Techniques for forecasting solar power generation include a computing device determining a clear-sky solar power generation level for a photovoltaic installation; receiving, from a first measurement device, measurement data indicating an amount of cloud cover at a first location of the first measurement device, wherein the first measurement device and the photovoltaic installation are located in a same geographical area; and generating a solar power generation forecast for the photovoltaic installation based on the clear-sky solar power generation level and the measurement data.

A system tracks and controls access for supplying electrical power for charging devices associated with a user. The system has a server and one or more outlets. The outlets are connected to electrical power and are configured to supply electrical power to the devices. Each of the outlets has a socket configured to supply electrical power to the devices. Each of the outlets is further configured to transmit the credentials to the server for authorization to access the outlet. The server is configured to determine whether the user is authorized to access the outlet and to transmit authorization to the outlet. The outlet is further configured to start a session and provide electrical power to the one or more devices upon receiving authorization from the server. The outlet is further configured to transmit information regarding the parameters to the server during the session.

A system for discovering the topology and phase of an electrical power distribution system is provided. For example, a group of meters connected to an electrical power distribution system can process sensor data obtained at the meters and generate descriptors based on the processed data and transmit the descriptors to a headend system. The headend system can, after receiving the descriptors from the various meters in the system, group these meters to generate a grouping by applying clustering algorithms to the descriptors of these meters. The headend system can further compare the current grouping with past groupings to determine a confidence level of the current grouping and assign a segment identifier or a phase identifier or both to one or more of the meters based on the confidence level.

A remote load switching circuit breaker includes a primary contact; a secondary contact in series with the primary contact and coupled to a secondary contact driving circuit, where the secondary contact is switched on and off remotely by a user using a user device communicatively coupled to the remote load switching circuit breaker via wireless communications technologies; a shunt element structured to measure a shunt voltage drop and to tap power from a line side of the primary contact; a control circuit comprising a controller and a communication module, the controller including a firmware; and a power supply and sensing circuit structured to supply power to the control circuit and to sense various voltages, where the secondary contact is fully powered by the power supply and sensing circuit.

A charging processing system includes: a power supply facility that supplies CO.sub.2 free power generated using renewable energy; a vehicle in which CO.sub.2 free charging is able to be performed to charge an onboard power storage device using the CO.sub.2 free power supplied from the power supply facility; a mobile terminal portable by a user of the vehicle; and a server. The server issues, when the CO.sub.2 free charging is performed in the vehicle, a coupon to the user of the vehicle in which the CO.sub.2 free charging is performed, the coupon being usable at a shop located around the power supply facility. When a timing to perform the CO.sub.2 free charging is included in a specific time period, the server increases the number of issued coupons and a usage value of each coupon.

A DER (distributed energy resource) device includes a metrology module and a communications module. The metrology module monitors the output of the DER device and the communications module provides bidirectional communications across a communications network to control the DER device. The control of the DER devices may include commands to connect the DER device to the grid, to disconnect the DER device to the grid, to connect the DER device to the premises, or to adjust a power characteristic of the output of the DER device.

A battery management apparatus includes: a first transceiver configured to receive a first infrared (IR) signal output from a neighbor battery management apparatus and process the first IR signal; a controller configured to extract information from the processed first IR signal; and a second transceiver configured to output a second IR signal based on the extracted information.

A smart switch allows distributed generators to “ride through” non-three-phase faults by very quickly detecting a non-three-phase phase fault, locating the fault, identifying the “responsive sectionalizer switches” that will be involved in clearing or isolating the fault, and selecting one of the responsive sectionalizer switches to direct back-feed tie switch operations. The responsive sectionalizer switches trip only the faulted phase(s), and the selected sectionalizer switch instructs a back-feed tie switch to close to back-feed the distributed generators prior to conducting the typical fault response operation. This typically occurs within about three cycles, and is completed before the normal fault clearing and isolation procedures, which momentarily disconnect all three phases to the distributed generators from the normally connected feeder breaker. The looped connection to an alternate feeder breaker during these operations allows the distributed generators to “ride through” the normal fault clearing and isolation procedures.

The invention relates to a DC-power supply device (100) for supplying operational DC power to an external DC-powered device (102a) via a wired connection (104. a) that comprises a DC-power output interface (106a), a communication unit (108) configured to receive a shutdown-request signal (S1) indicative of a shutdown time-span (ts) during which no operational DC power is required and to provide a shutdown-trigger signal (52), a DC-powered device detection unit (110a) configured to determine a connected state and a disconnected state of the DC-powered device and to provide a connection status signal (53) indicative thereof and a power control unit (112) configured, upon reception of the shut-down-trigger signal, to disable provision of operational DC power during the shutdown time-span and, upon reception of the connection status signal indicative of the disconnected state, to re-enable provision of operational DC-power, thus improving a control of operational DC power provision.

A system includes a control unit having one or more processors and a communication interface. The communication interface is configured to communicate with one or more charging stations that are electrically coupled to receive electrical power from a power distribution grid and that are configured to selectively charge one or more energy storage devices connected to the charging stations. The one or more processors are configured to generate first control signals for communication by the communication interface to the one or more charging stations to control transfer of reactive and/or active power from the charging stations to the power distribution grid. The control signals are generated based at least in part on a load cycle profile of one or more electric machines electrically coupled to the power distribution grid.