System and method for controlling a hybrid energy facility having multiple power sources
11067060 · 2021-07-20
Assignee
Inventors
- Patrick Hammel Hart (Ballston Lake, NY, US)
- Alina Fatima Moosvi (Ballston Spa, NY, US)
- Charles Joseph Kosuth (Albany, NY, US)
- Gissel Idaly Gardea-Torres (Greenville, SC, US)
- Enno Ubben (Salzbergen, DE)
Cpc classification
H02J3/46
ELECTRICITY
H02J2310/18
ELECTRICITY
Y02E10/56
GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
F03D9/257
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
Y02E40/70
GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
Y02E10/72
GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
Y04S10/123
GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
H02J3/38
ELECTRICITY
H02J3/32
ELECTRICITY
Y02E10/76
GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
Y02E70/30
GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
H02J2300/40
ELECTRICITY
International classification
F03D9/25
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
Abstract
A method for automatically controlling a renewable energy facility having a plurality of power sources includes operating, via a farm-level controller, the hybrid renewable energy facility at a first farm-level power set point. The method also includes modifying, via the farm-level controller, the first power set point to a second farm-level power set point. In response to modifying the first power set point to the second farm-level power set point, the method includes generating one or more power change requests for individual controllers of the plurality of power sources. Further, the method includes generating a power output via the plurality of power sources so as to transfer power generation from one of the plurality of power sources to another while minimizing the impact on farm-level production.
Claims
1. A method for automatically controlling a renewable energy facility having a plurality of power sources, the method comprising: operating, via a farm-level controller, the hybrid renewable energy facility at a first farm-level power set point; modifying, via the farm-level controller, the first power set point to a second farm-level power set point; in response to modifying the first power set point to the second farm-level power set point, generating one or more power change requests for individual controllers of the plurality of power sources; generating a power output via the plurality of power sources so as to transfer power generation from one of the plurality of power sources to another to reach and maintain the second farm-level power set point, wherein generating a power output via the plurality of power sources further comprises: generating a power output via a first power source of the plurality of power sources, the first power source having a first response rate; and, after the power output reaches the second farm-level power set point, generating at least a portion of the power output via a second power source of the plurality of power sources, the second power source having a second response rate that is less than the first response rate.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein, as the second power source begins to generate at least the portion of the power output, the first power source reduces an equivalent amount of power generated thereby.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising reducing the amount of power generated by the first power source to zero during a transition period after the power output reaches the second farm-level power set point.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling the hybrid renewable energy facility via a closed loop architecture.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the power output via the first power source and then generating at least portion of the power output via the second power source after the power output reaches the second power set point further comprises: determining, via the farm-level controller, first and second power set points for the first and second power sources of the plurality of power sources based on the second farm-level power set point and a power feedback signal from the plurality of power sources; and, operating the first and second power sources based on the first and second power set points.
6. The method of claim 5, further comprising determining the first and second power set points for the first and second power sources based on the second farm-level power set point, the power feedback signal from the plurality of power sources, and a plurality of additional inputs relating to each of the plurality of power sources.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of additional inputs relating to each of the plurality of power sources comprise at least one of a desired power, an actual power, a maximum available power, a minimum available power, a priority of each of the plurality of power sources, and/or whether farm control is enabled or disabled.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising prioritizing the power change requests to accommodate potential conflicts by determining which power source will operate when there are conflicting power set points.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, via the farm-level controller, the power change requests for the plurality of power sources by: receiving, from the individual controllers, individual power set points for the plurality of power sources; determining a delta between each the individual power set points and an actual power of each the plurality power sources, respectively; and, determining the power change requests for the plurality of power sources as a function of the delta.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the power change requests for the plurality power sources as a function of the delta further comprises determining whether the delta is positive or negative by applying a gain and/or a limiter to the delta.
