Managed virtual power plant utilizing battery storage

Abstract

Disclosed is a system and method for providing power generation and distribution with on-site energy storage and power input controlled by a utility or a third party manager. The system allows a utility manager to decide and direct how energy is delivered to a customer on both sides of the power meter, while the customer directs and controls when and how much energy is needed. In the disclosed embodiments, the utility controls the supply (either transmitted or stored) and makes power decisions on a system that acts as a virtual power plant, while the end-user retains control of the on-site aggregated power consumption assets. The disclosed systems act to broker the needs of the utility and end-user by creating, managing and controlling the interface between these two entities.

1 . A system for temporarily shifting the demand for electrical power at an end-user site comprising:
 an energy storage unit located in proximity of said end-user that receives electrical energy from a power source, and converts and stores said electrical energy as chemical energy in a first time period, said energy storage unit that supplies said stored chemical energy to said end-user in the form of DC electrical energy thereby reducing said end-user power source demand for said electrical energy in a second time period;   a controller that controls the operation of said energy storage unit and controls supply of said stored energy to said end-user; and,   a communications link between a utility manager and said controller that allows said utility manager to manage and control the operations of said controller thereby controlling storage and supply of said stored energy to said end-user.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising:
 an environmental sensor that senses environmental variables and relays environmental data to said utility manager via said communications link. 
 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising:
 an environmental sensor that senses environmental variables and relays environmental data on climatic variables, or condition/consumption variables, or cost variables to said utility manager via said communications link. 
 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said controller controls a plurality of said energy storage units. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said energy storage unit provides said supply of said stored energy to a plurality of said end-users. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said controller controls a plurality of end-user clusters. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said utility manager that controls said operations of said controller is a utility company, an energy service company, a demand response aggregator, third party energy manager, or a programmable logic circuit. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said communications link between said utility manager and said controller is performed with at least one of the following: a wide area communications interface, an external physical network interface and a wireless network interface. 
     
     
         9 . A system for temporarily shifting the demand for electrical power at an end-user site comprising:
 an energy storage unit located in proximity of said end-user that receives electrical energy from a power source, and converts and stores said electrical energy with at least one battery in a first time period, said energy storage unit that supplies said stored energy from at least one said battery to said end-user thereby reducing said end-user power source demand for said electrical energy in a second time period;   a controller that controls the operation of said energy storage unit and controls supply of said stored energy to said end-user; and,   a communications link between a utility manager and said controller that allows said utility manager to manage and control the operations of said controller thereby controlling storage and supply of said stored energy to said end-user.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9  further comprising:
 an environmental sensor that senses environmental variables and relays environmental data to said utility manager via said communications link. 
 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9  further comprising:
 an environmental sensor that senses environmental variables and relays environmental data on climatic variables, or condition/consumption variables, or cost variables to said utility manager via said communications link. 
 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein said controller controls a plurality of said energy storage units. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein said energy storage unit provides said supply of said stored energy to a plurality of said end-users. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein said controller controls a plurality of end-user clusters. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein said utility manager that controls said operations of said controller is a utility company, an energy service company, a demand response aggregator, third party energy manager, or a programmable logic circuit. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein said communications link between said utility manager and said controller is performed with at least one of the following: a wide area communications interface, an external physical network interface and a wireless network interface. 
     
     
         17 . A method of temporarily supplementing the demand for electrical energy supplied to an end-user comprising the steps:
 storing a portion of said electrical energy supplied to an end-user with an energy storage unit located in proximity of said end-user comprising the steps:
 receiving electrical energy from an electricity source; and, 
 converting and storing said electrical energy into chemical energy in one time period; 
   controlling the operations of said energy storage unit with a controller that regulates the amount of energy that is supplied to, and distributed from, said energy storage unit;   controlling the operations of said controller by a utility manager with a communications link between said utility manager and said controller; and,   supplementing said end-user demand for said electrical energy in a second time period by supplying said stored chemical energy to said end-user in the form of DC electrical energy.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising the steps:
 obtaining environmental data from at least one environmental sensor that senses at least one environmental variable;   transmitting said environmental data to said utility manager via said communications link; and,   regulating the amount of energy that is supplied to, or distributed from, said energy storage unit based upon said environmental data.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising the steps:
 obtaining environmental data from at least one environmental sensor that senses at least one environmental variable from the group consisting of climatic variables, condition/consumption variables, and cost variables;   transmitting said environmental data to said utility manager via said communications link; and,   regulating the amount of said energy that is supplied to, or distributed from, said energy storage unit based upon said environmental data.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising the steps:
 obtaining performance data from said energy storage unit;   transmitting said performance data to said utility manager via said communications link; and,   regulating the amount of said energy that is supplied to, or distributed from, said energy storage unit based upon said performance data.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising the step:
 controlling a plurality of said energy storage units with said controller.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising the step:
 supplementing a plurality of said end-users demand for said electrical energy in said second time period by supplying said stored energy from said utility manager controlled energy storage unit to said plurality of said end-users.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising the step:
 controlling a plurality of end-user clusters with said controller.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising the steps:
 performing said communications link between said utility manager and said controller with a wide area communications interface.   
     
     
         25 . A method of temporarily supplementing the demand for electrical energy supplied to an end-user comprising the steps:
 storing a portion of said electrical energy supplied to an end-user with an energy storage unit located in proximity of said end-user comprising the steps:
 receiving electrical energy from an electricity source; and, 
 storing said electrical energy with at least one battery in one time period; 
   controlling the operations of said energy storage unit with a controller that regulates the amount of energy that is supplied to, and distributed from, said energy storage unit;   controlling the operations of said controller by a utility manager with a communications link between said utility manager and said controller; and,   supplementing said end-user demand for said electrical energy in a second time period by supplying said stored energy from at least one said battery to said end-user.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising the steps:
 obtaining environmental data from at least one environmental sensor that senses at least one environmental variable;   transmitting said environmental data to said utility manager via said communications link; and,   regulating the amount of energy that is supplied to, or distributed from, said energy storage unit based upon said environmental data.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising the steps:
 obtaining environmental data from at least one environmental sensor that senses at least one environmental variable from the group consisting of climatic variables, condition/consumption variables, and cost variables;   transmitting said environmental data to said utility manager via said communications link; and,   regulating the amount of said energy that is supplied to, or distributed from, said energy storage unit based upon said environmental data.   
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising the steps:
 obtaining performance data from said energy storage unit;   transmitting said performance data to said utility manager via said communications link; and,   regulating the amount of said energy that is supplied to, or distributed from, said energy storage unit based upon said performance data.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising the step:
 controlling a plurality of said energy storage units with said controller.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising the step:
 supplementing a plurality of said end-users demand for said electrical energy in said second time period by supplying said stored energy from said utility manager controlled energy storage unit to said plurality of said end-users.   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising the step:
 controlling a plurality of end-user clusters with said controller.   
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising the steps:
 performing said communications link between said utility manager and said controller with a wide area communications interface.