A method includes converting an electrical output provided by an energy generator with a first voltage converter; and, subsequent to converting the electrical output provided by the energy generator with the first voltage converter, activating, with a microprocessor, a second voltage converter for converting the electrical output provided by the energy generator with the second voltage converter. An electrical device with a microprocessor for selecting one of two or more voltage converters is also described.

A method for controlling an inverter-based resource (IBR) connected to an electrical grid includes receiving grid parameter(s) and applying a droop function to the grid parameter(s) to determine a power droop signal. Further, the method includes receiving a power reference signal. Moreover, the method includes determining a power command signal as a function of the power droop signal and the power reference signal to allow for a fast response in a power output of the IBR to the grid parameter(s). The method also includes applying power constraint(s) to the power command signal to limit how much the power output of the IBR can be changed due to the grid parameter(s). Further, the method includes determining one or more control commands for the IBR based, at least in part, on the power command signal. Thus, the method includes controlling the IBR based, at least in part, on the power command signal.

The present invention relates to a method for power balancing a power grid (10) having multiple phases (12:1,2 3) and a common ground (0). The power grid (10) is connected to at least one load (13, 17) causing a non-uniform power consumption between the multiple phases (12: 1, 2, 3) of the power grid (10). The method comprises: monitoring power provided to the power grid (10) in controller (18), storing available energy in the power grid (10) in an energy storage (16) using multiple inverters (I1, I2, I3), each inverter (I1, I2, I3) is connected between the energy storage (16) and each phase (12: 1, 2, 3) of the power grid (10), and redistributing power between phases (12: 1, 2, 3) based on power available in the energy storage (16) by controlling power flow through the inverters (I1, I2, I3) by the controller (18) based on the non-uniform power consumption.

A system for managing electrical loads includes a plurality of branch circuits, a sensor system, and control circuitry. The sensor system is configured to measure one or more electrical parameters corresponding to the plurality of branch circuits, and transmit one or more signals to the control circuitry. The control circuitry is configured to determine respective electrical load information in each branch circuit based on the sensor system, and control the electrical load in each branch circuit using controllable elements based on the respective electrical load information. The control circuitry transmits usage information, generates displays indicative of usage information, accesses stored or referencing information to forecast electrical load, and manages electrical load in response to identified events. The control circuitry can associate each branch circuit with reference load information, and disaggregate loads on each branch circuit based on the reference load information and on the electrical load in the branch circuit.

A solar energy system includes a photovoltaic (PV) assembly and a drive system. The PV assembly comprises a support subassembly and an array of PV panels pivotable therewith about a longitudinal axis of the PV assembly. The drive system comprises a motor assembly comprising an electric motor and a gearing arrangement, and a pivot wheel comprising a hoop-portion and joined to the PV assembly. The hoop portion includes an outer circumferential channel, and two opposing catches defining a maximum pivot range. A chain resides partly within the circumferential channel, is engaged with the two opposing catches, and is also in geared communication with the motor assembly such that the motor is operable to rotate the pivot wheel. In some embodiments, the opposing catches define a maximum pivot range through an arc of more than π radians and less than 2π radians.

An electrical energy storage device for use in an electrical distribution grid where storage may be located across various voltage transitions throughout the network, enabling energy to bypass stepdown transformers, monitoring on both sides of a transformer, and power conditioning to optimize transformer and grid performance.

A system and method for performing novel wind forecasting that is particularly accurate for forecasting over short-term time periods, e.g., over the next 1-5 hours. Such wind forecasting is particularly advantageous in wind energy applications. The disclosed method is anchored in a robust physical model of the wind variability in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). The disclosed method approach leverages a physical framework based on the unsteady dynamics of earth's atmosphere, and drives forecasting as a function of previously-observed atmospheric condition data observed at the same location for which a wind forecast is desired.

A system and method for combining power from DC power sources. Each power source is coupled to a converter. Each converter converts input power to output power by monitoring and maintaining the input power at a maximum power point. Substantially all input power is converted to the output power, and the controlling is performed by allowing output voltage of the converter to vary. The converters are coupled in series. An inverter is connected in parallel with the series connection of the converters and inverts a DC input to the inverter from the converters into an AC output. The inverter maintains the voltage at the inverter input at a desirable voltage by varying the amount of the series current drawn from the converters. The series current and the output power of the converters, determine the output voltage at each converter.

Systems and methods are directed to controlling components of a utility grid. The system can receive data samples including signals detected at one or more portions of a utility grid. The system can construct a matrix having a first dimension and a second dimension. The system can train a machine learning model based on the matrix to predict values for signals of the utility grid not provided in the matrix. The system can receive bounds for one or more input variables, constraints on one or more output variables, and a performance objective for the utility grid. The system can determine, based on the machine learning model and via an optimization technique, an adjustment to a component of the utility grid that satisfies the performance objective. The system can provide the adjustment to the component of the utility grid to satisfy the performance objective.

A method of controlling output levels of an MMC converter to reduce fluctuation in a power grid frequency, which adjusts an output level of the MMC converter in response to a change in a power grid frequency of a power grid system in the MMC converter connected to a grid system, is proposed. The method includes a detection step of detecting a power grid frequency of a grid connected to the MMC converter in real time, a comparison step of comparing the detected power grid frequency with a preset reference power grid frequency, and an adjustment step of adjusting a number of output levels of the MMC converter to reduce a difference between the detected power grid frequency and the reference power grid frequency when the detected power grid frequency and the reference power grid frequency are different from each other.