11. The method of claim 8, wherein prioritizing the power change requests to accommodate potential conflicts further comprises: identifying, via the farm-level controller, a capacity of one or more of the plurality of power sources to accept the power change requests; and, assigning each of the power change requests to an power source from the plurality of power sources in priority order.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second power sources comprise at least two of the following: a solar panel, an energy storage device, or a wind turbine, the renewable energy facility comprising at least one of a wind farm, a solar farm, or an energy storage system.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures, in which:
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(14) Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
(15) Generally, the present disclosure is directed to a system and method for automatically distributing set point commands among assets (i.e. power sources) that have different response rates. More specifically, the present disclosure is directed to a supervisory set of logic that determines the ideal power split between the power sources required to achieve the farm-level set point. As such, the present disclosure includes a modification to the control of each group of power sources that changes the behavior of the group to align with the desired power split without significantly impacting the combined output of the hybrid renewable energy facility. The task is performed by identifying the frequency components of commands or required reactions to system disturbances and distributing the commands to the assets accordingly. The proposed control structure performs this task with minimal tuning requirements during commissioning, and no online inputs from a user during typical operation. As such, the present disclosure results in greater flexibility of individual asset control while maintaining a farm-level set point.
(16) Referring now to the drawings,
(17) Referring now to
(18) As shown in
(19) Each rotor blade 22 may also include a pitch adjustment mechanism 30 configured to rotate each rotor blade 22 about its pitch axis 28. Further, each pitch adjustment mechanism 30 may include a pitch drive motor 32 (e.g., any suitable electric, hydraulic, or pneumatic motor), a pitch drive gearbox 34, and a pitch drive pinion 36. In such embodiments, the pitch drive motor 32 may be coupled to the pitch drive gearbox 34 so that the pitch drive motor 32 imparts mechanical force to the pitch drive gearbox 34. Similarly, the pitch drive gearbox 34 may be coupled to the pitch drive pinion 36 for rotation therewith. The pitch drive pinion 36 may, in turn, be in rotational engagement with a pitch bearing 40 coupled between the hub 20 and a corresponding rotor blade 22 such that rotation of the pitch drive pinion 36 causes rotation of the pitch bearing 40. Thus, in such embodiments, rotation of the pitch drive motor 32 drives the pitch drive gearbox 34 and the pitch drive pinion 36, thereby rotating the pitch bearing 40 and the rotor blade 22 about the pitch axis 28. Similarly, the wind turbine 10 may include one or more yaw drive mechanisms 54 communicatively coupled to the controller 26, with each yaw drive mechanism(s) 54 being configured to change the angle of the nacelle 16 relative to the wind (e.g., by engaging a yaw bearing 56 of the wind turbine 10).
(20) In addition, as shown in
(21) It should also be appreciated that, as used herein, the term “monitor” and variations thereof indicates that the various sensors of the wind turbine 10 may be configured to provide a direct measurement of the parameters being monitored and/or an indirect measurement of such parameters. Thus, the sensors described herein may, for example, be used to generate signals relating to the parameter being monitored, which can then be utilized by the controller 26 to determine the condition.
(22) Referring now to
(23) As used herein, the term “processor” refers not only to integrated circuits referred to in the art as being included in a computer, but also refers to a controller, a microcontroller, a microcomputer, a programmable logic controller (PLC), an application specific integrated circuit, and other programmable circuits. Additionally, the memory device(s) 62 may generally comprise memory element(s) including, but not limited to, computer readable medium (e.g., random access memory (RAM)), computer readable non-volatile medium (e.g., a flash memory), a floppy disk, a compact disc-read only memory (CD-ROM), a magneto-optical disk (MOD), a digital versatile disc (DVD) and/or other suitable memory elements. Such memory device(s) 62 may generally be configured to store suitable computer-readable instructions that, when implemented by the processor(s) 60, configure the controller 26 to perform various functions including, but not limited to, transmitting suitable control signals to implement corrective action(s) in response to a distance signal exceeding a predetermined threshold as described herein, as well as various other suitable computer-implemented functions.
(24) Referring now to the drawings,
(25) The battery power source 104 described herein may be an electrical power source. For example, in certain embodiments, the battery power source 104 may include one or more energy storage devices (ESDs) 106, including but not limited to batteries (e.g. a lithium ion battery, a sodium nickel chloride battery, a sodium sulfur battery, a nickel metal hydride battery, a nickel cadmium battery, etc.), fuel cells, supercapacitors, pumped storage, compressed gas storage, flywheels, and/or any other suitable device in which, or means by which energy can be stored for later use. For example, in one embodiment, the battery power source 104 may include one or more sodium nickel chloride batteries.
