storage; and transmitting an output to a load manager, the output comprising an identification of the selected power source to be used by the one or more loads. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The hydrogen energy storage controller of claim 18, wherein the computer-executable instructions for executing the cost function analyzer to determine the one or more power sources to use as the selected power source comprises instructions for: receiving machine operational data; receiving carbon credit/fee data; a cost to purchase energy from each of the one or more power sources; and a price to sell electrical energy generated by a genset using the natural gas to a power purchaser. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The hydrogen energy storage controller of claim 18, wherein the computer-executable instructions for executing the cost function analyzer to determine the one or more power sources to use as the selected power source comprises instructions for: receiving historical data from a historical data module; and projecting future costs of at least one of the one or more power sources based on the historical data received from the historical data module.