Techniques For Estimating And Forecasting Solar Power Generation
AssigneeSacramento Municipal Utility District
InventorsRemington Clark, Jeff Berkheimer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A computer system is configured to group solar power systems that provide electric power to an electricity distribution system into clusters. The computer system identifies a solar source meter in each of the clusters that is representative of the respective one of the clusters as a bellwether meter. Each of the bellwether meters monitors a power output of one of the solar power systems in one of the clusters. The computer system receives solar power generation data from the bellwether meters. The computer system generates a solar power generation forecast for each of the clusters of the solar power systems using the solar power generation data from the bellwether meters in respective ones of the clusters.
Claims25
A computer system comprising at least one processor device, wherein the computer system is configured to:
- group solar power systems that provide electric power to an electricity distribution system into clusters of the solar power systems, wherein each of the clusters comprises a different subset of the solar power systems;
- identify a solar source meter in each of the clusters that is representative of the respective one of the clusters as a bellwether meter, wherein each of the bellwether meters monitors a power output of one of the solar power systems in one of the clusters;
- receive solar power generation data from the bellwether meters;
- and
- generate a solar power generation forecast for each of the clusters of the solar power systems using the solar power generation data from the bellwether meters in respective ones of the clusters.
A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions executable on a processor in a computer system, the executable instructions comprising:
- instructions executable to group solar power systems that provide electric power to an electricity distribution system into clusters of the solar power systems, wherein each of the clusters comprises a different subset of the solar power systems;
- instructions executable to use a solar source meter in each of the clusters that is representative of the respective one of the clusters as a bellwether meter, wherein each of the bellwether meters monitors a power output of one of the solar power systems in one of the clusters;
- instructions executable to receive solar power generation data from the bellwether meters;
- and
- instructions executable to generate an estimate of current solar power generation of the solar power systems in each of the clusters using the solar power generation data received from the bellwether meters.
A method for generating a forecast of solar power generation in an electricity distribution system using at least one processor circuit in a computer system, the method comprising:
- grouping solar power systems that provide electric power to the electricity distribution system into clusters of the solar power systems such that each of the clusters comprises a different subset of the solar power systems;
- identifying a solar source meter in each of the clusters that is representative of the respective one of the clusters as a bellwether meter, wherein each of the bellwether meters monitors a power output of one of the solar power systems in one of the clusters;
- receiving solar power generation data from the bellwether meters;
- and
- generating the forecast of the solar power generation of the solar power systems using the solar power generation data received from the bellwether meters.
A computer system comprising at least one processor device, wherein the computer system is configured to:
- group solar power systems that provide electric power to an electricity distribution system into clusters of the solar power systems;
- identify a solar source meter in each of the clusters that is representative of the respective one of the clusters as a bellwether meter, wherein each of the bellwether meters monitors a power output of one of the solar power systems in one of the clusters;
- receive solar power generation data from the bellwether meters;
- and
- generate an estimate of current solar power generation of the solar power systems in each of the clusters using the solar power generation data received from the bellwether meters.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.