(26) Still referring to
(27) Referring now to
(28) As shown at 202, the method 200 includes operating, via a farm-level controller 105, the hybrid renewable energy facility 100 at a first farm-level power set point. As shown at 204, the method 200 includes modifying, via the farm-level controller 105, the first power set point to a second farm-level power set point. In response to modifying the first power set point to the second farm-level power set point, as shown at 206, the method 200 includes generating one or more power change requests for individual controllers of the plurality of power sources. As shown at 208, the method 200 includes generating a power output via the plurality of power sources so as to transfer power generation from one of the plurality of power sources to another to reach and maintain the second farm-level power set point.
(29) For example, in one embodiment, the farm-level controller 105 may generate the power output via the plurality of power sources by generating a power output via a first power source (e.g. via the one or more solar panels 102). The first power source has a first response rate. After the power output reaches the second farm-level power set point, the method 200 includes generating at least a portion of the power output via a second power source (e.g. via the wind farm 70) of the plurality of power sources. In such embodiments, the second power source has a second response rate that is less than the first response rate. Accordingly, the present disclosure provides the ability to respond to the second farm-level power set point with a particular asset that may be expensive to operate but provides the response capability needed to achieve the performance required by the grid utilities. After the first response, the steady state response is transferred to another asset that is less expensive to operate or provides other secondary benefits.
(30) In one embodiment, as the second power source begins to generate at least the portion of the power output, the first power source reduces an equivalent amount of power generated thereby. More specifically, in such embodiments, the method 200 may include reducing the amount of power generated by the first power source to zero during a transition period after the power output reaches the second farm-level power set point. Thus, in one example, each asset type (i.e. the solar panels 102 and the wind farm 70) of the renewable energy facility 100 may be designed to produce 10 megawatts (MW) of power for a total of 20 MW. If the renewable energy facility 100 is curtailed to 5 MW and the curtailment is subsequently lifted to 10 MW, the facility may respond immediately by filling the available power using the solar panels 102, which have a faster response. With Production Tax Credits (PTC), however, the value of wind power is higher. Therefore, after the facility 100 has increased the total power from 5 MW to 10 MW, the controller 105 can generate commands to trade solar power for wind power, yielding higher returns for the hybrid facility 100.
(31) Referring now to
(32) Referring now to
(33) More particularly, as shown in
(34) In such embodiments, the result of the delta (or the power change request) is configured to minimize the impact on the combined farm-level power output. In addition, the power change request is configured to increase the power output of one power source type and decrease the power output of the other power source type by the same magnitude. Since each power source type has a different response characteristic, realistically each power source will follow the change request slightly differently. This discrepancy will have an slight impact on farm-level power output. The limits imposed on the change request are an attempt at minimizing that impact.
(35) In addition, the limits imposed can be dynamically defined by the capabilities of the power sources participating in the power change request handling. In certain embodiments, since the logic must match the increase of power of one power source with the decrease in power of another power source, the resulting commands to each power source must be dependent on the capabilities of both power sources moving in their designated directions. Without the limits, the power source(s) may be required to perform an action it is incapable of performing.
(36) Referring back to
(37) Referring now to
(38) Accordingly, the present disclosure allows the hybrid renewably energy facility 100 to stack services. More specifically, rather than following only a farm-level set point, the present disclosure allows the farm-level controller to maintain the power output of the facility while allowing the commands to individual assets to be manipulated for secondary purposes. This yields a number of benefits, including but not limited to optimization of the power production in terms of operating costs, efficiencies, AEP, degradation, or similar metrics without interfering with the total farm performance.
(39) Referring now to
(40) Referring particularly to
(41) Although specific features of various embodiments of the invention may be shown in some drawings and not in others, this is for convenience only. In accordance with the principles of the invention, any feature of a drawing may be referenced and/or claimed in combination with any feature of any other drawing.
(42) This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.